Here in Devon, we all know Exeter is a stunning city with an impressive cathedral, attractive quayside and plenty of pretty parks and gardens. So it will come as little surprise that Exeter has been named the third most beautiful city in the UK, according to new research.

A study by Atlas Ceramics analysed the number of boutique hotels, listed buildings and monuments, interior designers and architects in each UK destination to reveal the country’s most beautiful locations. It also looked at the most beautiful locations on TikTok and Instagram.

Oxford took the crown as the UK’s most beautiful city, with a score of 8.39 out of 10. The city of dreaming spires has a whopping 26 listed buildings and monuments per square kilometre, ranking third on this factor.

Read more: Free things to do in Exeter

In second place was Worcester with a score of 7.98 out of 10. The Midlands city is famous for its medieval cathedral and it ranked in the top 10 for the number of boutique hotels, listed buildings and monuments, and interior designers per 100,000 people.

Exeter narrowly came third (7.92 out of 10) thanks to scoring in the top 10 for three factors, with its highest rank being for its proportion of listed buildings and monuments. It also ranked in the top 20 for its proportion of interior designers.

A table showing the top 10 most beautiful locations in the UK can be seen below:

Rank

City

Percentage of Boutique Hotels

Listed Buildings and monuments (per square km)

No. of Interior Designers (per 100,000 people)

No. of Architects (per 100,000 people)

Beautiful City Score /10

1

Oxford

25.71%

26

49.5

72.6

8.39

2

Worcester

28.57%

22

54.9

48.9

7.98

3

Exeter

28.57%

21

45.8

59.3

7.92

4

Winchester

40.00%

4

59.6

68.3

7.62

5

Chelmsford

40.00%

3

61.3

58.5

7.33

6

London

16.34%

13

54.0

57.3

7.26

7

St Albans

14.29%

5

270.6

265.9

7.14

8

Cambridge

10.34%

21

48.0

78.4

7.08

9

Manchester

11.11%

7

61.4

73.4

7.02

10

Bristol

12.20%

20

43.8

54.5

6.61

Derry, in Northern Ireland, was named the ugliest city in the UK, with a score of just 1.93 out of 10. It had the lowest proportion of interior designers on the list, and these play an important role in creating and curating a city’s aesthetic, Atlas Ceramics says.

The full findings can be read here.

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