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There is a new addition to an area’s must-have list when buying a property. Good schools and high-end shops such as Waitrose are must have staples but new research from property website PrimeLocation.com reveals the latest craze when looking for a premium property is Michelin starred restaurants, which are opening up in affluent areas with above average house prices. The Prime property portal found that 33 per cent of homes with a Michelin starred restaurant nearby have average asking prices 50 per cent more expensive than the regional average.

In the wilds of North Yorkshire, Pateley Bridge boasts Michelin-stardom with the culinary delights of the Yorke Arms and property asking prices here are 137 per cent above the regional average. Jamie Adam from Jackson-Stops & Staff York says it is not only because of the Michelin star: “The immediate area around the Yorke Arms – just outside Pateley Bridge – is in a very pretty location on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park a stone’s throw from Harrogate, which will have a bearing on the inflated house prices there. The Yorke Arms is in a valley with reservoirs and a large number of the properties there come with land, although there is a limited amount of stock and when they come to market – which isn’t that often – the properties command a premium.”

These upmarket restaurants certainly bring more affluence to an area and help turn it in to a destination, says Adam: “A
Michelin starred restaurant almost certainly adds value to an area because it helps make it a destination. For example, the Yorkshire market town of Helmsley nearby has the Michelin starred Black Swan which has brought affluent people to the town and other similar businesses have sprung up around it – such as the Verbena Spa and Browns department store – Helmsley has become a real destination, as have other locations with Michelin starred restaurants.

So do these stars add value to house prices or do they simply open up in already affluent areas?  “I think these restaurants make their immediate area more desirable and if you’re a foodie then I’m sure you would pay a premium to live near one,” says Adam. Certainly what PrimeLoction.com’s figures do verify is that the opening of a Michelin starred restaurant is proof of the popularity of any area.

Michael Morpurgo’s bestselling children’s novel War Horse was first adapted for the stage and has now hit the big screen with Stephen Spielberg’s blockbuster film which has cantered to the top of the box office. Now – for the die-hard fans that have read the book, seen the play and cried in the film – is the chance to own the home with connections to the popular story.

The Granary is currently for sale and was once part of Nethercott House, a farm in Morpurgo’s hometown of Iddesleigh in Devon. In his book, the author credits Nethercott House and its people as his inspiration for the original tale of the young boy who forms a special friendship with his horse, Joey, who is then shipped off to join the cavalry during the Great War.

The inspiration began when Morpurgo was drinking in his local Iddesleigh pub and met a World War I veteran and Captain Budgett, a fellow villager who lived at Nethercott House and who had served in the cavalry. Budgett described the special bond between soldiers and their horses on the battle fields.

Morpurgo then met another man who remembered the army coming to the small Devon village to buy horses for the army. The writer also knew Albert Weeks, who was a farmhand at Nethercott and tended to a horse on the farm called Joey.

In War Horse, Captain Nicholls is a British Cavalry officer modelled on Budgett and is paired with Joey, a farm horse bought by the Army at an auction in Devon.

Offering the chance to live in a home with close ties to the now world-famous story, The Granary is deep in the unspoilt Devon countryside in the picturesque hamlet of Nethercott and is part of a group of six 17th century houses and barn conversions; all individually architecturally designed. The three bedroom Granary was converted in 1998 and retains its character but reflects modern living with light and spacious accommodation.

Outside, the property sits in 6.2 acres with paddocks, an arboretum and pond area. Unfortunately Joey doesn’t come with the house but there is a stable yard with lose boxes from which to create new friendships with horses.

The Granary is on the market through Jackson-Stops & Staff’s Exeter office with a guide price of £600,000.

The country is in the grip of Thatcher fever and to celebrate the latest box office smash, The Iron Lady, Dawn Carritt, director of the London country house department of Jackson-Stops & Staff, reflects on the first year of the Thatcher government in 1979 and the very different property landscape; when a first time buyer could get on the London property ladder for £25,000; £1 million bought a 2,000 acre country estate and mortgage rates reached a staggering 17 per cent.

According to the Jackson-Stops & Staff archive, wealthy commuters could buy a good six bedroom family home in the stockbroker belt of Surrey with an acre of garden for £250,000 – today it would cost over £2 million. This five bedroom Surrey country retreat – pictured below – is on the market for £2,450,000.

In 1979, mortgage loans would not be considered for anything more than two and a half times a person’s salary and mainly came from building societies. Only a few years earlier women would have needed to get their father’s or husband’s consent to get a mortgage in their own name.

Thatcher’s first time buyers could own their first home in the capital off fashionable Munster Road in Fulham for £25,000 if they were prepared to do some work to it but to secure a mortgage would have required savings in an account at a building society. This one bedroom apartment is just off the Fulham Road, has been recently renovated and has an asking price of £385,000.

