The historic Essex town, once the capital of Roman Britain, ranked lowest in terms of how “happy” people there said they were in the latest ONS well-being survey. Redditch, Worcestershire, and the upscale Kent town of Tunbridge Wells followed, as areas where people living there reported being least happy. At the other end of the scale, Torridge, in north Devon, was ranked as the UK’s ‘happiest’ area, followed by Pendle in Lancashire and Lichfield in Staffordshire. The figures come from the ONS’s most recent annual well-being survey, which asked people to rate ‘how happy you felt yesterday’ from 0 to 10. The data, which the ONS says is just one measure of well-being it captures alongside overall life satisfaction, value and stress, was collected from April last year to March this year. The responses, which were taken at different points during the year, were then aggregated to create an average “happiness” for each region. The less fortunate areas Colchester Image: Colchester Colchester was ranked lowest in terms of ‘happiness’ in the ONS survey, with an average happiness of 6.8 out of 10. The Essex city, located about 80 miles northeast of London on the River Colne, was famously the capital of Roman Britain, leading to its claim to be Britain’s oldest city. Today, it remains an important area for military bases and is home to many art galleries, Colchester Zoo and the University of Essex. Redditch Image: Redditch The Midlands town of Redditch, south of Birmingham, was famously once home to the world-class fishing and needle industries. At one point, 90% of the world’s needles are said to have been produced there, according to records from the Forge Hill Needle Museum. But happiness seems to be the hardest catch in the Worcestershire town, which had an average happiness score of 6.8 out of 10. Royal Tunbridge Wells Image: Tunbridge Wells Perhaps a surprise inclusion, given that Royal Tunbridge Wells was voted by Who? it was Kent’s best city to live in just last year, but the city scored an average score of 6.9 out of 10. Considered a wealthy commuter town, given that it is 30 miles southeast of London, the area was once popular with royals, including Queen Victoria. Her son, King Edward VII awarded the city the Royal Charter in 1909 to recognize its links with royalty and members of the aristocracy over the centuries. Norwich Image: Norwich The county of Norfolk in the east of England, Norwich is home to one of the largest cathedrals in the country, dating back to the Norman period. The town, which is popular for city breaks, also has a number of cultural attractions, including a medieval castle and the Theater Royal. But the city ranked third from the bottom in the happiness survey, with an average score of 6.9 out of 10. Lambeth Image: Lambeth One of London’s most central boroughs, Lambeth includes the Oval, Brixton, Streatham and parts of Clapham among other areas. It is home to a number of well-known London attractions, including the London Eye and Lambeth Palace, the official home of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Its residents were, on average, the fifth least happy in the UK, with an average score of 7 out of 10. The happiest areas Torridge Image: Torridge area Torridge is a council area in North Devon which includes the historic port town of Bideford, where the authority is based. Other towns in the area include the market town of Holsworthy and the seaside village of Westward Ho! famously named after a book of the same name by 19th century author Charles Kingsley. The area is popular with tourists and, according to the ONS survey, with residents too, with an average score of 8.2 out of 10. Pendle Image: Pendle The Lancashire town of Pendle is infamous as the site of the Pendle Witch Trials in the 17th century, where 11 people were tried for witchcraft. Ten – of the nine women and two men who went on trial – were found guilty of witchcraft and hanged, while the 11th was found not guilty. Modern Pendle is all about the magic of motoring, with Rolls Royce having a factory in the area. The region is also the second happiest in the UK, according to ONS figures, with an average score of 8.1 out of 10. Litchfield Image: Lichfield Located to the north of Birmingham, the cathedral city of Lichfield is known as the birthplace of Samuel Johnson, who wrote the first authoritative Dictionary of the English Language. It is also home to Lichfield Cathedral, which is one of only three cathedrals in the UK to have three spires. An affluent commuter town in Birmingham, Lichfield is one of the happiest places in the UK with an average score of 8.1. Hambleton Image: Hambleton area The borough of Hambleton in North Yorkshire is home to the market towns of Northallerton and Thirsk, home to Thirsk Racecourse. It is situated in the beautiful Mowbray Valley, between the towns of York and Middlesborough, with the North York Moors National Park to the east. It joins Pendle and Lichfield as the second happiest area in the UK, with an average score of 8.1. Newry, Morne and Down Image: Newry The only area outside England to appear at the top or bottom of the list, Newry, Morne and Down is a local authority on the south-east coast of Northern Ireland. Home to around 170,000 people, the area incorporates large parts of County Armagh and County Down and the entire Morne Mountains Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Along with Pendle, Lichfield and Hambleton, it scored an average of 8.1 for happiness in the ONS survey.
