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News: TV town homes give best performance

House prices in Oxford have outperformed the regional and national average since the television series Inspector Morse first aired 20 years ago this month, according to new research by Halifax.

The average house price in Oxford is now £304,467.  That represents an increase of 388% compared with the average figure of £62,444 in 1986, the year before Inspector Morse first reached our screens. 

Over the same period, house prices across England rose 440% to £209,223, while the UK figure increased by 348% to £179,601.

Average house prices in Oxford are now 70% higher than the UK average.  Twenty years ago, before Inspector Morse first aired, Oxford house prices were 56% higher than the national average.

Average price
1986 (£)

Average price
2006 (£)

% change
1986-2006

Oxford

62,444

304,467

388%

Oxfordshire

55,400

269,075

386%

South East

54,184

249,294

360%

England

38,723

209,223

440%

UK

40,126

179,601

348%

Oxford third-most expensive town per square metre

Residential property in Oxford is the third-most expensive in the UK per square metre (psm), at £2,942 psm, behind London (£4,137) and St Albans (£3,008).

When the first episode of the Inspector Morse series aired on ITV on 6th January 1987, Oxford was ranked as the 59th most expensive town in the UK with an average house price of £62,444.  It was the second most expensive town in Oxfordshire behind Henley-on-Thames (£98,047).

By 2006, Oxford had risen to the 44th most expensive town in the UK, with an average price of £304,467.  Henley-on-Thames remained the most expensive town in Oxfordshire at £477,531.

Detached properties rise 536% in 20 years

Prices for detached and semi-detached properties in Oxford have risen faster than the rest of England over the past 20 years, with semi-detached houses experiencing the highest gain of 551%.  Detached properties in Oxford have risen by 536% since 1986, compared with a 419% increase for England and 403% for the UK as a whole.

Semi-detached
1986

Semi-detached
2006

% change
1986-2006

Detached
1986

Detached
2006

% change
1986-2006

Oxford

58,196

320,544

551%

82,851

526,829

536%

Oxfordshire

49,356

262,358

532%

73,782

405,818

450%

South East

50,099

238,945

477%

83,000

406,966

390%

England

36,157

188,718

522%

59,828

310,648

419%

UK

35,381

182,073

515%

57,769

290,688

403%

 OX2 postcode most expensive in Oxford

The first ever episode of Inspector Morse was titled The Dead of Jericho and took its name from the historic part of Oxford which has become popular with commuters working in London.  Jericho lies in the OX2 postcode area, which has the most expensive properties prices in the city (£481,235) and has experienced the largest increase in prices (604%) over the past 20 years in Oxford.

Average price
1986 (£)

Average price
2006 (£)

% change
1986-2006

OX1

65,753

319,911

387%

OX2

68,399

481,235

604%

OX3

59,377

271,312

357%

OX4

51,569

226,590

339%

Inspector Morse was created by author Colin Dexter and first appeared in the 1975 novel Last Bus to Woodstock.  The television series, starring John Thaw in the title role and Kevin Whately as sidekick Detective Lewis, ran from 1987 to 2000.  John Thaw died in 2002.

Known for his love of real ale, crosswords and opera, Inspector Morse drove a Mark II Jaguar which sold at auction for more than £100,000 in 2005.

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