A north Wales country estate was sold by Jackson-Stops & Staff’s Chester office for a then record-breaking one million pounds and included a principal residence, cottages, farm buildings, over 2,000 acres and a small grouse moor. A similar Cheshire country estate – Tilstone Lodge – is currently being marketed through our Chester office. Pictured left, it includes an 11 bedroom Grade II listed house, several cottages and outbuildings, a swimming pool, 10 acre lake, parkland and farmland in 115 acres for a guide price of £10 million.

Agricultural land prices were slow to recover during the 1970s but became stronger and by the end of the decade had reached £1,500 an acre – something of a bench mark then but nothing to today’s benchmark of £10,000 an acre and in certain areas prices have now exceeded this.

Inheritance Tax (then known as Capital Transfer Tax) started the year at a top rate of 75% and income tax for the top bracket was 83 per cent though it was reduced by the Iron Lady later in the year to 60 per cent.

Basic rate tax was 33 per cent but fell to 30 per cent in the first Thatcher budget.  For those that could obtain a mortgage, the Bank Rate was at a shattering level of 14 per cent and peaked that year at 17 per cent.

Dawn Carritt commented: “House prices held despite the economic constraints, though prices did fall in the early 1980s.  The Iron Lady’s corrective medicine may have been tough to swallow for all, including property owners but the market recovered strongly by the mid 1980s and the desire to own rather than rent grew as the years of her government passed.”

The call of the countryside will intensify in 2012 as people look to move out of London to capitalise on the value offered by rural property, in search of stability and a better quality of life, according to Jackson-Stops & Staff, the national estate agents.

Dawn Carritt, director of the London country house department of Jackson-Stops & Staff, which has 42 offices nationwide, predicts that buyers will cash in their equity in London homes and look for homes in less expensive areas where there are good schools and safe communities.

She said: “Those who are prepared to move away from the highest priced areas will find opportunities to purchase good properties while investing less. This should be helpful to areas where house prices have dropped as a result of the recession. Communications and technology now makes it far easier and acceptable to work in more rural locations.

“People may look to release some capital yet continue to see property as a good long-term investment when other securities such as blue-chip shares or bonds may have a rough time in the coming months. Traditional bricks and mortar remain a safe haven when times are tough.  We have a finite amount of land, we are not building enough to meet demand in the medium-term and, traditionally, we are a nation who aspire to be home owners.”

East Anglia could well benefit from London prices, according to Tim Dansie, director of Jackson-Stops & Staff’s Ipswich office.

He said: “The country house market is dependent on a strong London market and with the global issues and the Eurozone crisis, London is being seen as a safe haven and will continue to enjoy price rises here.  Londoners armed with this equity will be able to spend it in the country. People are seeking stability and a rural lifestyle in a village community can offer a haven from the turbulence of the past few years.” The Hollies just outside Oxford offers country living just outside a main city.

Rural and village houses and cottages under £500,000 such as 54 High Street, Ecton have proved the most buoyant sector of the market in 2011 in the East Midlands, according to Quentin Jackson-Stops. “I expect that trend to continue in 2012.”

In the South West, Ashley Rawlings, of the Dorchester office of Jackson-Stops & Staff, believes that a fall in country values will prove attractive to London buyers.  He said: “The most active market in our region is currently the £500,000 to £1 million, where upsizers and downsizers meet.”

James Wilson, of the Shaftesbury office of Jackson-Stops & Staff, also predicts that 2012 could be the year for buyers from London to capitalise on the relative cheapness of country property.  He said: “Country values have fallen markedly against London house prices. We can offer good schools, good access to London and the South-west, with our proximity to the A303.”  Old Glyn Arms in East Melbury is a listed conversion that offers good value for money.

Substantial country houses have been selling well through the Taunton office of Jackson-Stops & Staff. Brian Bishop, director, said: “I would expect the upper end of the market, £1.2 to £3 – £4 million, to continue to be reasonably active. This year we have sold almost all of the big houses ranging from £1.2 to £4 million reasonably quickly and all close to their guide price. Buyers have been a mix – from London and local people.” An example of a country house within the £1.2 to £4 million price range is Monkscombe House, a six bedroom Grade 11 listed property in Wiltown near Curry Rivel.

The “schools factor” will  continue to drive sales in 2012 in commuter-belt Kent, according to Alastair Hancock, director of Jackson-Stops & Staff’s five offices in the county.

He said: “Families will continue to seek out areas within the catchment areas of good state schools or move out of London in search of good state and private schools. We are expecting the market up to £1.5million to be the most active, particularly in good commuter areas.”

In affluent Surrey, Alan King, partner of Jackson-Stops & Staff in Dorking, said: “Younger families should be bold enough to move up, given that prices have eased back by some margin over the last three to four years. Average prices are down by 9 per cent which, coupled with attractive mortgage deals, should encourage buyers. The value of property as a hedge against inflation in the medium to long term should not be ignored.”

