Southsea branded coolest place to live in Hampshire, according to survey, with Portsmouth third

The poll from Naturecan asked 5,000 participants about the most exciting places to make residence. Winchester came second and Portsmouth ranked in third place – followed by Lymington and Stockbridge.

Each location was ranked by the number of independent shops per head of population, the range of cultural events and the popularity of the location for films and television series. Gorgeous environments and how ‘instagrammable’ they are were also considered.

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In total, 50 places were listed in the poll, with Southsea ranking 21st overall. Andy Duckworth, Naturecan chief executive, said: ‘Southsea is the coolest place to live in Hampshire.

‘All the 50 places on the list would have been worthy winners and show why the UK and Hampshire in particular are such beautiful places, loved by painters, film makers and tourists from all over the world. What is interesting is how influential Instagram has become in boosting tourism in many of our top 50. It is a massive help for visitor numbers, too, if a popular film or TV show uses Hampshire as a location.

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‘Hidden gems which are largely only visited by local tourists can find themselves being showcased throughout the world if they are pictured by the right influencer or featured in a movie.’ Southsea has been used as a media location on several occasions.

The rock movie Tommy, staring The Who, was captured there, as well as Mr Bean and Ruth Rendell Mysteries. Polperro in Cornwall claimed the top spot in the national poll.