The bucolic idyll of village life is deeply embedded in the national psyche, as much a part of our identity as afternoon tea and poor cricket results. And, as city life becomes ever more stressful, it is an idyll more people want to experience.

New figures from Hamptons, a nationwide estate agency, reveal that the number of Londoners chasing village homes has almost tripled in three years, from 13.4% of all prospective buyers in 2005 to 35.7% this month.

“Villages are increasingly popular with those moving from London, and other towns and cities, who like the idea of country living, but would be terrified of being on their own in the middle of open countryside,” says Rob Bruce, research manager at Hamptons. “Village life appeals for the mix of semi-rural living and good local facilities.”

A survey on the state of the countryside by the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) suggests those most in love with the idea are 30-to 45-year-olds with children, and people aged between 45 and 60 all are chasing a dream.

“People look at whether a place represents what they consider the quintessential English country village,” says Henry Holland Hibbert, head of Strutt & Parker’s country division. “That’s where their imagination comes into play.”

If this trend continues, says the CRC, the population of most rural areas in England and Wales will grow by almost 20% in the next 20 years. So, where are these people heading, and what makes a good village?

Exclusive research conducted for The Sunday Times by Savills, another nationwide agency, has pinpointed the top 20 villages in England and Wales – the most popular ones, in which buyers are looking for a primary home. And whether it’s Weobley, in Herefordshire, or Cerne Abbas, in Dorset, they all have plenty in common.

Most important is the outward aesthetic: what the place looks like and what the houses are like. Guiting Power, in Gloucestershire, for example, has gorgeous stone houses and is “possibly the best address in the Cotswolds”, says Crispin Holborow, head of Savills’ country division.

Fingest and its neighbour, Turville, in Buckinghamshire, are also classic English villages that make the list. “Fingest is the most idyllic spot,” Holborow says. “It has a beautiful flint church; it’s a classic English pastoral scene, with lovely rolling hills and woodland all around. It definitely has aesthetic appeal.”

Both it and Turville are also easy to reach, something else the most sought-after spots have in common. “If you’ve never been to Turville, you’ve seen it countless times,” says Richard Gaynor, a Savills partner. “It’s a pretty, tucked-away village that, until 50 years ago, would have been considered totally isolated, but it’s just 5 or 10 minutes off the M40.” No doubt one of the reasons it was used as the location for The Vicar of Dibley.

“Accessibility and aesthetics are key,” Holborow says, “but it doesn’t have to be pickled in aspic.” A village must be appealingly pretty, but not a tourist hot spot, such as Broadway, in the Cots-wolds:so chocolate-box beautiful, every second person is there to take photographs. Kintbury, in West Berkshire, is the perfect mix: it’s pretty but practical, with a good mix of housing, from Terence Conran’s mansion at one end to the tiniest cottage at the other.

A really sought-after village will also be a standalone community, rather than a satellite suburb of somewhere bigger, Gaynor says. This is often why slightly larger places, such as St Mary Bourne, in Hampshire, are so popular: it has a school, a recreation ground, a shop and a post office. Access to good schools is also vital, and it is no surprise to find that, of the 20 most desirable villages, 14 have their own school.

“In an ideal world, you want a little school,” says Rupert Sweeting, a partner in Knight Frank’s country department. The presence of secondary schools nearby is also important: “People are prepared to go further out if they’ve got communication into their workplace and can get to some bigger centres with good schools.”

What moving to a village is really all about is improved quality of life, says Lucian Cook, head of research at Savills. “That also means that villages with good local amenities, such as a good village shop, post office and pub, are likely to be the most desirable.”

Yet, although would-be refugees from the big city like the idea of an active community life, they don’t necessarily want to get involved, as a survey by Savills revealed last year. It asked those who favour villages as a place to live what they really thought was key – and the results were surprising. “Few people said that local community was important, which shows that the nature of villages is changing,” Cook explains. “People are buying in a village because it’s a lovely place to live, but they don’t necessarily want to get involved in the big community thing and be on the church or parish council. Some previously suburban dwellers may find that a bit daunting.”

Village life with all the trimmings is not cheap. Savills estimates that a home in a top20 village costs about 40% more than the average for that region – and it can be much higher. Take Kintbury, where Beech House, a four-bedroom house with a cinema and a gym, is for sale for £1.9m (Knight Frank; 01488 682726, www.knightfrank.co.uk). The average price for a detached house in West Berkshire is £391,500.

Oakwood, a pretty four-bedroom home in Cerne Abbas, Dorset, is on sale for £650,000 (Jackson-Stops & Staff; 01305 262123, www.jackson-stops. co.uk). Theaverage price for a detached house in the region is £353,810.

Shropshire might be more affordable: Savills (01952 239500, www.savills.com) is marketing Pound Cottage, a three-bedroom stone home in Much Wenlock, for £299,990, not much more than the regional average, £276,432.

Overall, the most sought-after villages have seen average price growth of 67% in the past five years; nationally, prices were up 51% in the same period. Presuming you are willing to pay the premiums, though, what are these villages like to live in?

Stuart Pearson, 28, Vicky Leigh, 31, and their daughter, Lauren, 15 months, moved to pretty Shamley Green, four miles from Guildford, Surrey, in June. The average property price there is £550,696, making it the most expensive place on the list.

“We wanted a bigger house because we had our daughter and we wanted more land,” says Leigh, who works for her family firm, John Ross Jr, producing Scottish smoked salmon. “We were right in the heart of Cobham, on a noisy road, and we could get slightly more for our money here.” They paid just under £500,000 for a nearly derelict three-bedroom 1960s house, then spent another £25,000 making it habitable, but consider the outlay worth it.

“Sometimes, when I walk to the corner shop, I feel like I’m on holiday,” Leigh says. “We have a couple of really nice pubs, a village green and quite a good community here – they’re keen on doing social things. And it’s picturesque. You can walk out of your front door and into lovely countryside for miles.”

All this may sound delightful. But spare a thought for those whose families may have lived in such places for generations. It takes increasingly large sums to buy village homes, and, while those selling up in London may be able to afford to realise their dream, it is a different story for those already living there. The CRC’s survey says that the average rural household income is £34,175, and the average price of a rural house is £240,222. So, locals would have to borrow more than seven times their income to buy their own home; the figure for urban areas is about six times income.

“Unless we act now, in a generation rural communities will become places where only the rich are able to live – to the detriment of the health, vitality and economy of the countryside,” says Kate Gordon, planning officer at the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

Which means the perfect village of the future might look very different indeed.

Lucy Denyer Timesonline

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