The Olympics is expected bring investment in key areas such as Weymouth where sailing events will heighten interest. Ashley Rawlings, of Jackson-Stops & Staff in Dorchester, said: “A recent improvement in the road infrastructure has facilitated access to this part of the coast and there has been a surge of interest from investors hoping to capitalise on this.”

The spotlight on Stratford should create interest within commutable areas in Essex and East Anglia, according to Tim Dansie in Ipswich. “We will see spikes in country house rentals on a short term basis but should also bring interest and influence on the country house market.”

Jackson-Stops & Staff in York is offering the opportunity to buy “December” – the perfect apartment for a Christmas celebration.

Holme Eden Hall, in the village of Warwick Bridge in Cumbria, is a Grade II listed horologically themed ‘calendar’ house with 365 windows, 12 corridors, seven exits and entrances and four floors for the four seasons of the year.

The theme was honoured when the property was divided into 12 apartments in 2003. Each apartment was named after a month in the year and “December” is now for sale.  The estate was designed by the Newcastle architect John Dobson and built in 1833 in a Tudor style for the then prominent Peter Dixon, who was head of Peter Dixon & Sons, a famous shipping and cotton milling company. Holme Eden Hall was constructed as his family seat and remained in the family until his death.

Jamie Adam of Jackson-Stops & Staff in York said: “This must be the ultimate Christmas present – and it certainly beats the conventional gift of a calendar.”

“December” is located on the top floor with exceptional views over the carefully landscaped grounds and beyond. Holme Eden Hall is located on the banks of the river Eden and is surrounded by glorious countryside.  A wide hallway serves as access to the principal rooms, including a living room with attractive gothic tracery windows and original fireplace and a fully fitted kitchen. There are two double bedrooms, the master of which has courtyard views and an en suite bathroom. The second bedroom has an original feature fireplace and fitted wardrobes. The apartment enjoys many original features and has been maintained to a very high standard by the current owner.

Holme Eden Hall enjoys attractive communal grounds to all sides and overlooks the adjoining water meadows and river Eden.  A communal gated entrance leads to the front of the building where each apartment has allocated private parking. Warwick Bridge is located in the Upper Eden Valley, close to the Lake District national park.  The area is perfect as both a permanent base or as a holiday/weekend retreat. The ancient city of Carlisle and the World Heritage Site of Hadrian’s Wall are close by as are the Solway Firth, Scottish Borders, Yorkshire Dales and Howgill Fells. The regional cities of Newcastle, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh are easily accessible.

Apartment no. 12, Holme Eden Hall is available through Jackson-Stops & Staff, York for a guide price of £249,000.

A detached, Grade II period cottage, in the Cotswold village of Windrush, has come on the market with Jackson-Stops & Staff, Burford, and is being offered for sale by auction on behalf of the National Trust. Dating from the early to mid 18^th Century, 8 Windrush is a typical Cotswold cottage with limestone façade and traditional stone roof, now in need of complete restoration. The property sits on the edge of the pretty and historic village, backing on to countryside.

The property has three bedrooms with a further three attic rooms that could be converted, plus a sitting room, dining room and kitchen. The garden has the potential to provide a lovely setting for the house.

Windrush is a peaceful village set on the slopes of the Windrush Valley. It has a significant number of listed properties, some of which are owned by the National Trust. There is a village church and a good public house half a mile away in Little Barrington. There is also an excellent primary school and village shop a mile and a half away in the picturesque village of Sherborne. The market town of Burford is only four miles away and offers a more extensive range of facilities.

8 Windrush is on the market with Jackson-Stops & Staff, Burford with a guide price of £425,000. The property will go to auction on 14 December at 6pm.

The meticulous restoration of Gloucester House, an exquisite late 18^th century Georgian townhouse in New Road, London E1, captures the zeitgeist around the renaissance of Whitechapel. The house has been imbued with new life and spirit by one of the acknowledged experts in restoration of houses of this period and the house has featured in magazines such as Country Life, The World of Interiors and, most recently, in a newly published book ‘The Romantic English Home’.

The architecture reflects the new wealth of its original owners when it was built in 1797, often referred to as water money, as result of the expansion of the London Docks. A wealthy sea captain, Richard Redman, owned No 33 New Road, which looked out over open fields. Eventually, the house was owned by a linen merchant and, as  Whitechapel’s prosperity declined and became dominated by the rag trade, the house became a shop.

The house was bought by the present owners in 2000 and work began on restoring the Georgian interior.  Evidence of the original layout of the house was uncovered, along with the original wide board Baltic pine floors and the stone floor on the lower ground floor.  Lost architectural details, such as cornicing and chair rails, were recreated and existing panelling was copied to restore the main rooms to their former splendour.

