St Ives voted Britain's most 'ideal' place to live

And the ideal home has been defined as ‘a short walk to the pub’

St Ives, simultaneously the most expensive seaside resort in Britain, and the 'most ideal' place to live (Getty Images)

St Ives, the idyllic seaside town in Cornwall, has been voted the ‘most ideal’ place to live, according to research conducted by Rightmove.

The town, population of around 11,000, and was this year named the most expensive seaside resort in Britain, has now topped the list of 10 most ideal places to live in the UK.

St Ives was closely followed by seaside towns Poole and Brighton, the historic cities Edinburgh and York, and then Liverpool, Harrogate, Bristol, Cardiff and Dartmouth.

The report found that if money were no object, the majority of people would choose to live in a three bedroom house with two living rooms and two bathrooms, with the majority of people opting for a practical utility room over more luxury add-ons to features, such as a conservatory or a walk in wardrobe.

Only around one per cent of the 2,606 respondents would choose to live in a castle.

While living close to good transport links has long been classed as a staple of an ideal area to live, a new ‘ideal’ has topped the list of desirable qualities for a home: being within walking distance of a pub. This was outlined by respondents as more important than a home being close to a park, a supermarket or a restaurant.