_How many sq ft does £1m buy you outside London? Spotlight on UK's central counties
In order to bring the data to life and part of a series of posts focussing on prime markets nationwide, we feature a selection of properties from across the UK's central countries.
All available through Knight Frank, these properties are impressive examples of what £1,000,000 (or thereabouts ) can buy you in prime locations across the UK.
NB. Although there are some notable exceptions, we have tried to feature properties that match closest with average square footage available at that price.
Oxford: Average 1,250 sq ft of prime property
Oxford’s reputation may revolve around its prestigious university, but the city’s property market has also been leading the way in recent years.
Home to a family-friendly mix of good schools, good infrastructure and a metropolitan atmosphere, the city has comfortably outperformed surrounding markets in the years since the credit crunch in terms of price growth.
Infrastructure improvements are also playing a key role, with the new rail link at Oxford Parkway driving interest in markets to the north of the city. Commuters can be in London Marylebone in under an hour during the week, while at the weekend benefit from all Oxford and the surrounding countryside has to offer.
What can I buy? Four bedroom house for sale Abingdon, Oxfordshire Near the popular Oxfordshire town of Abingdon is this large family home with planning permission to build a three bedroom house Oxford is less than 10 miles away and London Paddington can be reached in 40 minutes, making this a great property for those working in the capital but looking for more space and the possibility to extend and create an extra home for a growing or extended family.
On the market for: £995,000
Cambridge: Average 1,540 sq ft of prime property
Crowned the best UK city to work in in a recent poll thanks to its booming tech business and with one of the fastest growing economies in the country, this relatively small medieval university city is a vibrant cultural and economic hotspot, attracting both UK and international residents enticed by job prospects and the charms of age old academia.
Packed with high-achieving schools, cultural attractions, and, of course, home to one of the best universities in the world, Cambridge's appeal runs far and wide and this is reflected in the demand for property.
South Cambridge offers large, detached family homes while property in the city centre is mostly made up of Georgian and Victorian stock. The city is currently enjoying a period of house building with a significant number of new homes being built across the city to cater for unyielding demand.
Cambridge is well served by road and rail links with direct trains to London King's Cross every half-hour, taking 50 minutes to London King's Cross.
What can I buy? Ultra modern four bedroom family home less than three miles from Cambridge city centre with all mod cons and roof terrace offering panoramic views of the nearby Gog Magog Downs.
On the market for: £965,000
Stratford-upon-Avon: Average 2,380 sq ft of prime property
With Cotswolds to the south, Worcester and the Malverns to the west, historic Stratford upon Avon has some of the UK's most beautiful scenery on its doorstep, adding to the appeal of living in Warwickshire.
Aside from Stratford upon Avon's most famous export - William Shakespeare and the world famous Royal Shakespeare Company which pull in the crowds year long, the medieval market town itself is an attractive place to live set on a meandering stretch of the River Avon, bookended by beautiful rural Warwickshire countryside and bubbling with Elizabethan charm.
Stratford upon Avon has always been, and continues to be, a fashionable location for Warwickshire buyers with strong demand underpinning property values. There is a range of property to suit most buyers' requirements - from apartments at Lucy’s Mill to the popular Victorian and Edwardian family homes on sought after Welcombe Road, Avenue Road and Maidenhead Road and the riverside properties of Tiddington Road, and artisan cottages in Old Town.
What can I buy? Grade II 18th Century listed rectory with classic features, outbuildings and a wonderful traditional garden seven miles from the Stratford-upon-Avon. Green fingered news owners will relish the traditional gardens with rambling roses and vines caressing the exteriors of the house. Trains to London run from some of the surrounding villages as well as nearby Stratford-upon-Avon.
On the market for: £1,000,000
Chipping Norton ( Cotswolds): Average 2,480 sq ft of prime property
The traditional Cotswolds property market drivers of schooling and quality of life have ultimately underpinned activity with demand from buyers moving locally, from London and from abroad.
Ever popular are the picture perfect market towns of Chipping Norton, Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-Hill, with traditional limestone Cotswolds cottages topping buyers' wish lists.
What can I buy? Five/six bedroom stone cottage in Bourton-on-the-Hill. The impressive 4500 sqft of flexibile accommodation and mature garden as it will appeal to a number of different buyers including families keen on the excellent nearby schools in Chipping Campden,in Stratford-upon-Avon, Cheltenham and Oxford.
On the market for: £1,000,000
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