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Paul Knight, of Paul Knight Chartered Surveyors & Estate Agency, gives his view on living in Mendip.
There are five main conurbations within the Mendip District, namely Wells, Frome, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet and Street, all of which have their own distinct character, and heritage, and offer residents a wide choice of housing types.
Furthermore, the outlying villages also offer a diverse range of property types ranging from grand country houses to modest agricultural workers’ cottages.
WELLS
The city of Wells, nestling at the foot of the Mendip hills, is popular with both commuters travelling towards Bristol and Bath as well as many senior citizens who retire to the area. Properties in Wells tend to be a little more expensive than the other conurbations with a typical detached home costing £411,000 and flats averaging at £182,000. The city has a population of just over 10,000 residents (2001 census).
STREET
The “village” of Street has a population of near 12,000 residents (2001 census) and its residential market was originally dominated by its major employer, Clarks Shoes, who built many attractive stone built outworkers’ cottages to accommodate their expanding work force throughout the 19th century. There are now other more modern developments on the outskirts of the town and Crest Nicholson are currently developing over 500 new homes on an edge of town site. A typical detached dwelling costs in the region of £292,000 and the average flat £133,000.
SHEPTON MALLET
Shepton Mallet was traditionally a market town and has recently grown significantly with the development of the Duchy of Cornwall land at Tadley Acres. In 2001 its resident population was nearly 9,000 residents and a typical terraced house would cost £202,000 and the average flat £120,000. The average detached dwelling costs £380,000 although the data is somewhat distorted due to the prevalence of many detached houses in the outlying villages but within the Shepton Mallet postcode.
FROME
Frome is the largest of the towns within the Mendip district with a resident population of over 24,000 (2001 census) and due to its location at the eastern boundary of the Mendip district has much in common with many of the other smaller towns in nearby Wiltshire. The average detached dwelling in Frome would typically cost £333,000 and flats average at £125,000.
GLASTONBURY
Glastonbury is the spiritual centre of the district and has a resident population similar to that of Street, circa 10,000, and is located betwixt Street and Wells. Glastonbury has a hinterland of numerous affluent villages and within its postcode (BA6) the average detached dwelling will cost £370,000 whilst in the town centre flats currently average at £127,000. Many people residing within the Mendip district regard it as a “hidden gem” and enjoy the more relaxed lifestyle than is prevalent in many of the larger towns and cities throughout the south west.
Average House prices in Mendip ,000’s
| Terraced | Detached | Semi Detached |
Bungalow | Flat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Street (BA16) | £185 | £292 | £197 | £263 | £133 |
| Glastonbury (BA6) | £208 | £370 | £232 | £332 | £127 |
| Wells (BA5) |
£241 | £411 | £242 | £253 | £182 |
| Shepton Mallet (BA4) | £202 | £385 | £234 | £269 | £120 |
| Frome(BA11) | £196 | £333 | £227 | £261 | £125 |
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