Hot Spot: Cambridge

High-tech industries in the 'Silicon Fen' are bringing jobs - and families - to the university city, says Robert Liebman

When people move to Cambridge, they will find a historic university town that apparently has everything that London has – except congestion charging. "The city is known as 'Silicon Fen' due to its range of pharmaceutical, aerospace, biotechnology, telecommunications and other firms," says Russell Gurney of William H Brown. "The university is a major employer, as is Addenbrookes hospital, which provides teaching and training for the medical profession."

As well as being job-rich, Cambridge has the infrastructure to lure professionals: "The schools are second to none, both private and state," Gurney says. "The Perse School and Hills Road sixth-form college consistently rank among the top 10 in the UK. Comberton, Linton, Cottenham, and Impington have excellent village colleges."

But as David House of Stacks observes, the many families attracted by Cambridge's schools face a "shocking" journey into the city in the morning, and some home-owners detour rush-hour altogether. "Villages south of Cambridge are particularly in demand from those who commute to London but are reluctant to drive into the city and then face a 70-minute train journey. Audley End is attractive and trains take one hour, and the villages around Saffron Walden are extremely sought after. Four-bedroom village houses in Arkesden or Clavering sell for around £600,000, having doubled in price in five years."

Piers Day, regional director of Stacks, notes that the area is no longer just a commuter area. "People live and work here. As a result, there is the development of huge industrial parks around Cambridge. With Microsoft moving into the town, more technological companies are following."

There is less price inflation than a few years ago, but low interest rates and an excess of buyers are still fuelling a strong property market, says Russell Gurney. "Our large employment areas apply pressure on the market. There is a lack of suitable land for development within the city, and the latest solution is Cambourne, a new village still being built five miles west." Old homes, however, are holding their value: "Villages such as Dullingham, West Wratting and Horseheath are all popular, and a four-, five-bedroom house with large garden sells easily for about £500,000, compared with £275,000 two years ago."

THE LOW-DOWN

Getting there

The A14 provides access to the Midlands, the M11 to Stansted airport (28 miles) and the City, and the A1 to Huntingdon and Peterborough.

Shop till you drop

The Grafton Centre has three department stores, 70 shops, a food court and multiplex cinema, and Lion Yard has 40 shops. A general market operates Monday to Saturday, and an arts and crafts, antiques and farmers' market is open on Sunday.

A sense of history

Cambridge has more than a dozen museums, with excellent art and archaeology collections: the Fitzwilliam collection includes Egyptian and Roman antiquities, glass, sculpture, silver, clocks and armour; archaeology is represented by the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Museum of Classical Archaeology. Other museums are devoted to polar exploration, geology, zoology and earth science, and a machinery collection is housed in a former pumping station.

Greasepaint

The Arts Theatre is the main theatre, and other venues include the Corn Exchange and Junction. Warner Village and the Arts picture house cater for film buffs. The Cambridge Folk Festival is held on the last weekend in July, and the university hosts regular concerts and other artistic events.

Slob out or work out

In the Regal, Cambridge boasts the UK's largest pub. Kelsey Kerridge fitness centre in the city centre offers aerobics, cardiovascular, circuit training and weight lifting, and also has a climbing wall and many other sports facilities. There is an open-air swimming pool in Jesus Green, and several golf courses are convenient.

What you'll pay

At William H Brown and Bradford & Bingley, two-bedroom terraces start from £125,000, and three-bedroom terraces start from £150,000 to £250,000, depending on the location. At the other extreme, FPDSavills is selling Waresley Grange, a six-bed Grade II-listed country house in Waresley with annexe and other outbuildings, tennis court and swimming pool on 3.83 acres, for £1.25m.

New

Fairview's Cromwell Place, two miles from the city centre, has 84 one- and two-bed flats, from £158,000 (01223 415729). Bryant and Laing's St Andrews Park has one- and two-bed flats and four-bed houses, from £389,995 (01223 307613). Near the train station, Laing's In Focus has flats and houses from £199,995; agents are FPDSavills. Wilson Connolly's Scholars Court has eight two-bed flats from £198,995, and eight three-bed townhouses from £312,995 (01223 308664).

Barns

Cambridgeshire has more than its share of stunning barn conversions.

The Barn in Caldecote, eight miles from Cambridge, is a Grade II-listed

conversion with architect-designed studio on 1.07 acres; £850,000, FPDSavills. Brook Garden in Bourn, nine miles from Cambridge, consists of a large main barn, a self-contained detached cottage and a chalet on 1.6 acres; £1.15m, Tucker Gardner.

Estate agents

Bradford & Bingley, 01223 363291; FPDSavills, 01223 347000; Stacks, 01359 245260 and 01279 777186; Tucker Gardner 01223 508508 (Cambridge), 01223 845240 (Great Shelford), 01223 470099 (Histon); William H Brown, 01223 358285.