Gloucester House has a lower ground floor, a raised ground floor and two upper floors, with four bedrooms but with the opportunity of creating a fifth bedroom on the second floor. On the lower ground floor, the dining room has a door leading to the garden.  There is also a conservatory linked to a summerhouse in the garden.  The restoration of the kitchen has captured great period atmosphere.  There is a pantry and plumbing for the essentials of 21^st century living, such as washing machine, dryer and deep freeze, all discreetly hidden away. Most of the rooms have fireplaces, many of which were reinstated as part of the restoration.  All the upper floors have good ceiling heights. The front of the house is clad in wisteria and there is a secluded courtyard garden at the rear, with clipped box hedging and evergreen shrubs and creepers.

The Grade II listed house stands within the Myrdle Street Conservation Area, a short distance from Whitechapel underground station and within half a mile of Aldgate East underground, and just over a mile to Bank.

Gloucester House is now for sale, guide price £1.5 million. For more information, contact Dawn Carritt on

Tel 020 7664 66467664 6646

london@jackson-stops.co.uk

Jackson-Stops & Staff, the national estate agents, with 43 offices across England, has won the coveted award of Best UK Estate Agency Website of the Year for 2011-2012.

The award, part of the UK Property Awards sponsored by Google & Bloomberg, and recognised by all of the industry professional bodies, sets an industry standard for property related businesses.

The prestigious black tie event took place at the Lancaster Hotel in London, and was attended by more than 400 people involved in the property industry, including national and regional estate agents, surveyors, architects, and interior designers. The evening began with a Champagne reception and dinner, culminating in the awards ceremony.

The UK Property Awards were announced by Jennie Bond, journalist and BBC former Royal Correspondent and presented by representatives from Google.

Colin Hughes, partner of Jackson-Stops & Staff, Dorking, (centre left) and David Parris, group operations director of Jackson-Stops & Staff, London, (centre right) went on stage to receive the award.

Colin Hughes comments: “It was very exciting to hear the winner being announced and invited to the stage to receive this highly regarded award.  We work very hard to improve our website continually and it is an honour to be judged to be the best in the UK. “

David Parris added:  “Since it is recognised that the vast majority of purchasers or tenants start their search on line, it was particularly important for the website to be accessible and user friendly.

“Jackson-Stops & Staff was one of the first agencies to have a dedicated mobile site and, amongst its various innovations, has bespoke apps for the iphone as well as Android products. Our clients directly benefit from this technology to promote their properties to the widest possible buying audience both in the UK and worldwide.

Corisande Manor, currently on the market with Jackson-Stops & Staff, Truro, allows the owner to live on the stunning north Cornish coast whilst providing a great business opportunity to run as a hotel.

Arranged over four floors, the property has nine en-suite bedrooms and large reception areas, including a grand sitting room with balcony access and a dining room with exposed beams. The outdoor space is also impressive, with level lawns for grass tennis courts and a pavilion style building with planning consent for conversion into additional bedroom accommodation.

Corisande Manor, with its landscaped grounds, has stunning views over the Gannel, which can be admired from a balcony that stretches the entire width of the house. Most of the bedrooms also have views over the water.

The property is only a mile and a half from Newquay town centre. Newquay offers both train and rail links to London and the South West as well as an airport with regular flights to London, Gatwick.

Actress Annie Lambert has put her 20 acre equestrian property on the market with Jackson-Stops & Staff, Midhurst. The four bedroom 17^th Century Sussex house has been her home for the past 16 years, since retiring from acting and London life. The actress is best known for her roles on British television, in series including Dr Who, Morse and Poirot.

Anstead Farm, which is not listed, sits at the end of a gravelled drive off a country lane and has an attractive, period Sussex barn forming a small courtyard.  The accommodation comprises three excellent reception rooms including a large kitchen breakfast room as well as utility space.  Upstairs there are four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Anstead Farm has extensive equestrian facilities such as eight stables, hay barns and a dressage arena. The property also has delightful gardens, a swimming pool and a duck pond in the grounds.

Nick Ferrier of Jackson-Stops & Staff, Midhurst, says “Anstead Farm sits in most attractive West Sussex countryside moments away from Wisborough Green but also with great access to London.  It will appeal to a family of equestrian enthusiasts or someone looking for a hobby farm.  Finding a farmhouse of this quality, with a pool, superb equestrian facilities and 20 acres is not easy under £2 million.  Plus one has the opportunity to let the land or offer livery in the stables. Moreover there is enormous potential here; the Sussex barn in the grounds could be transformed into an annexe or office space. The block of eight stables has its own access and also has redevelopment possibilities, subject to planning permission.”

Anstead Farm is on the market for £1,750,000 with Jackson-Stops & Staff, Midhurst.

