NEW figures reveal that Bisley was the most expensive area of the Stroud district in which to buy a house last year.

And these pictures from the Gloucestershire Camera Club show why the village - which is famously home to author

Jilly Cooper - is so popular.

Zoopla said the data highlights how localised the housing market across England and Wales is, with prices often reflecting the housing stock available in an area.

Data from the Office for National Statistics reveals that of the 27 council wards in Stroud, Bisley saw the highest median house price in 2021 at £555,000.

This was followed by Painswick and Upton (£467,500) and Amberley and Woodchester (£465,000).

By contrast, the cheapest parts of Stroud to purchase property were Stroud central, which had a median house price of £225,000, Farmhill and Paganhill (£232,000) and Cainscross (£238,000).

The median – the middle number in a series – is used to ensure the figures are not skewed by extreme highs or lows.

Meanwhile, the number of homes sold in Stroud rose from 1,711 in 2020 to 2,041 last year.

Of sales last year, seven per cent (152) were in Hardwicke – making it the busiest area for buyers.

At the other end of the scale, Randwick, Whiteshill and Ruscombe saw just 25 properties sold in 2021, earning it the title of quietest area of Stroud's property market.

Grainne Gilmore, head of research at Zoopla, said property values vary widely in large part because of the differing housing stock between areas – some neighbourhoods will have a higher number of five-bedroom detached homes, while others will be home to more flats and smaller properties.

But she said the difference between more and less expensive areas may start to narrow.

She added: "The demand for larger detached homes during the pandemic has pushed average values for houses higher over the last year, while price growth for flats has lagged.

"But there are signs that demand for flats in city centres is gaining momentum, so we could see faster rising prices in this part of the market."

The ONS figures also reveal the trendiest area – the one which saw the fastest growth in sales – in Stroud.

Of the four wards with at least 100 properties sold, Painswick and Upton saw 21 per cent more properties sold in 2021 than in 2020, followed by Stonehouse (- two per cent) and Hardwicke (-17 per cent).