The average house price in Oxford is now £304,467. That represents an increase of 388% compared with the average figure of £62,444 in 1986, the year before Inspector Morse first reached our screens. Over the same period, house prices across England rose 440% to £209,223, while the UK figure increased by 348% to £179,601.
Average house prices in Oxford are now 70% higher than the UK average. Twenty years ago, before Inspector Morse first aired, Oxford house prices were 56% higher than the national average.
Oxford third-most expensive town per square metre
Residential property in Oxford is the third-most expensive in the UK per square metre (psm), at £2,942 psm, behind London (£4,137) and St Albans (£3,008).
When the first episode of the Inspector Morse series aired on ITV on 6th January 1987, Oxford was ranked as the 59th most expensive town in the UK with an average house price of £62,444. It was the second most expensive town in Oxfordshire behind Henley-on-Thames (£98,047).
By 2006, Oxford had risen to the 44th most expensive town in the UK, with an average price of £304,467. Henley-on-Thames remained the most expensive town in Oxfordshire at £477,531.
Detached properties rise 536% in 20 years
Prices for detached and semi-detached properties in Oxford have risen faster than the rest of England over the past 20 years, with semi-detached houses experiencing the highest gain of 551%. Detached properties in Oxford have risen by 536% since 1986, compared with a 419% increase for England and 403% for the UK as a whole.
OX2 postcode most expensive in Oxford
The first ever episode of Inspector Morse was titled The Dead of Jericho and took its name from the historic part of Oxford which has become popular with commuters working in London. Jericho lies in the OX2 postcode area, which has the most expensive properties prices in the city (£481,235) and has experienced the largest increase in prices (604%) over the past 20 years in Oxford.
Martin Ellis, chief economist at Halifax, said:
"The premium between house prices in Oxford and the UK average has increased over the 20 years since Inspector Morse first appeared on our TV screens. The average price in Oxford is now 70% above the national average, compared with 56% back in 1986."
