Perfectly located, St Leonard's is one of the most sought-after areas of the cathedral city of Exeter.

Popular with families and professionals alike, just what makes this part of the city so popular with house hunters?

With a great choice of amenities right on your doorstep, St Leonard's has an abundance of cafes, restaurants, shops and even a car dealership and a pub.

Those of a school age are also well-catered for with Exeter School a selective independent co-educational day school for boys and girls aged seven to 18, The Maynard School for girls aged four to 18 (independent and selective), plus the Church of England Primary School and St Leonard's Pre-school.

HOUSE STYLES

The Almshouses on Magdalen Road
The Almshouses on Magdalen Road

Architecturally, the area is home to plenty of gorgeous Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian properties, with properties currently on the market ranging from £136,000 for a one-bedroom flat up to £1,500,000 for a five-bedroom detached house.

St Leonard's also offers a range of properties to rent. Available properties range from £335 per calendar month for a studio to £1,550 per calendar month for a five-bed terrace.

HOUSE PRICES

A St Leonard's property

According to Zoopla, in the last 12 months 134 property sales have taken place in St Leonard's with the average price paid for a property standing at £344,881.

The property website also states that the current average value of properties in the area is £346,191, while their value change has risen by 5.98 per cent or £19,528.

SHOPPING

Bon Gout Deli
Bon Gout Deli

While close to the city centre, St Leonard's has a fantastic range of shops, eateries and even a pub, all conveniently located on Magdalen Road.

From Bon Gout Deli, The Bran Tub for health foods, Gibson's Plaice fishmongers, The Village Bakery, award-winning Pipers Farm butchers to great gift ideas at Leela, or The Salty Pigeon restaurant, Café Magdalen, and even great tapas at Café Catalan, you really are spoilt for choice.

More great food and drink can be found at The Mount Radford Pub, plus top-quality wines with advice is on hand at Smith's – Fabulous Wines and Spirits.

On top of all of this, there is also Headquarters hair salon, St Leonard's car dealership, a contact lens and spectacles specialist, a pharmacy and a laundrette.

TRANSPORT LINKS

While you may love spending all of your time in St Leonard's, it is also good to know that, for those days when you have to be a little further from home, there are good transport links.

The general area of St Leonard's is served well by public transport; all of the main city bus routes can be accessed throughout.

Topsham Road bus stops can also link directly to Topsham and Exmouth, with the main bus station only a 10-minute walk and Central Train Station around a half a mile further.

By car, you can get out of the city via the main Heavitree Road in just 10 minutes, where you can get easy access to the Met Office, Sowton Industrial Estate, A30, Exeter International Airport and M5 motorway.

SCHOOLS

Pupils of Maynard School
Pupils of Maynard School

And if all this wasn't enough to convince you that you should be living in St Leonard's, there is also a great choice of schools in the immediate area.

There is St Leonard's Church Of England Primary School, on St Leonard's Road, which received an outstanding Ofsted report in 2014/2015.

For younger children, look to St Leonard's Pre-School, based at the Royal Academy for Deaf Education, 50 Topsham Road – this recently received a good Ofsted report.

Exeter School, on Victoria Park Road, is a selective independent co-educational day school. The school, which is the largest in St Leonard's, received an excellent rating in a 2014 ISI inspection report.

Last, but not least, The Maynard School, on Denmark Road, is an independently-run school for girls (selective day) which is ranked amongst the top 30 in the country.

COMMUNITY

Once the smallest parish in Devon, St Leonard's became part of Exeter in 1877.

According to the Exeter Civic Society's second Discovering Exeter booklet, by the beginning of the 19th century it had just 26 houses and 133 residents.

Today, St Leonard's is home to thousands of people.

While enjoying all the benefits of city life, St Leonard's still retains a strong sense of community with an abundance of clubs available for people of all ages and interests.

And to help you find out just what is going on and when, the St Leonard's Neighbourhood Association (SLNA) has its own website dedicated to providing local information and details about things to do in the area.

Clubs advertised on the page include bridge and tennis clubs, a church group, a walking group, football, badminton, Tai Chi, self-defence, tap dancing and even music classes for babies and toddlers.

Councillor and police contacts can also be found on the website, along with other useful information including doctor surgeries, an area map and even the area's crime figures.

SLNA chairman Nigel FitzHugh said: “The Neighbourhood Association raises money and makes grants to organisations and people who live in St Leonards, it also produces a Neighbourhood News magazine six times a year which gets delivered by about 60 volunteers to 3,200 houses in the area.

“It's a wonderful place to live, especially if you are within walking distance of our fabulous shops in Magdalen Road.

“We call it our 'village' and it's full of both useful and appealing shops, Bon Gout deli, Pipers Farm butchers, Gibsons Plaice have all won awards for their produce and service.

“The cafés buzz at all times of the day, including our new Magdalen Road bakery/café which seems to be open all hours."

Nina Morgan
Nina Morgan

Nina Morgan, 93, has been a resident of St Leonard's since 1968. She is also a SLNA committee member working with the road safety unit.

She said: “I've been on the committee for many years. There are 10 of us on the committee and I am the oldest member. We have regular meetings and an AGM every year.

“My husband and I have lived in our house since 1968. We used to work away in Africa and when we were away our neighbours looked after our house.

“It's always been a good community."

Enjoying the St Leonard's Christmas fair
Enjoying the St Leonard's Christmas fair

Mrs Morgan said that she has seen many changes and much growth of the area during her almost 50 years as a resident. But throughout the years one thing has remained.

She said: “It's a wonderful community with lots of really nice people.

“The best thing about living in St Leonard's is the community spirit. We have get-togethers, we have fairs and street markets.

“Every Christmas we have a Christmas fair in the high street. We have to stop the traffic from coming through, we put up stalls and we have a big fair.

“Our committee is one that's prepared to work and do something to keep the community together."

Working on the committee's road safety unit, Mrs Morgan said that there has been an increase in the volume of traffic in the area and a need for more parking in recent years.

But this is not a problem isolated to St Leonard's, it is one which is affecting the whole of the city and it doesn't stop St Leonard's from being a visually enticing place to live.

Fun at a summer fete at Bull Meadow Park, St Leonard's

Mrs Morgan said: “One thing we have is lots of trees – it's a green ward with lots of leafy trees. I love trees and clean air.

“We have lots of big houses in St Leonard's, but we haven't got many flats or big block buildings like they do in other parts of the city and as soon as a house comes up it is gone.

“It's family friendly and a ward with character. It's a lovely, green ward."

Mr FitzHugh echoed Mrs Morgan's sentiments.

He said: “It is not called 'leafy St Leonards' for nothing.

“The gardens and the streets abound with trees and flowers, especially at this time of year, and its easy access onto the river parks by foot and bicycle make it a green place to live.

“Bull Meadow Park and its newly renovated playground is a great attraction for young families.

“All in all it is the best area of Exeter to live, but I would say that wouldn't I?"

To find out more about St Leonard's and the SLNA, visit stleonards.talktalk.net.