A cottage where Thomas Hardy’s mother was born and spent her childhood  is being marketed through Jackson-Stops & Staff. 1 Barton Hill Cottages is in Melbury Osmond, the picturesque Dorset village that inspired  one of Hardy’s best loved novels, The Woodlanders.

Hardy was born in Dorset in 1840. On returning to Dorset as an adult, he began to write as a means of making money, thus began his ‘Wessex’ novels based around Dorset and the surrounding areas. Wessex, originally thought of as a fictional county, was later revealed to be based on Dorset.

The cottage itself epitomises the romantic style of Hardy and the beautifully conserved village reflects the rural idyll. The thatched three bedroom cottage dates back to 1640 and has been carefully preserved, featuring an original ham stone, but with modern touches, such as a newly fitted bathroom. The cottage has a large garden with good views and its south facing position gives much natural light to both house and garden. The setting of the cottage is peaceful,in a quiet cul-de-sac, close to many footpaths including  Illchester’s deer park.

Charlie Bladon, director of Jackson-Stops and Staff in Sherborne, said: “The property is not only rich in literary history but is set in one of the most well-preserved and beautiful villages in the area.”

Melbury Osmond is unusually private, in a no-through road, with predominantly period houses that have been described by architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner in the Dorset edition of Buildings of England as ‘worthy of a picture book’. The village lies in  an Area of Outstanding Beauty, but is still close to good transport links and shops such as those found in Yeovil six miles away, including a train service to London.

1 Barton Hill Cottages is on the market for £395,000 with the Sherborne offices of Jackson-Stops & Staff.

A house with a musical history built by blues musician Rod Garfield, has come onto the market with Jackson-Stops & Staff, Newbury.

Garfield, once described as “the best white blues harmonica player in the world” by BBC Radio One Blues presenter Alexia Korner, lived in the property until 1991, and created a studio where he recorded some of his work. Rock stars such as Rod Stewart also used the studio.

The property is an unusual design consisting of one multi-level house with a single level cottage attached. The cottage could be self-contained, or it could be part of the spacious family home. Garfields is designed in a courtyard style around a swimming pool at the rear of the house. Accommodation in the main house includes four bedrooms, with two bedrooms in the attached cottage. Planning consent has been granted for a further bedroom in the cottage over the double garage, creating a very spacious family home or a good-sized letting cottage.

The property sits in an elevated position on the edge of Vernham Dean village in the Bourne Valley, surrounded by the North Wessex Downs. This area offers access to footpaths and bridleways and is close to Newbury and Andover. The A34, M3 and M4 are all close by for routes to London.

Garfields is on the market for £875,000 with the Newbury and Winchester offices of Jackson-Stops & Staff.

With the second series of hit period drama Downton Abbey now under way, viewers will, no doubt, indulge in dreams of owning their own grand country house.

England’s stately homes have dominated the landscape and way of life in the countryside for many centuries.  However social and economic changes at the beginning of the 20th century threatened the survival of the very fabric of these great buildings.  As great ancestral homes fell into disrepair many were quite simply demolished, an estimated 1,200 great country houses were lost between 1900 and 1975.  A handful were rescued by the National Trust, others found new owners or a variety of new uses as hotels, conference centres corporate headquarters or divided into apartments.  By the last quarter of the 20th century the pendulum had swung firmly towards the protection, legislation and the work of such organisations as SAVE (Save Britain’s Heritage) arrested the loss of the country’s built heritage.

For those whose budgets do not stretch to the entire country house, there are opportunities to buy a slice of a grand country house. Recently renovated apartments offer the comfort and convenience of modern living, without the worry or costs associated with the maintenance of a complete country estate. Perhaps most importantly, they allow their owners to indulge in the country house lifestyle – from shared access to grand ballrooms and halls, to the ability to enjoy manicured gardens and grounds.

Jackson-Stops & Staff, York, is offering 1 Eshton Hall, a two storey apartment formerly one of the principal reception rooms of a Grade II* listed country house overlooking the Yorkshire Dales National Park. A house has stood on the site for many centuries and for the most part has remained in one family since the mid 1600s.

The current Hall was completed in 1826 for the Deputy Lieutenant of the West Riding.  One of Europe’s leading private book collections was established at the house and Charlotte Bronte was a frequent visitor.

The two bedroom apartment, on the market for £565,000, occupies the ground and first floors of the south east corner of the Hall. Accessed by an impressive oak staircase, the open plan living/dining room is dominated by large picture windows, an original marble fireplace and fine plaster moulded ceiling.

Jackson-Stops & Staff have a range of homes in grand country houses for sale.  A two bedroom apartment in the Grade II* Listed ‘calendar’ house, Holme Eden Hall, is currently offered at £249,000. A mezzanine apartment in Whitlingham Hall, offering shared access to a grand conservatory, is on the market at £385,000, and the wing of a Tudor Mansion set in 65 acres of formal gardens and grounds, currently for sale at £945,000.

