Crouch End has been named among the UK’s best places to live for 2027.

The north London neighbourhood was included in Muddy Stilettos’ list of the UK’s Top 260 Best Places to Live, published at the end of October.

Published annually, the guide picks out the best places to live in each county and looks at what they offer, from schools, commuting and house prices to where to eat, shop and spend a weekend.

Crouch End is one of eight places in London to make the list, alongside Chiswick, Clapton, Greenwich, Herne Hill, Tooting, Walthamstow and Wimbledon.

Why Crouch End made the list

The guide says that with its “landmark Victorian clock tower, handsome period houses and independent shops aplenty”, Crouch End “feels more like a buzzy market town than a corner of north London”.

It adds that “two independent cinemas and glorious green spaces keep everyone entertained”.

Les 2 Garçons on Middle Lane is picked out as “a Michelin Bib Gourmand favourite”, and Dunn’s Bakery as “a Crouch End institution with two centuries of baking history”.

At The Queens, the guide says, “the magnificent wood-panelled, stained-glass interior is almost as appealing as the menu”.

On the shops, its verdict is short: “Basically, your credit card is in trouble.”

The restored Hornsey Town Hall, which reopened in 2025, is described as “a major addition” to the neighbourhood.

The guide’s “best kept secret” is the Spriggan, which it calls Crouch End’s “very own woodland monster”.

The Spriggan sculpture climbing out of a brick arch on the Parkland Walk
The Spriggan, Parkland Walk. Photo: Peter O'Connor, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The sculpture sits in a brick arch beside the old railway platforms on the Parkland Walk, and the guide warns it is “easy to miss” and “even easier to wish you hadn’t spotted it after dark”.

How much it costs to live in Crouch End

“Crouch End isn’t exactly bargain territory,” the guide says.

The average house price in Crouch End over the last year was £757,367, according to the guide.

Flats averaged £549,235, terraced houses £1,396,410 and semi-detached homes £1,520,250.

There is no Tube station in Crouch End itself, but the guide says that “hasn’t stopped London commuters moving here in droves”.

It points to the Northern line at Highgate, around a 20 minute walk from parts of the neighbourhood, Overground trains from Crouch Hill and National Rail services from Alexandra Palace towards Moorgate.

What do you think makes Crouch End a good place to live? Tell us in the comments.