Camberley

CAMBERLEY Before the mid-19th century when the Royal Military Academy was established at Sandhurst, Camberley simply did not exist. Large houses with between 6 and 12 bedrooms were built for officers, with more modest developments and shops following between 1880 and 1910. At first there were two areas, Cambridge Town and York Town, named after the two dukes who had been heads of the academy. But when the mail kept going to the university town instead of the military one, the whole area was united under the single name, Camberley. Most of the largest old houses have gone, demolished to make way for new cul-de-sacs. Those that remain will set you back £600,000 to £800,000 for six bedrooms; a modern infill with five bedrooms costs £800,000. There are also some Victorian terraces, which you can buy into for around £295,000. One disadvantage of living in Camberley is traffic noise from the A30 and M3. Attractions include good high street shopping and the Main Square centre by the station, in addition to the Meadows shopping centre on the outskirts. The Camberley Theatre shows films in the auditorium and provides rehearsal space. There are good schools within reach.

For something more rural and desirable, you need to look west of Sandhurst to Eversley, where £400,000 will buy three bedrooms; or £895,000 will buy a period house with four bedrooms on half an acre.