Figures drawn from the Knight Frank archives show that in 1952, the year of the Queen's accession to the throne, the average price being paid for a typical English country estate was in the region of £40 ($59) per acre. By 1977, her Silver Jubilee year, typical values had risen to nearer the £1,000 ($1,460) per acre mark. In the current market, a potential buyer might expect to pay around £9,250 ($13,540) per acre.

Frome House near Whitfield in Dorset is a classic example of the type of property to which many aspire. The Georgian country manor house, built in the late 18th century for a local landowner, lies within 11 acres of parkland which borders the river Frome. Mature gardens, a tennis court, paddocks and stables all add to the overall appeal. The house is currently on the market at a guide price of £1.5 million ($2.2 million), yet Knight Frank estimate, using comparable evidence, that in 1952 this property might have been expected to sell for just £1,750 ($2,560).

The Mells Park Estate in Somerset would undoubtedly fulfil many people's ideal as the quintessential English country estate. Sir Edwin Lutyens designed the Grade II listed manor house that lies at the heart of the property surrounded by parkland. Mells Park has a number of houses and cottages, historically relating to the farming activities connected with the 450 acres of agricultural land, plus a further 300 acres of mature woodland which forms the basis of a top class pheasant shoot.

In 1977, the Queen's Silver Jubilee year, Mells Park was on the market through Knight Frank at £700,000 ($1.02 million). Almost 25 years on in 2001, the same property came up for sale again, and once more Knight Frank was involved in finding a buyer for the estate which was guided at £8.5 million ($12.4 million).

'As no doubt was the case in both 1952 and 1977, the watchword to a successful property sale in rural areas is still quality,' says James Crawford of Knight Frank's Country Department, 'Although still highly sought after, the estates market now attracts a significantly different type of purchaser to those involved 50 years ago. No longer are agricultural returns and the quality of the sport the main determining factors for a sale. Instead buyers tend to be more interested in aspects of the property that satisfy lifestyle desires such as privacy and environmental ideals.'

Instant Insights /

Fifty Years On and Country Estate Values Have Soared

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