With the release of school league tables and the Autumn term under way, parents across the country are once again reminded of the importance of living near a good school.  With increasing numbers of parents planning years in advance, competition for school places is more spirited than ever, along with interest in family homes located near some of the country’s top schools. As a county with a strong selection of both private and state schools, Dorset is no exception.

“These days people will move to be near the good Dorset village schools in places like Cerne Abbas and Buckland Newton,” says Julian Bunkall of Jackson-Stops & Staff Dorchester.  “There is also quite a scramble to move into the catchment area of Thomas Hardye secondary school in Dorchester, which has a good academic record.”

Jackson-Stops & Staff Dorchester, have a number of properties for sale, ideal for young families with one eye on education. Hooke Farm, an attractive late 19^th century former farmhouse, and Glebe House, a period country house, are both within easy reach of prize public schools in Sherborne, Shaftesbury and Milton Abbbey, as well as state schools in Beaminster (St Mary’s and Beaminster School) and Bridport (Sir John Colfox School).

Jackson-Stops & Staff, Cirencester, has completed the sale of Trillgate Farm, a 17^th-century Cotswold farmhouse, the former country home of British fashion designer Cath Kidston, and her music producer husband, Hugh Padgham.

The farmhouse, with its mullion windows, high ceilings and flagstone floors, has a light and spacious interior. Bursting with rustic charm and paraphernalia collected at car boot sales and markets, an emphasis on ‘soft colours’ allow these key features to shine.

Cath Kidston said: “We decorated it in quite a low-key way. I like plain walls in lighter colours with complementing florals. Upstairs there are a lot of Cath Kidston fabrics, vintage finds and an antique four-poster bed which my sister lent to me.”

The seven bedroom stone-built house is set in three acres of gardens and grounds with a small orchard, wild flower garden and a croquet lawn among the many delights. Trillgate Farm stands alone at the head of the peaceful Slad Valley, a valley immortalised in the writings of the author ‘Laurie Lee’ (Cider with Rosie), and offering views largely unchanged in the last 100 years.

Unsurprisingly, and even with a list price of £1.75 million, this classic property laced with Cath Kidston magic did not remain on the market for long. Following the sale of Trillgate Farm, the couple moved closer to nearby Painswick, a small Cotswold town recently experiencing something of a reawakening – albeit a quiet, unassuming one.

A former wool town often described as the ‘Queen of the Cotswolds’ because of its large limestone buildings, Painswick has largely eluded the glamour of the rich and famous ‘invading’ other parts of Gloucestershire. That is despite the presence of the novelist Jilly Cooper and designer Lulu Guinness, residing in neighbouring valleys.

“A lot of interesting and clever people live around Painswick,” confirms Jamie Dalrymple Hamilton, Director of Jackson-Stops & Staff, Cirencester.

Legend has it that local flea markets first inspired Cath Kidston to set up shop in Clarendon Cross in London in 1993, years before her brand achieved the global reach of today. Indeed, Cath Kidston cites quaint shops as one of the key attractions of this ‘sleepy village’, and shares an appreciation of the fact that the area isn’t “filled with smart shops selling useless things.”

Serendipity aside, the village now also hosts a number of events and festivals, the largest of which is the Painswick Wearable Art Festival. Conceived to be for fashion what Hay-on-Wye is for books, this year’s event attracted nearly five thousand visitors and 70 wearable entries. In only its second year, the festival counts Plum Sykes as Patron, with Dan Chadwick and artist Grayson Perry among the judging panel.

As well as the customary charms expected with a Cotswold town – a picturesque church, rare 17^th-century spectacle stocks and England’s oldest bowling green, Painswick also offers many practical attractions. The market town of Cirencester is 16 miles away, while Cheltenham, noted for its Music and Literary Festivals as well as its famous National Hunt race course, only nine. The capital can be reached in around two hours by car, while there are regular train services from Stroud Station taking little over an hour and a half to London Paddington. For those with young families, there is a good local primary school in the town, and two grammar schools only three miles away in Stroud.

Jackson-Stops & Staff, Cirencester, have a number of properties for sale in Painswick and surrounding villages, including a Grade II listed town house with bakery for £895,000.

The Old Rectory has tremendous cachet as one of the most appealing addresses, evoking images of a wisteria-clad Georgian gem or Gothic splendour.

According to Dawn Carritt, Director of Jackson-Stops & Staff, rectories and vicarages typically command a premium of between five and 10 per cent on comparable properties in the area.  She comments: “The popularity of these houses is as much down to their position and architectural style as it is to the accommodation they offer. Bearing in mind it is rare for a village to have more than one old rectory, demand is likely to continue to outstrip supply and underpin their price.  In short, there is a certain appeal attached to owning an old rectory.”

