Homes in English market towns command a 12% average mark-up

Big manor houses and old rectories tend to be the most expensive "quintessentially English" homes in a village, but they're a fair bit cheaper per square foot than cottages or barn conversions, says Jackson-Stops.

"There has been a significant sea-change in celebrity attitudes towards collaborating with agents instructed to market their properties," says a top North London estate agency.

London's average £1m home is only a third (36%) bigger than the overall average-sized home in the capital, says Savills. Buyers would get an average of 70% more space if they looked beyond the M25.