London, England -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/15/2010 -- After decades in the outer reaches of fashion, property in England’s market towns has made a surprising return to popularity, according to Lloyds TSB, which has tracked the price of homes in 111 market towns.

Figures show that homes in these towns include an average £30,000 premium. “In a market town you can have all the advantages of the larger towns or cities without some of the distractions. There is less congestion, less heavy traffic, and lower levels of crime,” said the bank’s Martin Ellis.

Most sought after of all is the Oxfordshire town of Beaconsfield, half way between London and Oxford, a few minutes’ drive from Heathrow, with a cute model village and easy access to the M40.

“Beaconsfield is doing and has always done extremely well,” says estate agent Bernard Hodgson. “It's not just one single facet that attracts buyers – there are numerous facets. The schools are second to none, it’s very accessible by train or by road and it’s only 20 or 25 minutes to Heathrow. There is a model village that still attracts people from far and wide and a market in the old town every Tuesday.”

There is certainly something comforting about the look and feel of a market town, with their war memorials, cranky old pubs and boutiquey shops. It seems the rise of the out of town retail centre, the spread of car ownership and the magnetic attraction of large cities was not enough to kill them off. In Beaconsfield you’ll pay around £730,000 for an average house, which is very high, even by Oxfordshire standards.

Here are the top six priciest market towns (average home value):
1. Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire (Average house price £736,585)
2. Winchcombe, Gloucestershire (£360,451)
3. Cranbrook, Kent (£353,726)
4. Midhurst, Sussex (£342,975)
5. Ringwood, Hampshire (£341,076)
6. Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire (£333,834)

Original comment can be found at House Price Advisory http://www.theadvisory.co.uk