These are the most expensive places to buy in the UK

• Virginia Water in Surrey is the UK’s most expensive place to buy a property outside London
• Ascot, home to the iconic race meet, is tenth, as the South East dominates the top ten
• Knightsbridge in London is the UK’s most expensive place, being the only area with an average asking price of over £3 million

As the horse racing fraternity gets ready to descend on Royal Ascot, Rightmove can reveal that the Berkshire town is the tenth most expensive place to buy outside London.

The average asking price in Ascot is £843,700, more than double the national average of £308,290.

With Royal Ascot taking place between 18^th and 22^nd June, Ascot is a haven for sports fans – as Wentworth and Sunningdale golf clubs and the Guards Polo Club are all on the doorstep.

Virginia Water in Surrey is the UK’s most expensive town, however, with an average asking price of £1,436,631. Coming in second place is Radlett in Hertfordshire with an average asking price of £1,125,671.

Nine of Rightmove’s top ten most expensive towns are places in the South East, with areas in Surrey representing five of the ten priciest places to buy outside of London.

In the capital, Knightsbridge in Westminster is the only place in the UK with an average asking price exceeding £3 million, with Kensington (£2,061,303) and Chelsea (£1,774,700) scooping second and third places respectively.

Rightmove’s property expert Miles Shipside said: “The influence of London is clearly shown in this analysis of the UK’s most expensive areas. The ability to commute but escape the built-up capital to live in leafy suburbs and towns attracts wealthy buyers who are willing and able to pay high prices for the right property in the right location. It’s not all about commuting distance however, and it’s no surprise that Ascot makes the top ten. Racehorses attract money, not only from those that like a bet, but they require wealthy owners too. However, it was Ascot’s close proximity and connection to the royal town of Windsor that initially put it on the high-priced property map, and it was given a further leg up by Queen Anne’s love of horse racing over 300 years ago. Buyers have been attracted by some beautifully built and maintained properties including horse racing stables, plus the draw of having Royal Ascot on your doorstep.”

Agents’ Views

Steven Aldridge, manager at Chancellors in Virginia Water, said: “Virginia Water is such a beautiful place to call home so it’s not surprising to see it’s topped Rightmove’s table. The inflated prices are primarily down to the Wentworth Estate. It’s an exclusive area of the most incredible houses; it’s just a wonderful place to be. Coupled with that, Virginia Water has great access to Heathrow Airport and the City of London.”

Barry Marner, branch partner of Chewton Rose in Ascot, added: “The market in Ascot is very buoyant at the moment and highly active. We’ve got a lot of motivated buyers in the market which naturally leads to rising prices. But of course, it’s great for us when Royal Ascot rolls around, which turns the town into a worldwide, global destination. The world’s eyes are on Ascot, and I suppose that makes us a sought-after place to live. When the royals are in town, that attracts a certain type of buyer who wants to be associated with this kind of event. Ascot has typically been an affluent area and we have some superb golf courses nearby, which all contribute to a quality lifestyle. We’re also close to major motorways and are 15 minutes from Heathrow, so we have great transport links.”

Top ten most expensive places to buy in the country, excluding London:

Top ten most expensive places to buy in London:

*The data was collected between 1^st May 2019 and 31^st May 2019. The data only includes places with at least 50 properties up for sale in the month of May 2019.