Stretching from the suburban belt to the coast, Hampshire is a key borough for Londoners looking for a life-changing move that won’t take them too far from the capital.
Trains to central London usually take an hour or two, but in return you can take in some of England’s most exclusive country villages, bustling city suburbs, charming towns or breathe in a breath of fresh sea air.
Like much of the UK, 2023 has been a tough year for the Hampshire property market; Rising interest rates have negatively affected the number of buyers looking for new homes and their budgets.
But research from real estate agent Hamptons shows Hampshire performs better in the long term.
Prices have increased by an average of 54 percent over the last decade, while in England and Wales this rate was 41 percent.
If New Forest ponies, regattas and historic market towns tickle your fancy, this is our essential guide to the best Hampshire has to offer:
Value for money: Petersfield
It’s one of those rare finds that feels more expensive than it actually is.
Petersfield is a beautiful looking market town with a strong sense of community. It’s right in the middle of the South Downs National Park, schools and transport links are strong and the town center is full of quality independent shops, cafes and restaurants.
Despite this, the average price in the city is around £520,000; that is, £100,000 less than the better-known Winchester, 20 miles away.
Rising interest rates meant sales prices fell by 1.7 per cent last year, but have increased by 20 per cent since 2019, outperforming 58 per cent over the past decade.
A weekend in Petersfield could include a walk around Petersfield Heath (the outdoor pool will probably have to wait until summer) or a trip to meet the deer at Sky Park Farm in West Harting. When you’re back in town, head to the award-winning Madeleine’s Kitchen for a hearty bowl of porridge or epic toast.
Afterwards, you can peruse the stalls at Petersfield Market to pick up specialty breads or pastries.
For fans of retail therapy, Pages Court, The Folly Market, Bakery Lane and Lavant Street are full of interesting independent shops.
For sporty types, there are cricket, football and squash clubs and a leisure center with swimming pool. The community-run New Savoy Cinema holds regular film screenings; You can catch an exhibition or workshop at the Petersfield Museum.
Chichester, with its theater and annual arts festival, is half an hour’s train ride away, and the pretty seaside village of East Wittering is a 45-minute drive away.
Although school standards are generally high, parents considering moving to Petersfield will need to be a bit wary of school catchments – there are four primary schools in the town with Ofsted reports of ‘good’, but one with sub-optimal ‘requires improvement’ status. Petersfield School for older pupils has an “outstanding” report from school watchdogs.
Trains from Petersfield to London take just over an hour. If you’re planning to commute by car, road access has been improved by the Hindhead Tunnel, helping to reduce the notorious bottleneck on the A3 between London and Portsmouth.
Most similar to London: Winchester
Londoners have been traveling roads to this historic city since ancient times. The first arrivals were religious types eager to worship in the gothic cathedral. But during the epidemic, a very different kind of pilgrim began to flock to the city of Winchester.
Before WFH, Winchester was seen as beautiful but inconvenient.
The 65-mile journey to the capital takes more than an hour on the train; This is too long for many daily travelers to consider.
Everything changed the moment many Londoners were released from their offices, and Winchester was one of the strongest companies in property to emerge during the pandemic, along with Cornwall and the Cotswolds.
Halifax calculated that the cost of buying a property in the city is 14 times the average salary; This is the largest gap between wages and house prices in the UK.
Affordable property isn’t the only thing Winchester has in common with London. It has the same mix of history and all the mod-cons of city life. If you love your artisan cafes, theatres, galleries, cinemas and bars, you’ll feel perfectly at home; Unlike some provincial towns, you don’t dive into a complete cultural void.
Winchester is home to many brands that Londoners will be familiar with – such as The Ivy and Brasserie Blanc – but it also has some great one-off brands. Inn the Park has a clubby feel, with a bar, terrace, main dining room and comfortable private rooms, a modern British menu and a wide range of signature cocktails.
When it comes to sushi, Kyoto Kitchen has become a casual and original local institution. If you need a sourdough fix, head to Hoxton Bakehouse, founded by a couple of London exiles who spent years learning their baking craft in London before heading to Winchester to set up on their own.
Winchester’s main attractions for homebuyers are Fulflood, a Victorian suburb close to the station, and St. Louis, with its narrow streets and quaint cottages. Cross and Hyde with good sized houses and proximity to the River Itchen.