The dominant styles employed in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century were mainly neo-classical and Gothic.  Many of these former rectories and vicarages were sold off by the Church of England in the late 20th century and they have become fashionable homes, in the heart of the village, often with a view of the parish church, and with generous gardens and grounds.

As the properties were originally constructed to accommodate domestic staff as well as the rector and his family, they tend to be spacious and offer a degree of flexibility. Additional staff bedrooms are often converted into bathrooms, while domestic offices once used as pantries, sculleries and larders, now make excellent utility rooms, playrooms or home offices. Such versatility can also be seen in many Georgian and Victorian rectories, where horse and carriage traps leave a plethora of outbuildings, ideal for converting into additional garages, games rooms or even guest cottage conversions.

While former rectories often share many similar characteristics, a product of their historical function as well as the era of their build, they are by no means carbon copies. While Georgian rectories are generally considered the ultimate, with Victorian ones a close second, all tend to have an individual character, seldom matched by other conversions.

With prices ranging from £750,000 to £3million depending on the area, the fact that they continue to outperform the market is truly a testament to how attractive a proposition they are.

Jackson-Stops & Staff currently have a range of former rectories and vicarages on the market, including a Grade II Listed former rectory in Cornwall, for offers in excess of £750,000, a four bedroom former vicarage in Northallerton on the market for £795,000, and a late Georgian rectory in Stratford-upon-Avon with a guide price of £1,500,000.

Jackson-Stops & Staff, the national estate agents, reports a significant increase in the number of properties under offer and in the average value per transaction last month, illustrating the resilience of residential property as “a safe haven”, according to chairman Andrew Froude.

In July, the number of properties under offer across the 43 offices of Jackson-Stops & Staff showed a year on year increase of 14 per cent. There was also a year on year increase in the average value per transaction, up by six per cent.

The number of new instructions was down in July, compared with each of the previous three months, moving towards a more even balance between supply and demand across Jackson-Stops & Staff offices, renowned for their stunning properties in the country house market.

Andrew Froude, chairman of Jackson-Stops & Staff, said: “The overall indication is that the market has achieved some stability over the past 12 months.  The positives for the property market are that interest rates are likely to remain low and like gold, bricks and mortar have traditionally been regarded as a safe haven when currencies and other investments are under pressure.”

One of the most picturesque parts of the Surrey Hills will be at the heart of the 2012 Olympic Cycling Road Race. The route, which begins and ends on The Mall in central London, will cover approximately 130 miles of Surrey roads, including a considerable stretch of the A25, passing through Dorking and surrounding villages.

Those lucky enough to bag a spot can watch some of the world’s very best riders repeat a challenging ten mile circuit of Box Hill, including the National Trust’s infamous Zig Zag Road – set to be the scene of the key breakaways by the top riders. For those unable to watch on the North Downs summit, there will be many opportunities to witness the race from the roadside, with pub gardens and cafes in Shere, Westcott and Wotton set to be popular destinations for spectators.

Some lucky homeowners too are expected to have a first-class seat for the action. Colin Hughes, Partner of Jackson-Stops & Staff Dorking, said: “The Olympic Games coming to London is the chance of a lifetime to experience the incredible atmosphere of this universal event.”

“People throughout the nation are getting involved, whether as spectators, supporters or participants; yet for those in the Surrey Hills, missing out on tickets does not mean the end to the Olympic experience. As well as offering a stunning rural setting that is ever popular with London commuters seeking country comforts, buying a property in the Surrey Hills and the surrounds now means buying a top-tier ticket to the greatest show on Earth – and the definitive armchair viewing experience!”

The Surrey Hills, one of the first areas in England to be designated an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’, has become a prime location for people who wish to live in a rural setting while remaining within a short commute of central London.

Nearby Dorking, a pleasant market town with excellent shopping and recreational facilities, has train stations providing regular commuter services to London Waterloo and Victoria, as well as a cross country route from Reading to Redhill. Meanwhile, the historic village of Betchworth, with its 900-year old parish church of St Michael’s, one of the churches in Four Weddings and a Funeral, and the charming old Surrey village of Westcott, provide perfect examples of villages with good facilities,  ideal for riding and walking enthusiasts.

Jackson-Stops & Staff, Dorking office, has a range of properties on the market in the area, offering a track-side experience from the luxury of your own front step. A family home in Betchworth is currently offered at £1,150,000; a substantial home in a private, rural setting at £825,000; and a rural cottage for £499,995.

The Road Race event, one of the few outside of the capital and free to view in parts, is scheduled to take place on the opening weekend of the Games, and will see 145 men and 67 women race on Saturday 28^th and Sunday 29^th July 2012, respectively.

Notable British riders due to take part include, Nicole Cooke – looking to defend her Olympic title from the 2008 Beijing Games, and Mark Cavendish – bidding for the men’s title on home soil.

