Cookham named as one of the best places to live in Sunday Times guide

Cookham has officially secured its spot as one of the most desirable locations in Britain.

The picturesque Berkshire village has been featured in the prestigious Sunday Times ‘Best Places to Live 2026’ guide, standing as one of only 11 locations in the South East to make the final cut.

In the competitive poll, the home of painter Stanley Spencer rubs shoulders with regional winner Lindfield and overall national champion Norwich and was deemed ‘an aspirational Thames-side spot’ by the judges.

According to their research, Cookham is a place where prospective residents will need to ‘dig deep’ to afford the property premium, but the offset is a lifestyle in beautiful surroundings with a deeply embedded community spirit.

The guide highlights several key draws for the village including a great outdoors offering, stunning riverside scenery; top schooling options and a thriving sports, arts and social scene.

The expert panel of judges spent months visiting locations to award the annual ‘best’ rankings, assessing everything from broadband speeds and mobile signal to health of the high street and access to green space.

Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, said:

“This guide is a great opportunity to highlight the best places in Britain. It is full of places that show that our village, town and city centres can still be full of life, as well as places bursting with natural beauty, culture, connectivity and most importantly a sense of community.

“Our expert team of judges visit every location on the list and talk to the locals to find out what they love about the place they live. These judges have traveled the length and breadth of the UK, from the Scottish Highlands to the Cornish coast, selecting the top towns and villages, suburbs and cities for the 2026 guide. One thing all our chosen locations have in common is that the people who live in them are proud to call them home.”  

Cookham finds itself in elite company this year. While Lindfield, West Sussex, took the top spot for the Southeast, other local gems included Amersham, Caversham and the Surrey Hills.

The full 2026 guide features 72 locations across the UK, emphasising places with a ‘strong sense of community’ over those that simply have famous names or high price tags.

The annual supplement is published digitally this Friday, March 20, and will be in the paper on Sunday, March 22.

For the full list and detailed reviews, visit: https://www.thetimes.com/best-places-to-live