We visited the charming village near Birmingham Airport voted the best place to live in the West Midlands

The annual Muddy Stilettos guide was released last week - revealing the best places to live in the West Midlands this year.

Hampton-in-Arden, a quaint village just outside of Solihull, claimed the number one spot as the best place to live in the region in 2024. The village was chosen due to its rural character and ideal location for commuters.

I paid a visit to the villlage earlier this week to find out exactly why it was chosen as the region’s best place to reside.

Despite its rural setting, the village is just over four miles from Birmingham Airport, making the airport the first the stop on the train when heading to Birmingham New Street from Hampton. The NEC and LG Arena are also just over 10 minute drives away.

The village is very calm, quiet, but peaceful. There is no high street or big chains nearby, but you can find a handful of shops including the Village Stores, Hampton Wines, a local post office and a delicatessen.

The village is also known as being home to the Hampton Manor, a 45 acre estate five star hotel with 24 bedrooms. The Grace & Savour restaurant, which has been named as one of the very best fine dining venues in the UK, is located in the manor, and is a big attraction for visitors.

For families, the village has the George Fentham Endowed School, an outstanding primary school, and the crime rate is low, too.

If you got into the heart of the village, there is one main pub for locals. The White Lion, which is also a 3-star hotel. It’s a classic country pub that’s known for its real ales and fine wines. It’s the only real watering hole for locals, unless you head up to the Soho Tavern.

I decided to pop into the tavern for a spot of lunch. The gastropub is located in an old social club building and has been made into an Indian dining experience. The first Soho Tavern was opened in Hockley, and they’ve since branched out to West Bromwich, Walsall, and even as far as Newcastle, with the Hampton venue the newest one.

Sitting down for some food, I ordered the delicious halloumi tikka wrap with a Madri to go with it. I had a chat with Sunny, one of the managers at the restaurant.

“Hampton was another chance to branch out for the owners,” he said. “It’s really nice, the local people are really nice and it’s a great venue for networking with different people and different businesses.”

He said it would be nice to see a few more restaurants in the village, with the White Lion the only other restaurant location. After leaving the Soho Tavern, I had a quick chat with one resident of Hampton. David has lived in the village for around 15 years.

He told me: “There’s a community spirit here, definitely, it’s nice and calm, we’ve got the Hampton Manor which is an attraction, but there’s also the NEC and Airport nearby, so for a lot of people it’s a really good location.”

Hampton is a lovely place to live. And there’s no denying it’s idealy situated near some major attractions and the airport, but as I left the village, I thought that there was untapped potential to the area.

Another village pub, and a couple of independent shops could really inject a buzz into the area while retaining its relaxing atmosphere.