Hardly a week goes by without hearing about another celebrity moving to the Cotswolds. The Beckhams, Kate Moss, Liv Tyler, Lily Allen, Liz Hurley, Jamie Dornan, Damien Hirst – the list is endless.
The lure of the honey-coloured valleys, cosy pubs, farm shops that stock buffalo mozzarella and wild rocket, the seclusion of Soho Farmhouse, the glamour of Daylesford – and all within an hour or two of London – make it irresistible to A-listers and civilians alike.
As a result, the Cotswolds – which lies across at least five counties, including Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire – has become increasingly cosmopolitan and “Londonised”.
Emma Barkes, from Stacks Property Search agency, which covers Warwickshire, North Oxfordshire and the north Cotswolds, says the number of people looking for properties in the area over the past few years has been “completely mad”.
“I thought things were going to calm down a bit in 2022 but we’ve seen no sign of it so far. We recently put a little house in Charlbury on the market and had more than 100 viewings in the first few weeks. The house itself is tiny, less than 2,000 sq ft, but it’s not far from Soho Farmhouse so that clearly made up for it.”
Another property, in the Warwickshire village of Tysoe, in the north Cotswolds, was on the market for £9.75 million and had 40 viewings and 13 offers, Barkes says. “It went for 18 per cent over the asking price in the end.”
Barkes believes that, much like desirable London boroughs, there is going to be a ripple effect where villages on the edge of the Cotswolds AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) are going to become increasingly popular and pricey. Many of these villages still retain a quintessential, unspoilt charm.
So is there anywhere left that people haven’t yet discovered and flocked to in droves? In a word, yes.
“There are a number of Warwickshire villages – including Brailes, Oxhill and Whatcote, which has a Michelin-starred pub and is only 25 minutes from Banbury – that are lovely,” Barkes says. People don’t necessarily think of Warwickshire as a Cotswolds county so these villages are still off the radar, says Barkes.
North of the county, the villages near Southam, which is close to the Northamptonshire border and is, incidentally, where actor Adam Woodyatt (EastEnders’ Ian Beale) lives, and where Gary Numan’s She’s Got Claws video was filmed in a former zoo, are still pretty good value, according to Barkes.
“Villages such as Priors Marston, Priors Hardwick and Wormleighton, which forms part of the Althorp estate and sometimes has rental properties coming up for weekenders, are still relatively untapped.”
In the west of Warwickshire the villages around the market towns of Evesham, Pershore and Bidford-on-Avon, which borders Worcestershire, are becoming increasingly popular.
To the south of the Cotswolds, an area that is currently less well-known is the cluster of villages around Chippenham, says Rupert Sturgis, partner at Knight Frank, Cirencester office. Grittleton, Biddestone and Slaughterford are all still within the Cotswolds AONB but eclipsed by the picture-perfect Instagrammable Castle Combe.
“Chippenham is a historic market town situated with direct access to the Great Western Railway line, taking you to London Paddington in 80 minutes and the M4,” Sturgis says.
Chippenham is just a little bit far for commuters but encased by breathtaking Cotswolds countryside.
“Chippenham provides everything from good grammar schools and supermarkets to farmers’ markets and pubs. And for those who don’t want to live in the town, it’s surrounded by picturesque villages. So you could have the best of both worlds living in a country cottage but within easy reach of the amenities of the town centre,” says Sturgis.
Sam Trounson, head of Strutt & Parker’s Cirencester office, says properties in Wiltshire offer more value for money than other parts of the Cotswolds. Malmesbury, which is right on the eastern tip of the Cotswolds is, Trounson says, “A proper country town, surrounded by lovely little villages with local shops and a real identity. There’s character here and it has a real charm to it.”
To the west, Wotton-under-Edge is still relatively undiscovered, especially considering its proximity to Bristol. “It isn’t chi-chi at all, but has a strong identity and a great school in Katharine Lady Berkeley’s. Definitely somewhere to keep your eye on if you want a slice of the Cotswolds before everyone gets there,” Trounson says.