All three are within a ten-minute walk of the city centre.
The pandemic-induced price rise means Winchester is one of Hampshire’s pricier options, with an average property price of £631,000.
Prices have plateaued over the past year but are still 18 percent higher than at the start of the pandemic, and values have outperformed by over 61 percent over the past decade.
Least similar to London: Lymington
For a real change of pace, this Georgian coastal market town feels a world away from landlocked London, despite being just a few hours from Waterloo.
Perfect for surf and turf enthusiasts, luxurious Lymington is located between the New Forest and the sea.
You can walk, bike and horseback ride to your heart’s content; Spending time on the water is also a definite option; The town has two marinas and two sailing clubs and hosts an annual regatta.
Sailors who come regularly on weekends add liveliness to Lymington’s bars and restaurants during the summer months. As it’s frequented by tourists, the cobblestone streets have a better-than-average range of shops, cafes and galleries.
You’ll find plenty of places to hang out, from the luxurious Elderflower with its Anglo-French fusion menu, to Salt Bar at Stanwell House or The Tinker’s Granddaughter, where you can sip a cocktail when you’re missing London’s nightlife. Offers a fantastic vegan selection.
Average prices in the city are around £557,000.
Values remain stable in 2023 and are 16 percent higher than in 2016. It has increased by 61 per cent since 2013, thanks to interest from a healthy mix of retirees and young families (the vast majority of schools in Lymington are highly rated by Ofsted). ) and second home owners.
Best linked to: Hartley Wintney
Lovely cottages overlooking the cricket ground, historic pubs, cute cafes and even a duck pond.
Not only does Hartley Wintney tick the fancy box of all country villages, it’s also just an hour from central London.
It’s a fairly large village with a well-stocked high street, so it’s not a complete culture shock for London exiles who can still pick up a curry, coffee and do some satisfying window shopping in boutiques without getting in the car. .
There is also a very chi chi weekly food market on Fridays; If you don’t think too hard you could almost be on Northcote Road.
The Cricketers is the town’s alpha pub – a Georgian village inn where you can eat a plate of sausages and mash with onion gravy and relax.
The village has a children’s and primary school, sports teams (football and cricket) and a golf club within walking distance, both rated “good” by Ofsted.
When you need a break, Winchfield Railway Station is less than two miles south of the village. Trains to Waterloo take about an hour.
For motorists, the M3 motorway is a five-minute drive away and there are also bus services to nearby towns including Hook and Fleet.
The average property price in the village stands at £647,000.
Like most other Hampshire locations today, prices were stable last year. Average sales prices have increased by eight percent since 2019. Prices have increased by a modest 34 percent since 2013.
Family friendly: Stockbridge
A super cute riverside town nestled next to the River Test, where you’ll find an off-duty King Charles honing his fly fishing skills and at the foot of the 172-acre Stockbridge Down.
Stockbridge is more than just a pretty face with access to beautiful countryside.
Its main street is full of independent shops and restaurants; Like Prego when you want a taste of Italy, or Clos du Marquis French and Thyme & Tides when all you need is a sumptuous full English breakfast. The 15th Century Greyhound on the Test is a wonderful country pub; Settle down next to the fire pit and watch the swans go by.
Families find Stockbridge a great place to give their children an old-fashioned country childhood; They can attend the town’s primary school, which is rated good by Ofsted. Test Valley School for older people was criticized by the school’s watchdog, but improvements have been made since a new management team was installed and is on track to be upgraded by 2024, according to an inspection last year.
On weekends families can visit the town’s inspiring army flying museum, canter at Stockbridge Riding School or paddle the ford of the River Test in the village of Houghton, three miles south of the town.
The New Forest is half an hour’s drive away, or you can drive 40 miles southwest and enjoy the sandy beaches of Bournemouth.
Stockbridge’s railway station was one of many rural stations to close in the sixties. Today’s passengers have to travel eight miles to Andover to take shuttles to Waterloo. Fast trains take just over an hour.
Stockbridge is too small to have average property price data, but properties range from huge country piles on the outskirts of the city to postcard-perfect cottages.
A budget of around £800,000 will provide a four-bedroom detached house. You could be looking at a two-bedroom, thatched-roof cottage for £500,000.