Where The ‘Sunlight Of Centuries' Glimmers

J. B. Priestley’s immortal words best describe this ‘most English’ of areas–the eternally beautiful Cotswolds, with its enviable houses and traditional villages

WITH vendors of high-end country properties sitting on their hands as the Brexit endgame plays itself out in Westminster, the market in the Cotswolds has become increasingly polarised between small towns and villages within a 15-mile radius of Oxford in the east and Cheltenham in the west.

On the eastern side of the Cotswolds, Nick Rudge of Savills in Banbury reports ‘a shortage of village and country stock, which has led to several bidding wars, especially around our old friend Soho Farmhouse, where we recently achieved more than £900 per square foot for an off-market sale, in an area where houses normally trade at about £500–£600 per square foot. With London buyers still out in force, there’s lots of interest in gastro pubs, such as The Chequers, Churchill and The Swan, Ascott-under-Wychwood —the latter is now owned by Elisabeth Murdoch, so bound to attract attention’.

Over in the west, Christian Swaab of Savills in Cheltenham is seeing ‘strongest sales for properties in, or within walking distance of, good villages and small towns; the more remote the house, the less popular it is likely to be. Cheltenham’s sophisticated “London” lifestyle remains a major draw for buyers within a 15-mile radius. Attractions include existing restaurants, such as The Ivy and Giggling Squid, and new eateries and hotels, such as the Lucky Onion Group’s recently opened The House with its Gin & Juice bar, next to the ever-popular 131; a new health spa is also in the offing’.