Market towns top house price rise

Homes in Ringwood are among the most expensive in the country

Beaconsfield is the most expensive market town in England in which to buy property, according to Halifax.

Homebuyers paid £550,485 for a home in the Buckinghamshire town in 2003, attracted by its proximity to London.

In total, all but four of the nation's 112 market towns have seen property prices more than double since 1995.

Halifax said that 36 market towns, mostly in the south east, recorded average house prices in excess of £200,000 last year.

Above average

At the very top end of the scale, ten market towns in England recorded average house prices of more than £250,000 in 2003.

Five most expensive market towns Beaconsfield (Bucks) £550,495 Midhurst (Sussex) £279,840 Ringwood (Hampshire) £279,266 Winchcombe (Gloucs) £273,939 Cranbrook (Kent) £267,526 Source: Halifax

Overall, two-thirds of market towns recorded average house prices which were higher than the county average.

All but a few of the most expensive towns were located in the south east, with Lymm in Cheshire the most expensive northern market town recording average house prices of £229,412.

The group defined a market town as having a population of between 3,000 and 30,000.

"Market towns are usually very attractive places to live. This is reflected in the majority of market towns having higher property prices than their surrounding counties and the more than doubling in average prices since 1995 in all but a few exceptions," Martin Ellis, Halifax chief economist said.