Smart Move: The UK Towns Londoners Should Move To

Describing herself as a “committedly urban person”, boutique content agency director Kitty Finstad asserts she has “no desire to up sticks to the sticks. The countryside is fine for holidays and weekends, but cities are for living in.” Unlike many Londoners who sought solace in rural parts during the pandemic, sending house prices rocketing in areas such as the Cotswolds and Hampshire, Finstad and her husband, Nielsen Dinwoodie, ditched the capital to relocate to Edinburgh’s New Town. “It seems such a genteel contrast to where we lived in London. The air is cleaner, the pace of life is gentler and nothing seems more than a 15-minute walk away.”

Our recent race for space — seeking bigger homes with bigger gardens — “hasn’t always meant moving to the wilderness,” says Nick Chivers, a partner at Knight Frank estate agency. “The UK is full of vibrant and amenity-rich towns and cities that offer just as much in terms of entertainment, education and opportunity.”

According to Knight Frank’s 2021 Town & City Life publication, Edinburgh represents the greatest value for money, with an average price of £380 per sq ft, while, at the other end of the scale, Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire has an average price of £701 per sq ft. So where are the other hotspots for Londoners seeking a new lifestyle, but who aren’t ready to ditch the urban buzz for muddy wellies just yet?

Our recent race for space — seeking bigger homes with bigger gardens — “hasn’t always meant moving to the wilderness,” says Nick Chivers, a partner at Knight Frank estate agency. “The UK is full of vibrant and amenity-rich towns and cities that offer just as much in terms of entertainment, education and opportunity.”

According to Knight Frank’s 2021 Town & City Life publication, Edinburgh represents the greatest value for money, with an average price of £380 per sq ft, while, at the other end of the scale, Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire has an average price of £701 per sq ft. So where are the other hotspots for Londoners seeking a new lifestyle, but who aren’t ready to ditch the urban buzz for muddy wellies just yet?

BRISTOL

Around 13% of buyers in Bristol’s prime market right now are from London, according to Knight Frank — many of them working in finance, or entrepreneurs. “We’re a leading tech city and a great place for start-ups to recruit talent,” comments Rupert Oliver at Rupert Oliver Property Agents, who just saw a “significant” townhouse in upmarket Clifton sell within three days for over asking price, “driven by demand from London buyers.” It’s often long-standing university or family ties that draw people back to this compact, lively city famed for its eco-minded, independent and rebellious spirit. Sheer lack of stock for sale, however — the story everywhere — is seeing those with £1m-£2m to spend branching out beyond the delis and boutiques in Clifton Village, or well-heeled, residential Sneyd Park, to neighbouring areas such as Redland and Henleaze.

“There’s good money in Bristol at the moment and schools are a proper draw — so is the ability to get to London easily,” says Richard Brooks at Savills Bristol, who report 6.9% annual house price growth in the city.

The bar and restaurant scene here is world-class too, and is an added lure. Littlefrench is shining a new light on Westbury Park; Michelin-starred Casamia offers a 20-course tasting menu; while The Milk Thistle cocktail bar serves up award-winning cocktails.

EXETER

Like that of Bristol, the good life in Exeter comes from the energy of this prestigious university city itself. And, as well as great schools, shops and attractive streets of Georgian and Victorian townhouses, countryside and coastline are close by for those who like rural life in occasional doses.

At just over two hours by train to London, it’s always been a popular option among those leaving the capital, and Covid-fuelled remote working has taken Exeter’s popularity to another level. One in four buyers come from the South East, according to Knight Frank, and they’re paying an average of £1.5m. “Buyers used to have a connection to the city that motivated them to return here. But since the pandemic, people’s connections to Exeter have become much looser. They may have holidayed in Cornwall and fallen in love with the South West. That’s enough these days to encourage them to make the move,” says Louise Glanville at Knight Frank Exeter.

Buyers are also getting younger, Glanville adds: “Exeter is less hectic than urban cities, and people are wanting their children to grow up here, so the move is on people’s agendas a lot sooner than it used to be.”

London leaver Hannah Bridges is currently househunting in Exeter, having recently relocated with her three children, aged 11, nine and seven, who attend the independent Exeter School. “Exeter is a real mix,” she says. “It has a beautiful cathedral, good restaurants and bars, eclectic shops and cafes, and there are run-down areas, too. The architecture in St Leonards — where houses can cost up to £2.5m — reminds me of Greenwich, where I used to live.”

OXFORD

Londoners have been longing for the city of dreaming spires more than ever in the past year, with Knight Frank reporting nearly double the usual number of prime sales in the year to June 2021 (10% of them to Londoners), and an average price of £1.89m. Oxford is inextricably linked to academic excellence — not just the university, but also independent schools including the Dragon School and Oxford High School. “The market has the classic drivers of great properties, shopping and some very good state and independent schools within walking distance,” says William Kirkland at Knight Frank Oxford. “That’s why people choose to come here from London.” Knight Frank’s research into the UK’s top 10 new £1m markets, where the top 10% of sales exceed £1,000 per sq ft, include Oxford wards Carfax and Jericho, and Summertown.

Edwardian and Victorian houses in North and Central North Oxford are also catnip to wealthy families relocating from the capital. “The architecture combined with being in sought-after catchment areas places a high premium on any property in this district. Properties will sell for at least £3m and competition can be fierce. Bidding wars in the past year have seen 10 or more offers with properties selling for up to 25% over asking price,” says Simon McConnell, partner at Carter Jonas in the city.

Oxford also has some of the best coffee shops, says McConnell. “Society Café on St Michael’s Street was recently voted the best in the UK by Big 7 Travel,” he comments. “People come for London-style restaurants and gastropubs by the River Thames. They soon realise that Oxford offers as much of an exciting atmosphere as London, in a smaller, highly accessible space.”

WINCHESTER

The historic cathedral city of Winchester is a sure winner in the Covid relocation stakes. According to Knight Frank, the average property sold for £1.9m between June 2020 and June 2021, and a high number of buyers come from south-west London. With the South Downs National Park on the doorstep, the pocket-sized city is also “day-trippingly close to the south coast,” says Toby Gullick from Knight Frank’s Winchester office. “It’s appealing to people who don’t want to live in a rural location. They tend to have friends and family who have already made the move here, and the most popular neighbourhoods are St Cross, Fulflood and Hyde.”

Emma Seaton, director of buying agency Prime Purchase, is herself a London emigrée who made the move four years ago with her husband and two young children. “Winchester is a huge draw for families,” she says. “These are often people who thought they would never leave London, so need that city feel. They want to replicate how they lived in London, with the cocktail bars, cool restaurants and supper clubs.” The influx of Londoners has transformed the city’s buyer profile, she adds, “especially in the £1.5m-£2.5m bracket”.