In the Press: The Buying Solution in Country Life

Our Partner Harry Gladwin speaks to Anna White for Country Life about the rise of the rural supercar, where you’re as likely to see an Aston Martin in the Cotswolds as you are in Knightsbridge.

Classic Rolls Royce ©Sarah Frances Kelley for The Buying Solution
Sarah Frances Kelley for The Buying Solution

Read the article here.

In the Press: The Buying Solution in Bloomberg

Harry Gladwin, The Buying Solution Partner and Head of the Cotswolds Region, speaks to Sarah Rappaport at Bloomberg about the Cotswolds’ appeal for US buyers, and the surge in his American clients in the past year.

Sarah Frances Kelley for The Buying Solution

Read the article on Bloomberg here.

In the Press: The Buying Solution in The Telegraph

With news of Ellen DeGeneres’ rumoured move, Harry Gladwin, The Buying Solution Partner and Head of the Cotswolds Region, speaks to Guy Kelly of The Telegraph about how Trump’s victory has prompted wealthy Democrats to consider relocating to the Cotswolds.


Sarah Frances Kelley for The Buying Solution

Read the article in The Telegraph here.

Elegant Christmas Destinations Guide: Country

From refined shopping destinations to stately country retreats, discover our guide to the finest festive events and destinations across our country regions

Exterior of large country house hotel Heckfield Place with frost on the lawn and christmas tree
Heckfield Place
Hampshire House Guests

Resident guests and Friends of Heckfield Place in Hampshire, the lovingly restored five-star Georgian estate, can enjoy a beautiful selection of experiences throughout the season. Highlights include wreathmaking and willow-weaving workshops, festive films in the screening room and a grand Christmas tree lighting ceremony with carolers in the grounds.

Resident guests will be treated to a Christmas Eve sleigh ride, feasting and live music on Christmas Day and Boxing Day duck herding, followed by family tree hunts and wine tastings between Christmas and New Year. While it may be too late to book for this year, why not plan ahead for next?

The Festive Royal Borough

Ascot’s final race meeting of the year – the Howden Christmas Racing Weekend – is always hugely popular and, as ever, it promises a great day on the track as well as plenty of festivities off it. Family entertainment on the Saturday includes candle-lit carol singing with the Ascot Brass Band and an appearance by Father Christmas himself.

Nearby Windsor Castle pays homage to 1,000 years of royal history this Christmas with a number of special events. At the centre of the beautifully decorated State Apartments each year stands the 20-foot-high Nordmann Fir tree in St George’s Hall, which is felled from Windsor Great Park and dressed with thousands of lights.

Elegant West Sussex Estates

Whether you choose to stay at the Hotel over Christmas or simply visit, with twinkling lights strung up on the hundreds of trees across the 11,000-acre Goodwood Estate in West Sussex it’s a magical setting. Culinary masterclasses, late-night shopping events, festive afternoon teas and the ultimate Après Ski Party; the Estate has a hugely varied programme of events throughout December and into the New Year. Their candlelit carol service in the resplendent Front Hall of the House is always a memorable event.

Travelling north to the magnificent 17th-century National Trust-owned Petworth House, visitors can marvel at the beautifully adorned historic rooms and enjoy late-night openings, choir performances, a makers’ market and wreathmaking workshops.

A Cotswolds Christmas

The bucolic country retreat of Thyme, a ‘village within a village’ in the Cotswolds, is leaning in to the slow and intentional side of Christmas with cookery classes, wreathmaking and wellness events. This is a place to unwind and recharge before the festive excess takes over. A half-an-hour drive north to Daylesford Farm and there are still spaces left on a number of their wreathmaking workshops, or take the children to meet Dancer and Blitzen while you wander the farm shop in search of gifts.

Elsewhere in the Cotswolds, guests at Estelle Manor near Witney can enjoy all manner of special events, inspired by festive folklore. The centrepiece is an ice rink for up to 60 skaters on the north lawn lit by pretty festoon lights which is open until 5th January.

Enchantment at Waddesdon

The great Rothschild estate of Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire always goes to town with their festive celebrations and, this year, visitors can enjoy winter cellar tours and wine tastings and festive afternoon teas in the house. But the real magic takes place in the grounds which will be transformed with light projections on the Manor façade, a light trail through the gardens and artwork installations, all inspired by the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty. Waddesdon’s ever-popular Christmas fair and late-night openings also return this year.

Meet our specialist Country team of buying agents here and get in touch to find out more about how they can assist with your next property search.

In the Press: The Buying Solution in Bloomberg

Harry Gladwin, The Buying Solution Partner and Head of the Cotswolds Region, speaks to Sarah Rappaport at Bloomberg about the rise of the ‘party barn’; the new must-have in the most sought-after areas of the English countryside.

Party-barn-by-Sims-Hilditch
Party barn designed by Sims Hilditch

Read the article on Bloomberg here.

In the Press: The Buying Solution in The Telegraph

Harry Gladwin, The Buying Solution Partner and Head of the Cotswolds Region, speaks to Anna White of The Daily Telegraph for her cover story about Britain’s wealth hotspots, and the importance of the off-market deal.

STOCK a gateway into a country house in an english village

Read the article in The Daily Telegraph here

In the Press: The Buying Solution in Il Sole 24 Ore

Harry Gladwin, The Buying Solution Partner and Head of the Cotswolds Region, speaks to Nicol Degli Innocenti of Italian broadsheet Il Sole 24 Ore about why the Cotswolds are seeing an increase in demand from European buyers.

