| Living here |
| The Wintles in Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire, is the first neighbourhood to be designed by Living Villages. The first phase was completed in 2005, and the fourteen houses set around the village green are now all occupied. Here, some of the residents describe what it’s like to live there. |
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Mark & Sue |
| ‘We’ve made mates in Bishop’s Castle now. Tom goes to a nursery you can walk to. The women who run it are great. Tom is dead happy. When we visit Manchester he always says, ‘I want to go back to my new house now.’ |
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Pat & Chris |
| We have an open studio at the top of the house. Chris is a clock-maker, and he has a wonderful workshop up there. It’s a lovely creative space. A visitor once stood in the studio and said, ‘You could never get depressed here.’ |
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Maggie & Ted |
| ‘Living here has exceeded our expectations. It’s so light and comfortable, with a nice ambient temperature. The heat exchange system is very good - it always feels warm when you come into the house. We have a log-burning stove for the winter evenings.’ |
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Annette |
| ‘It’s lovely when people come to stay because it’s got a real holiday atmosphere. Living here is like being on holiday all the time. At the weekend you can wander around looking at all the little shops - it’s like being in a seaside town.’ |
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David & Dawn |
| ‘I’ve built four or five thousand houses, and I’ve never wanted to live in one before. But these don’t feel like new houses with all the natural materials there’s a lovely soft feel to them. This is the most beautiful house I’ve ever lived in.’ |
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Louise & Peter |
| ‘We’ve always cared about the environment, and wanted personally to make a difference. Pete used to get so depressed and say, ‘What can we do? Our children’s grand-children what’s their planet going to be like?’’ |
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Paul & Gail |
| ‘The houses look good and feel good. They give energy-efficiency a good name by making them appealing to people who want a cheaper, more efficient and healthier way of living, as well as benefiting the environment. It’s just a better home.’ |
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David & Helen |
| ‘We’re very pleased with the house - there’s nothing on the market like it at all. We’ve been here two years so we’ve seen most of the people move in. We all share a common interest in the houses.’ |
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Colin & Di |
| ‘Visitors can’t believe how friendly it is here. The kids are so safe - everyone looks out for each other, but not in a nosy way. We are creating our own traditions for the future by having get-togethers on Christmas morning, barbecues and bonfire celebrations.’ |
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