A test event, which organisers hope will attract many of the riders expected to compete in the London 2012 Games, will take place on 14^th August 2011.

Jackson-Stops & Staff, reports a significant increase in sales, with the highest number of sales in one month since June 2009 – reflecting “austerity rather than prosperity”, according to director Tim Dansie.

The mid-market has shown the greatest concentration of sales, with buyers downsizing to pay the school fees, pay off the mortgage and reduce living costs, representing an interesting trend for Jackson-Stops & Staff, which celebrated its centenary last year, and is renowned for its stunning properties in the country house market.

In June, sales across the 43 offices of Jackson-Stops & Staff were up by 12.5% on June 2010.  The number of properties under offer was also up by 15%, with an increase in new applicants of 11%.  The total number of instructions increased by 26%,  suggesting an excess of supply over demand.

The best performing area in the Jackson-Stops & Staff stable  was Winchester, with the highest number of sales.  Central and the East of England  also performed  well, with a strong performance by the Ipswich office of Jackson-Stops & Staff.  The Northampton office of Jackson-Stops & Staff also enjoyed a strong sales rate in June. Elsewhere, the Cotswolds offices in Burford, Chipping Campden and Cirencester, a favourite for second homes and retirees, enjoyed good sales, as did offices in the North-west in Chester, Wilmslow and Hale.  In the South West, the “tourists” have gone and only the serious buyers remain, according to the eight Jackson-Stops & Staff offices in the region.

Tim Dansie, director of the Ipswich office, said: “Austerity rather than prosperity has definitely influenced our buyers.  Downsizing from the large house to a more manageable property, cutting costs to afford the school fees and people who have moved out of the country and into town to make life easier have all been common themes among people looking to buy. Activity is returning to the market and we anticipate that this will start to have an effect on the higher end properties. We have seen an increase in the number of instructions and June’s figures indicate that people are now willing to commit to a sale.”

Quentin Jackson-Stops, partner of the Northampton office, said: “People fear that interest rates will rise and are buying a smaller, mid-market property and paying off their mortgages. We are fortunate that we do handle delightful, attractive homes in good locations, often with a fascinating history, yet still within the mid-market price band.”

Sales in Winchester have been driven by the traditional allure of a better quality life.  Phillip Blanchard, director of the Winchester office, said: “Winchester is in the magic hour from London and our mid-market buyers have been young professionals and young families moving out of London for schools and more space.”

The Kent branches of Jackson-Stops & Staff  had a buoyant June, led by the Sevenoaks office, backed by a good performance from the three new offices established by Jackson-Stops & Staff  in Kent since 2009: in Oxted on the Kent/Surrey borders; Tunbridge Wells and  Canterbury earlier this year. With branches in Sevenoaks and Cranbrook, it now has a substantial  presence in the county with five offices in total, the only agent to expand in the county during this period. The new offices are headed by former directors of Knight Frank, DTZ and Cluttons, with excellent local knowledge and contacts in Kent.

Alastair Hancock, director of Jackson-Stops & Staff’s Sevenoaks office, said: “We now have an unrivalled presence in Kent, with a very talented and highly experienced team of property experts in each of our five offices.”

The opening of the Hindhead Tunnel project on Wednesday (27 July) by Philip Hammond, the Secretary of State for Transport, signals an end to the North / South property divide that has for decades drawn a clear county line between Hampshire and Surrey. In an area of outstanding natural beauty, recently recognised by the creation of the South Downs National Park, the ‘golden triangle’ of Petersfield, Haslemere and Petworth which crosses the Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex borders, has traditionally been one of the most desirable areas to live in the south of England, and where demand for properties has far outstripped supply.

By linking Hampshire and Surrey, the tunnel will bring significant advantage to owners of properties to the south of Hindhead, particularly those not well served by the mainline railway stations and who rely on the road network to reach London.  The villages around Hindhead will also see a reduction in traffic on local roads, stopping the bottleneck as drivers, increasingly frustrated by the long delays caused by a single set of traffic lights, found alternative routes.

Jane Constanduros, Senior Negotiator, Jackson-Stops & Staff Midhurst explains the added draw for the area and its properties on the Tunnel’s anticipated opening:  “The opening of the Hindhead tunnel will make the journey time to London faster meaning more people will consider the area when looking to move out of the city but remain in easy reach of London, Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

“Property values are unlikely to rise immediately, but when people realise how quickly they can now get from London to the coast, and as more people discover the jewels of the South Downs, property prices should rise by 10%, as happened when the new A3 trunk road was built bypassing Petersfield.”

The Midhurst office has a range of beautiful properties in the area, including Strange Place, Northchapel, a Grade II listed country house with long views and detached pasture and woodland at £2,950,000 and Graffham Court, near Petworth, an equestrian estate in the heart of the South Downs at £8,000,000.