Pretty detached Cotswold cottage, Mickleton near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, England country

Read the article in Il Sole 24 Ore here

The Buying Solution in The Telegraph

Harry Gladwin of The Buying Solution speaks to Alexandra Goss of The Telegraph about what it’s really like to live in the Cotswolds.

Read more here

The Buying Solution in Country & Townhouse

Harry Gladwin of The Buying Solution speaks to Anna Tyzack of Country & Townhouse on why Americans are purchasing property in the Cotswolds.

Read more here

What’s driving the North & South Cotswolds value divide?

You may have visited some of the beautiful villages in the Cotswolds, but did you know that a significant value gap has opened up between property prices in the North and South Cotswolds – particularly at the top end of the market?

Using the A40 road as the dividing line separating the two regions, a classic seven-bedroom country house with stables and ancillary accommodation set over 50 acres might cost between £3m and £4m in the south, but that price can rise to as much as £5m to £10m in the north. We asked Harry Gladwin, our expert buying agent in the region, to explain what’s happening.

North Cotswolds

The popularity of the North Cotswolds and upward pressure on house prices began to take off in earnest at the beginning of the 2000s when City financiers and hedge funders ‘discovered’ Notting Hill. For them, the easy drive down the A40/M40 to Oxford, Chipping Norton and its environs encouraged those in search of a weekend retreat to settle there.

It’s home to many global movers and shakers. If a client has a house in West London and a holiday home in somewhere like, say, Miami or Ibiza, there is a good chance they also have a property in or near the most sought-after villages here. Charlbury, Kingham, Stow, and Oddington are places that are currently soaring in appeal amongst this international audience. To give an idea of demand in these areas, a recent house came on the market for £4.5m and sold almost immediately off-market to a buyer for 20% over the guide price.

So, what else makes this region attractive? The truth is, it’s easier to acclimatise to country life when you live in the North Cotswolds. All of the amenities you would expect from living in a city can be found here. A client once commented, ‘It’s green, but we can get a great flat white, and the internet is fast’!

The new breed of pubs and restaurants offer excellent food, often with a focus on seasonal and local produce and an impressive selection of wines and ales. A popular new opening is The Bull in Charlbury, which was taken over by the team behind the recently launched Notting Hill gastropub, The Pelican.

The allure of the North Cotswolds was given an extra boost by the opening of the private members’ club Soho Farmhouse at Great Tew in 2016. For many of our buyers, it ticks all the boxes. Other openings that have created a buzz include Estelle Manor, Restoration Hardware, Daylesford, Quince and Clover and farm shops from The Cotswold Guy.

Next is education. The school offering in Oxford as an alternative to educating children in the capital is seriously tempting, with the Dragon School, being one of the most popular choices near the border. Our clients also recommend Kitebrook Prep School in Moreton-in Marsh and Windrush Valley School near Chipping Norton.

Another key factor has been the improved train times along the Chiltern line, which has considerably reduced travel times to London Marylebone from Banbury, Bicester, and Oxford Parkway. The fact that you can now do this journey in under an hour proves extremely attractive to city commuters. Added to that was the opening of the spur line, which connects Oxford and Bicester Village to the Chiltern mainline. This gives the added advantage of choice for commuters to travel either into Marylebone or Paddington via Oxford, Charlbury and Kingham.

South Cotswolds

If the profile of a North Cotswolds buyer has evolved to lean more towards families with young children wanting access to good schools, gastropubs, and connectivity, then we cross the A40 and discover a region where country sports are more prevalent and it’s better suited to those looking for a more rural lifestyle.

The southern region of the Cotswolds has tended to attract more buyers with equestrian or polo interests with Cirencester Polo Club and Beaufort Polo Club on the doorstep, as well as eventing at Badminton and Gatcombe Park.

It also has popular prep schools, including Pinewood and Beaudesert, as well as access to Marlborough College, Westonbirt, St Mary’s Calne and the Cheltenham schools (Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Cheltenham College and Dean Close).

Tetbury is an attractive town for antique shops, and Cirencester continues to expand. Meanwhile, Kemble station is another big draw for commuters, as fast trains take only 80 minutes to London Paddington.

Like the North, the South Cotswolds has beautiful countryside with the additional attraction of the Cotswold Water Park for those who are interested in water sports. There are fewer gastropubs in this area, but Calcot Manor, Barnsley House, Thyme at Southrop, and Cowley Manor offer good alternatives to Daylesford and Soho Farmhouse.

As regional cities and airports such as Bristol and Birmingham grow, Cheltenham will become even more attractive to buyers. At the western edge of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Cheltenham is an excellent alternative schooling hub to Oxford The town’s most desirable areas range from between £400 and £500 per sq ft. Equivalent prime areas of central North Oxford are twice as expensive. That means it is possible to trade a good-sized London house for a family house in Cheltenham and have a substantial amount of change to spend on other things, such as the children’s education.

What remains true of both Cotswolds regions is a long-term shortage of houses coming to the market. Best-in-class houses continue to sell quickly and often off-market. Therefore, be prepared for fierce competition if buying in either the north or the south.

If you need help with your countryside search, don’t hesitate to get in touch with The Buying Solution, and we’d be delighted to discuss your needs.