We visit the 'posh' Bristol street that is said to be one of the best in Britain

I was filled with anticipation stepping onto College Fields, eager to find out why the street in Clifton was included in a recent list by The Telegraph as one of the 50 best streets to live on in the UK.     

The first thing I thought was that it is very posh. Grand houses with big gates and gardens. The street was also peaceful and calm, with very few cars going up and down the road.    

The street only has about ten houses and some flats, which overlook the playing fields of private school Clifton College, where the annual fee for children boarding seven days a week is over £44,500 per year.

For me, it felt like any fancy street in Clifton but I wanted to hear from the people that actually lived here.      

One thing for sure is that the houses are expensive, with The Telegraph noting that ‘deep pockets are required to buy here with substantial properties priced from £3m upwards.’  

After approaching one house, a cleaner answered the door. I got the feeling a lot of the houses on this street were going to have staff working for them.      

At the next house, a well-spoken lady answered who I assumed was the homeowner but informed me she is the housekeeper.       

Not wanting to give her name, she told me it is “a very nice street and that the neighbours are lovely and friendly.” She says people play rugby on the college fields and that the Redgrave Theatre at the bottom of the street is “superb”.     

But she was also quick to tell me how the road isn’t without faults. It was recently targeted by an eco-activist group which deflates SUVs cars, with the homeowner’s hybrid Porsche one of those affected.    

Fancy cars were another thing I noticed a lot of on the street, with some houses having three four of them. All big and luxurious.  

At the next house I visited, a dog greeted me as I knocked on the door and a lady holding her grandchild came out to chat.  

She owns the property, but didn't want to give her identity away, saying she likes that the street is “close to the Downs, and that you can walk everywhere, into town and Clifton Village.”   

But she said the bus service isn’t good, especially for those with children and the elderly that can’t walk. 

She added: “There could be somewhere that’s 50 times better but here the schools are good, they have a good reputation, but they’re very exclusive.”  

It was bin day on the day I visited the street and I caught one resident putting glass bottles into his recycling box.  

“It’s a lovely street to live on, lovely people, very friendly, lots of charity work that goes on,” David Bird, a retiree, told me, before hurrying back into his home.  

The final resident I spoke to on the doorstep was an elderly man, who was wearing a patterned silk robe and hat.  

He also had earphones in and said he listens to classical music and plays a lot of sports, namely tennis.   

“I think it’s a very nice place to live,” he said of the street. “Low density, very nice houses, it’s in a general environment which is very nice, lots of green open space, within easy reach of the city centre.”  

But the resident of 30 years admits those who live on the street are lucky to: “You just realise you’re lucky to live in this environment. The school environment is quite special and very few people are around during the school holidays.”    

For me, College Fields felt like any other wealthy street with nothing in particular that makes it stand out. It has a nice view of a private school's playing fields but that doesn't mean a lot to me. But it was clear to me from talking to residents that they certainly see their property as money well spent.