The towns, cities and boroughs closest to the UK?s best universities are some of the best performing areas for house price growth, it has emerged Buying a house close to a well-regarded university could be a wise move, according to property website Rightmove. It says more than 25% of university towns have seen house price increases of at least 20% over the past year. For instance, Kensington, where Imperial College is based, has seen an average increase of £613,024 in the past year. Other well-known university towns also have healthy average asking prices, with Oxford at £354,927, Cambridge at £315,803 and Warwick at £287,263. Part of the reason for this effect is that many parents opt to invest in buy-to-let properties, in the knowledge that University towns are popular choices anyway because they usually have a wide range of local facilities, while out and out investors are attracted by the steady increase in university populations. Miles Shipside, Commercial Director at Rightmove, said: ?For many parents, the notion of their child leaving home and learning to survive on their own is a very worrying thought. Coupled with increasing rental yields and a steady demand, investing in a property close to a university is a popular choice.?
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A billionaire's thatched cottage is for sale in Surrey, once owned by the oil magnate J. Paul GettyChestnut Cottage is a joyous little home — albeit one with the most unusual bedrooms to acreage to price balances we've ever seen. Toby Keel takes a look inside.
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Debo Mitford on her childhood at Asthall Manor, from Nancy's 'coming out' dance to Unity's peach-pinching waysThe Dowager Duchess of Devonshire looks back on her childhood in the Cotswold idyll of Asthall Manor.
