Hertford

Hertford's high street is all timbered fronts and independent shopfronts, the kind of place where the castle grounds sit a few minutes from the shops and nobody seems in a rush. It draws a settled crowd rather than a young, transient one — the median age here is 40, and you'll notice it in the mix of dog walkers, pushchairs and retirees at the café tables rather than students or shared houses. There's money here without it being flashy: the terraced streets and Georgian fronts near the river feel comfortable rather than showy.

Two stations — Hertford East and Hertford North — mean commuting into London is a genuine option rather than a stretch, and that's part of what shapes the town: a 30-something professional can get the train out and still send their children to somewhere like Abel Smith School or Bengeo Primary, both rated Outstanding, or on to Simon Balle or Richard Hale for secondary, where progress scores sit comfortably above the middle of the pack. Schools are the strongest card Hertford holds — the overall education grade here is about as high as these grades go, and it shows in the density of good options for a town this size. Housing leans older and established: freehold terraces dominate the sales data, with detached houses fetching well over the national norm and even flats pricing above what you'd find in most of the country. A price tag here sits close to what the wider East Hertfordshire district commands, this being neither a bargain corner nor a standout premium within its own patch — just a town holding its value.