For many prime country house owners, 2012 ended on a sour note with the latest data from Knight Frank revealing that house prices in this sector fell 1.2% in Q4 taking the annual decline to 3.8%.

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom as certain pockets of the country such as Oxford, known as the ‘city of dreaming spires’, bucked the trend reporting an annual price rise of 3.3.% according to the Knight Frank Prime Country House Index Q4 2012.

Not only home to one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world, the city of Oxford, just 60 miles from London, is a thriving economic centre with some huge businesses choosing to operate from here. Oxford is the principal production site of the Mini, Oxford University Press and Wiley-Blackwell publishing houses operate from here, as well as a number of large breweries and science-based industries.

And it is just this variety of academic and employment opportunities, not to mention the cultural and environmental appeals, which is leading to the population of Oxford growing steadily. Already at 150,000 people, Oxford and the surrounding area is attracting more and more families, especially those looking to relocate from central London and get more bang for their buck. 

This increasing demand for prime country homes at the £2 million plus mark has been witnessed by award-winning developer Millgate, who enjoyed a bumper year in Oxfordshire in 2012.

Focusing on the beautiful village of Boars Hill just 3 miles south west of Oxford city centre, Millgate completed an development of four prime country homes ranging from £4 to £6 million in 2012. Already three of the four homes which afford stunning views towards the dreaming spires have been sold and the last house has several interested buyers.

Indeed so successful has this development been that another prime site in the neighbouring village of Hinksey Hill has been purchased and developed to the same high standard by Millgate with a further four 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom detached homes approached by a private tree lined drive now available to purchase from £1.95 million.

Sales and Marketing Director at Millgate, Jonathan Cranley, comments:

“The prime country house market has indeed been under pressure in the last 12 months with concerns over the impact of increasing stamp duty however for Millgate 2012 has been a positive year.

“Overall, as reported by Knight Frank, stock and indeed viewing volumes are up across the board but buyers have become even more discerning, taking their time to select only the finest homes, in prime locations such as Oxfordshire which fortuitously for us, is at the heart of the Millgate ethos.“ 

For more information on prime country houses available in Oxfordshire from Millgate please call 01189 343 344 or visit www.millgatehomes.co.uk.