Good schools seal the deal: Winchester is a top spot for London commuters with fast trains to Waterloo and good-value homes

The new £10 note featuring Jane Austen is due to be released on September 14 following its unveiling by Bank of England Governor Mark Carney last month at Winchester Cathedral, where the novelist was laid to rest 200 years ago.

The Hampshire city — population 45,000 — enjoys standout access to coast and countryside. London is 67 miles away via the M3, the West Country lies along the A303 and the Midlands is via the A34. Southampton, Lymington and the coast are down the M27 while Southampton airport, with 40 destinations in western Europe, is just seven minutes away by train from Winchester station.

Annual rail commuters pay £4,952 for a journey of 58 minutes into London Waterloo. It’s a commute that Lucian Cook, director of residential research at Savills, has done since 2007. “Choosing where to live is a three-way trade-off between lifestyle, house prices and travel times,” says Cook, a regular on the 06.48 train.

“Winchester and surrounding villages have good-quality housing stock and easy access to London, with the Test Valley one way and the South Downs the other. The city itself has good retail, improving cultural choices and a strong sense of community.

“There’s golf, fishing and good cycling with sailing not too far away on the Solent. I play cricket and Hampshire, I believe, has the highest number of cricket clubs in the UK.”

If location and lifestyle are major pluses for Winchester it’s the city’s schooling that seals the deal for families, says Cook.

The quality of state and private schools across all ages in and around Winchester is outstanding. Winchester College is the UK’s longest-operating school, while Peter Symonds College, for sixth formers, has a golden reputation.

“London is certainly the driving force of the Winchester market,” agrees Steven Moore of Savills Winchester. “We are seeing three times the numbers of London buyers moving here as 20 years ago.

Property prices for prime homes an easy walk from the station have risen six per cent in the past year, with outlying villages and towns like Alresford and Stockbridge on the Test River also popular.”

Victorian and Edwardian terrace houses in Hyde, popular for its strong community, top-rated primary schools, parks and easy access to the leisure centre, start from £550,000 for a three-bedroom home. “Hyde is five minutes’ walk north from Winchester centre, close to the station and has good sports facilities including cricket pitches and tennis courts,” says Moore.

In Hyde, Belgarum estate agents has a two-bedroom duplex flat in a Grade II-listed building for £300,000, and an Edwardian semi with garden, two bedrooms and potential to convert the attic into a third bedroom, for £700,000.

Oram’s Arbour is a large park west of the centre, in another family-friendly community with good schools. There’s easy access to the M3 and the station is a 10-minute walk. A four-bedroom townhouse, Grade II listed with an industrial-chic open-plan kitchen, big Georgian windows and 2,000sq ft of space, is £1.55 million through Savills. It has both off-street parking and residents spaces. Nearby, Winkworth has a two-bedroom end-of-terrace house with a pretty cottage garden for £525,000.

Winchester has few lateral living opportunities, acknowledges Savills’ Steven Moore — a problem for buyers hoping to downsize. However, a good lock-and-leave option in the centre with cathedral views but no parking or lift is a small development of four flats with two or three bedrooms in Southgate Street. From £465,000 through Savills.