From Cambridge to Milton Keynes...films send house prices soaring: Costs in some areas up a quarter in just five years
02-07-2015
- Buyers snapping up houses in towns and villages that have been in films
- Study looked at house price trends in areas in 20 well-loved British films
- In Cambridge, where Theory of Everything is set, prices soared 26 per cent
- Milton Keynes, home to Bletchley Park in Imitation Game, 25 per cent rise
By Sean Poulter for the Daily Mail
If you have ever found yourself wishing your life was more like the movies, it seems you're not alone.
Buyers are snapping up properties in British towns and villages that have featured in films – sending prices soaring.
It seems an endorsement from location scouts – not to mention the knowledge that A-listers have wandered the streets – is enough to turn an area from so-so to extremely sought-after.
In Cambridge, the location of Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything, prices soared by 26 per cent
The film starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones was shot at various locations across the university city
Much of the film, starring Eddie Redmayne, was shot at the University of Cambridge's St John's College
But bringing a touch of glamour to your life comes at a cost, with house prices in some of these areas rising by a quarter in just five years.
Halifax looked at house price trends in areas featured in 20 well-loved British films. In Cambridge, the location of Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything, prices soared by 26 per cent in the past five years.
Much of the film, starring Eddie Redmayne, was shot at the University of Cambridge's St John's College.
Screenwriter and producer Anthony McCarten said: 'St John's is one of the most beautiful – if not the most beautiful – colleges at Cambridge. The main hall is known as 'the wedding cake' because it has such grandeur about it.'
While Cambridge has been desirable for some time, a more unlikely hotspot was Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire.
Milton Keynes played a starring role in film 'The Imitation Game'
Benedict Cumberbatch starred in the film The Imitation Game - and prices have risen in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes, home to Bletchley Park, which was the main location of Imitation Game, has seen prices rise
Home to Bletchley Park, the Second World War codebreaking centre and the main location of Benedict Cumberbatch film The Imitation Game, its prices have risen 25 per cent in the past five years.
Many of the study's locations were already seeing price rises before their films hit the cinema, but it seems the allure of a successful movie has only added to their appeal.
Both Cambridge and Milton Keynes saw property values rise at a faster rate than their regions as a whole – suggesting they had a little help from some Hollywood stardust.