a city and was treated as such in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. However, its city status is not recognised by the government. Southwell has an active Town Council. The town is something of an oddity in North Nottinghamshire, being visibly affluent compared with neighbouring Newark-on-Trent and Mansfield. Agriculture and coal have seen the fortunes of the other two fluctuate over the years, while Southwell has remained a place where wealthier Nottinghamians like to reside. It appeared in the Sunday Times shortlist of Best Places to Live 2017 for the Midlands region. In most of Nottinghamshire, Southwell is pronounced SUH-thull, with a voiced "th" and a silent "w". Southwell's own residents tend to pronounce it as it is spelt. The town's two infant schools (aged 3–5) are Southwell Holy Trinity C of E and Lowes Wong . The latter also teaches children aged 7–11. The local secondary school is Southwell Minster School, which also educates the choristers of the Minster and gifted musicians in its Junior Department. It has particularly good GCSE and AS/A level results for Nottinghamshire. The Bramley cooking apple was first seeded in Southwell, by Mary Ann Brailsford in 1809. Henry Merryweather, a local nurseryman then 17 years old, saw potential and cultivated it from cuttings. The apple is widely used and renowned for its acidic taste and for cooking into a smooth purée. One local football club, Southwell City, is nicknamed "The Bramleys" and the town's library is called the Bramley Centre. In March 2009, a stained-glass window was placed in Southwell Minister to mark the apple's bicentenary. The local community newspaper is The Bramley, of which some 11,200 copies a month are delivered free in and around Southwell. Sports clubs include Southwell Rugby Club (known as the Redmen), formed in 1922–1923. In the 2011–2012 season, it won a historic treble as RFU Midlands 4 (East) North League Champions, Nottinghamshire Junior Cup winners and Nottinghamshire/Lincolnshire/Derbyshire Plate winners. There is also a Southwell Cricket Club. Southwell City Football Club, an FA Charter Standard Community Club, involves over 400 local players in 35 teams aged five years to veteran. Southwell has a leisure centre run by a local trust, with trustees from the community, although the district council also provides limited support. The annual Southwell Music Festival is held every August in Southwell Minster and other nearby venues. The Gate to Southwell Festival of roots and acoustic music is