HOUSEHUNTER PARKHOLME COTTAGE

Cottages in 2,300 acres are normally within easy reach of nowhere. Parkholme Cottage is an exception. The four-reception room, three-bedroom, three-bathroom property sits on the edge of East Sheen Common, 10 miles from the City of London. Black Horse Agencies in East Sheen (0181-878 7575) is asking pounds 325,000 for the freehold.

For what it's worth

The latest guide to country cottages and houses from Strutt & Parker's 15 rural offices shows prices stable across most of Britain, but rising slightly in Newbury, Ipswich and Edinburgh. Areas such as St Albans, Salisbury, Exeter the Cotswolds and Canterbury saw small increases last year, but prices have flattened out in 1995. In the north they are still waiting for the up-turn.

Savills' index of the most expensive country properties shows prices rose by just 1 per cent in the three months to March 1995, making for an annual rise of six per cent. This compares with a fall of 1.4 per cent recorded by the Halifax Building Society in the mainstream market over the same period. Both Savills and the Halifax now seem to accept that their figures accurately reflect two different sectiors of the market, rather than being contradictory measures of the same thing.

Who's moving

Chris Evans has packed up his toothbrush and moved from Docklands back to his old stamping ground of Belsize Park in north London. He has swapped a (price) penthouse for a very modern "architect-designed" flat costing pounds 300,000.