Tower and Town, June 2024 (view the full edition)The Newbies' ViewHaving lived in Manton for just four years, our family are still counted as 'newbies' in a village so good that no one ever seems to move out. We moved here at the end of 2019, after a decade of city life in Birmingham. We had always wanted to live in the countryside. One day, as we drove out of Birmingham, our son asked, 'Where have the pavements gone?' It was time to move. So, what made us choose Manton? In all honesty, it wasn't our first choice although the first house we viewed was in the village. We were initially seduced by a striking house in Ogbourne Maisey but when that fell through, we decided to go with the Manton house. The pull of the welcoming primary school, St John's, a village pub and walking distance to Marlborough were all key factors - although not necessarily in that order! What we hadn't expected was just how welcoming and social the village would be. This was despite moving in just before lockdown - social distancing not being an ideal time for making new friends. But when rules allowed, we were invited to open air drinks, walks and Coronation Street celebrations and were made to feel so welcome by our neighbours and families in the village. Our boys quickly made brilliant local friends through the Primary School, and we have followed suit. There have been many memorable nights in the village hall, The Oddfellows and The Burj - having such an amazing group of friends on our doorstep is brilliant. We also love being right in the middle of such beautiful countryside - our dog is particularly pleased with the local walks! And the wildlife is incredible. We are still surprised when we see a deer or a pheasant wandering past our house. As for downsides, there honestly aren't many! The internet connection is a bit worse than it was in Birmingham and the train links could be better - excellent if you want to go to London or Bristol but heading anywhere else directly is trickier. After 15 years in Birmingham, we also had to get used to having no Ubers! We feel very lucky that we landed in such a wonderful village, and like many of the residents, we expect to be here for a very long time indeed. Laura and Simon Lerwill |