The 20 British villages defying the property market with house prices having risen for 20 years straight

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From quaint, chocolate-box street scenes in the Cotswolds to picturesque views on the South Downs - these are the 20 villages that have gone up in value for 20 years straight.

From quaint, chocolate-box street scenes in the Cotswolds to picturesque views on the South Downs - new research has revealed the 20 villages that have gone up in value for 20 straight years. And it’s not hard to see why these locations, which have just about everything going for them, continue to be highly sought after, attracting buyers willing to part with ever increasing sums of cash.

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Of course, most areas have seen house prices steadily increasing in the last couple of years, thanks largely to the pandemic and stamp duty holiday. According to the latest report from the Land Registry, as recently as August UK house prices had increased by 13.6% so far this year, and on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, average house prices in the UK increased by 0.9% between July and August alone.

However, it’s largely agreed that bubble is about to burst as hikes in interest rates and the cost of living crisis slowing the market. Experts predict house price growth will slow during the remainder of the year and, according to consumer magazine Which?, estate agency Knight Frank forecasts prices will drop by 5% in 2023, and the same amount in 2024 while analysts at Capital Economics predict house prices will fall by a total of 12% by mid-2024.

Research by estate agent and property consultant Strutt & Parker, published by The Telegraph, has identified villages defying the ups and downs of the property market seeing continual growth over the past two decades - whether the current economic situation will bring their unspoiled run to an end remains to be seen.

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The research was the result of analysing the sold price of homes in the villages since 2001, compared to the wider region, revealing an annual growth rate. Using this data, they were able to produce a lis of the top 20 places showing the highest and most consistent growth in house prices over the last 20 years…

A view over Warkworth Castle and the surrounding village which has topped the list of British villages which have risen in value for 20 years straight.A view over Warkworth Castle and the surrounding village which has topped the list of British villages which have risen in value for 20 years straight.
A view over Warkworth Castle and the surrounding village which has topped the list of British villages which have risen in value for 20 years straight. | Tripadvisor

Warkworth, Northumberland

Average house price: £343,942House price growth (2001-2021): 247.6%Built around a 12th-century castle and the River Coquet, Warkworth is just a mile from the coast and 45 minutes from Newcastle. It boasts a buzzing art scene and two pubs for socialising.

Woodhouse Eaves and Woodhouse, Leicestershire

Average house price: £696,989House price growth (2001-2021): 319.5%A former mining village, Woodhouse Eaves features terraced workers’ cottages set in the heart of the East Midlands. It is 20 minutes from the M1.

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Southrop, Gloucestershire

Average house price: £712,869House price growth (2001-2021): 233%Set on the fringe of the Cotswolds, on the River Leach, Southrop boasts an 11th-century church, a manor house and a pub on the green.

Plumpton, East Sussex

Average house price: £721,574House price growth (2001-2021): 299.6%Between Lewes and Ditchling on the South Downs, Plumpton is 10 miles from Brighton. It has been home to many famous faces, including the Queen Consort and Led Zeppelin guitarist, Jimmy Page. It is also home to a National Hunt racecourse and a direct train into London Victoria takes less than an hour.

St Mawgan, Cornwall

Average house price: £797,259House price growth (2001-2021): 547%St Mawgan village has seen the highest price growth over the past 20 years - a whopping 547%. Just four miles from Newquay, it is an eight-minute drive to the beach of Watergate Bay.

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Hovingham, North Yorkshire

Average house price: £373,412House price growth (2001-2021): 293.3%Hovingham sits on the edge of the Howardian Hills AONB and villagers enjoy several high-quality eateries and good schools, as well as an award-winning market.

Kingsley, Staffordshire

Average house price: £177,028House price growth (2001-2021): 245.3%Picturesque Kinglsey is close to the Peak District National Park and the Caldon canal. It’s 20 minutes from Stoke and 50 minutes from Derby.

Croyde, Devon

Average house price: £592,954House price growth (2001-2021): 311.1%Despite welcoming tourists all year round, Croyde has maintained its unspoilt charm. It boasts three beaches, restaurants, pubs and boutiques.

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Kelston, Somerset

Average house price: £940,513House price growth (2001-2021): 146%Kelston enjoys an ideal commuter location between Bath and Bristol, within the Mendip Hills AONB, near the river Avon. The housing stock is mostly 18th- and 19th-century stone cottages and farmhouses.

Grundisburgh, Suffolk

Average house price: £534,375House price growth (2001-2021): 223%Six miles from Ipswich, Grundisburgh boasts a 13th-century church, a primary school, shops and the Dog Inn, all sited around a green that is cut by a tributary of the river Lark.

Easton, Hampshire

Average house price: £1,341,686House price growth (2001-2021): 151.20%Easton sits three miles out of popular Winchester, within the boundary of the South Downs National Park and by the River Itchen. The train from Winchester runs into London Waterloo in about an hour.

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Prinsted, West Sussex

Average house price: £660,233House price growth (2001-2021): 413.9%Set in the Chichester Harbour AONB, Prinsted has its own little harbour and beach with trains from nearby Southbourne running to both Chichester and Portsmouth.

East Rudham, Norfolk

Average house price: £577,636House price growth (2001-2021): 233%East Rudham, not far from the Norfolk coast, is an hour from Norwich and boasts a range of housing options - all in a sociable village with real community spirit.

Killearn, Stirling

Average house price: £247,497House price growth (2001-2021): 111%Among the most sought-after villages in Scotland, Killearn lies 17 miles from Glasgow - close enough to commute - but sits in an idyllic location beneath the Campsie Fells. It is also  home to the southernmost whisky distillery in the Highlands, Glengoyne.

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Lapworth, Warwickshire

Average house price: £475,317House price growth (2001-2021): 112%The village sits on the junction of the Stratford and Grand Union canals and is broadly recognised as the most desirable village in Warwickshire, where properties range from large, multi-million-pound homes to country cottages.

Uffington, Lincolnshire

Average house price: £475,317House price growth (2001-2021): 312%Between Stamford and the villages of Market Deeping, Deeping St James, Deeping Gate, West Deeping and Deeping St Nicholas, Uffington has an active community scene and the thatched Bertie Arms pub, that attracts diners from far and wide.

Solva, Pembrokeshire

Average house price: £319,022House price growth (2001-2021): 179%Three miles from St Davids, Solva is a harbourside village nestled in a valley. At high tide the beach is a narrow strip at the mouth of the river, and at low tide the harbour is a dry bed. It’s a busy working harbour and fishing village, with stunning views.

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Lacock, Wiltshire

Average house price: £386,203House price growth (2001-2021): 397%Picturesque Lacock is one of the most-filmed villages in Britain, having featured in the likes of Downton Abbey, the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Finstock, Oxfordshire

Average house price: £572,257House price growth (2001-2021): 299%Set in a Cotswold triangle of Chipping Norton, Bourton-on-the-Water and Woodstock, Finstock boasts literary connections, with TS Eliot baptised at the village church in 1927 and the novelist Barbara Pym buried there. Villagers commute into Witney (12 minutes by car), Oxford (18 minutes by train) or London (one hour 45 minutes, with one change).

Little Chart and Little Chart Forstal, Kent

Average house price: £493,507House price growth (2001-2021): 140%Little Chart and Little Chart Forstal is on the edge of the Kent Downs AONB and boasts a 15th-century inn and is four miles from Ashford.

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