‘I would argue that the English market town is the ideal place to live’. So says James Lawrie of leading estate agents Strutt & Parker. He thinks that this country’s market towns are an undiscovered secret – but that’s changing fast. ‘Market towns are very attractive places to live. They offer the best of village life without any of the disadvantages, and the best of city living without the downsides which will be all too familiar to city dwellers.’

It is true to say that our country towns offer a great community spirit and a strong local identity. However, the average prices of homes in England’s top forty market towns has more than doubled over the past five years, and some have easily out-paced even that figure.

Warming to the theme, James says, ‘Strutt & Parker has offices in some of England’s most attractive market towns – Lewes, Stamford, Market Harborough, Morton-in-Marsh, Morpeth in Northumberland, Northallerton in Yorkshire, and we’re just about to open in Amersham in Buckinghamshire. In all these towns we find that local people are enjoying the best of all worlds. There is a ‘big village’ feel and they can walk to the shops – and say hello to any number of people along the way – but at the same time they can enjoy the facilities one wouldn’t find in a village.

‘Market towns tend to have well-regarded, long-established schools, have either their own hospitals or sizeable health centres, and a good spread of shops which often goes well beyond the day-to-day basics. For historic reasons communications tend to be good too. There will also be a broad spread of townsfolk which includes a good spread of professional people.

In 2005 Strutt & Parker was the sponsor of Country Life magazine’s quest to find England’s favourite market town. Despite strong contenders from every part of the country, Hexham in Northumberland was finally judged to be the winner. At the time James Laing of Strutt & Parker described Hexham as, ‘An idyllic and unspoilt town with a market place and a thriving rural community where traditional values are understood and preserved.’

The fact that people have come together for hundreds of years to buy and sell their wares has often merged into the town’s name, as at Downham Market, Market Drayton and Chipping Norton – ‘chipping’ being an Anglo-Saxon word for buying, or a buying place.

By definition a market town will be able to boast a history going back hundreds of years.

Although some were founded around geographical landmarks, most owe their existence to man’s imprint on the landscape – be it a river crossing, proximity to a fortified site, or a crossroads. This means that very many English market towns are a real treat for an architectural historian, and you can often see just about every architectural style from the past four or five hundred years just by taking a stroll down the high street.

The market was usually one of the focal points of the town, along with the church, and there would usually be a building – often open-sided - where the serious business of commerce could be conducted out of the weather. Above there would be an enclosed and more formal room, often for the local grandees to conduct business, and adjudicate and arbitrate. Many of these buildings, as at Ledbury in Herefordshire and at Wymondham in Norfolk, have survived, and are still important local landmarks.

‘In many way some market towns are almost like mini cathedral cities’, James points out; ‘There will often be an old coaching inn close to the church, and that’s where you will also find some of the best local architecture. Many of the Georgian houses you find in the centres of market towns are as fine as anything you’ll find anywhere in England. Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, Richmond in North Yorkshire and Nantwich in Cheshire are all perfect examples and can all boast real gems right in the middle of the town.

‘Houses of this period are greatly sought after and offer very gracious living. They are almost inevitably better buys than similar homes in the cathedral cities, but are every bit as attractive. With their high ceilings, large windows, and elegant, well-proportioned rooms they make wonderful family homes. There is tremendous demand for this sort of houses in these sorts of towns.’

Prices are rising fast in England’s country towns though. A recent report showed that the average price of a home in Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire was almost £575,000 – nearly six times the national average! It was followed by market towns in Gloucestershire, Kent, Derby and Devon, showing that this popularity isn’t just a south-eastern phenomenon. It’s a trend that’s set to continue too, so the message is clear; if you fancy following James advice and trying the charms of a small country town then you should be buying soon, before prices rise even further!