And it turns out we’re not the only ones to be impressed. According to today’s Telegraph, the couple who recently scooped Britain’s biggest win on the EuroMillions Lottery, Nigel Page and Justine Laycock, have just moved in. 

It was on the market for £4 million – which will have left them with plenty of change from their £56 million jackpot.

Prime property prices in central London were up 3.2 per cent in February, says the Knight Frank report. Not since August 2007 has such a rise been seen. The gap is closing on pre credit crunch levels, as prices are now just 10 per cent lower than during the market peak of March 2008. 

And Knight Frank are seeing more and more cases of houses in the £5 million+ price band now even out-doing those of the March 2008 market peak. 

Liam Bailey, head of residential research at Knight Frank, says: “At the very top of the market we have begun to see increasing examples of properties hitting or exceeding peak prices again – the £5m-£10m sector is most effected by this new phenomena especially in Mayfair, Kensington, Holland Park and Knightsbridge where supply of excellent properties is very thin and buyers are increasingly willing to pay figures above guide prices to secure the right house.”

The market was kick-started again when low interest rates and the weak pound began attracting foreign buyers to prime central London in March 2008. The buyers kept coming, with 45 per cent of purchases costing £2 million or more coming from non-UK buyers over the last 12 months. 

Demand from Asian investors has risen 120 per cent in the last year. New-build properties along the river and into Canary Wharf have been attracting buyers from Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. 

And developers in the capital are building again. The rising prices and high demand are drawing niche developers back to Chelsea, Mayfair and Belgravia, after an absence of almost 18 months. There was 43 per cent more construction starting in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the second half of 2009.

1. Alfred Reynolds’ former residence

2. Contemporary home

3. Grand Parade, Bath

4. Twin rounded oast

5. Flat in Sir Norman Foster development

6. View from Park Lane

7. Interesting furniture

8. Former corn mill

9. Dorset home

10. Waterside home in Poole

It’s no secret that space usually comes at a premium, and more of a premium in some places than in others - that a million goes further up north than in London will shock no one.

But just how much further does it go?

We carried out some research into what £1 million can purchase in ten of the UK’s largest cities, and found that the difference could be up to triple the floor space. In the trade-off between location and space, where you choose to buy could mean you’re losing out on a not-to-be-sniffed-at 2,500 sq ft.

To get the most for your money, head to Liverpool, where you’ll find properties almost three times the size and £440 less expensive per sq ft than their counterparts in the capital.

House for sale in Liverpool, on the market for £999,500

London, of course, is the most expensive city, where you’ll find yourself paying two and a half times more per sq ft than you would across the border. In Glasgow, for approximately £250 per sq ft, you could find a spacious detatched house with between four and seven bedrooms, several reception rooms and a large garden, compared to the £690 per sq ft needed to buy a two-bed flat in London.

Is it worth it? Here’s what £1 million can buy you in ten of Britain’s largest cities:

London: In Kensington and Chelsea, £1 million will get you 1,443 sq ft – that’s a two/three bed flat in a Victorian terrace conversion – working out as £690 per sq/ft. In Hackney, you’ll get slightly more: a three-bed Georgian terraced house of 1,928 sq ft, costing you £518 per sq ft.

Bristol: A distant second on the list, Bristol will see you paying £344 less per sq ft for more than half the space again of a London property. You could find yourself a six-bed Georgian terraced house of 2,745 sq ft – that’s £346 per sq ft.

Birmingham: Your million will stretch slightly further here – it’s approximately £323 per sq ft, meaning you could find a house of 2,767 sq ft.

Leeds: Not much difference in Leeds, where £1 million equals £322 per sq ft. A five-bed detatched new build of 2,950 sq ft could be yours for the money.

Manchester: A 3,154 sq ft, six-bed period house works out as £315 per sq ft.

Nottingham: Another six-bed offering, modern this time, and covering 3,344 sq ft, meaning you’d be paying £291 per sq ft.

Edinburgh: A six-bed Georgian detatched house of 3,666 sq ft – that’s £259 per sq ft.

Leicester: Only five bedrooms this time, but big ones: 3,950 sq ft of modern detatched house means £253 per sq ft.

Liverpool: At almost three times the space you’d get in London (4,004 sq ft), you’d be paying £250 per sq ft for a four-bed, modern detached house.

Glasgow: A five-bed period townhouse of 3,981 sq ft would cost £249 per sq ft.

It might only have three bedrooms, but it also has a helipad. That’s right. Driving in Cornwall is apparently very 2009, so for 2010 you’re going to have to shell out for a helicopter. Fabulous.

If you’re lucky enough to have your own helicopter (where is it at the moment – in your garage?), let’s have a look at what else you get with this home.

The main home (the Rectory) might only have three bedrooms, but you also get the Coach House which has a further four. This part of the property has been used for holiday lettings in the past.

The gardens, of which there are 4.6 acres, are lined with cherry trees, honeysuckle and wisteria – the perfect English country garden.

So, as long as your neighbours don’t mind that you may need your own flight path every now and again, this home is really rather lovely.

1. Flat within a famous dance studio

2. Floating home

3. Mill conversion

4. Former artist studio

5. Thunderbirds HQ look-a-like

6. Grand Designs home

7. State of the art

8. Riverside penthouse

9. Stunning view

10. Extravagent pool

And now, nominations in, votes counted, and hours of hard deliberation done, the results are in.

Find out which property bloggers have been crowned the winners here.

So, without further ado, and in no particular order, the shortlists are:

Best blog
Property Owl
Cognac Property
Agent’s Diary
The House Historian
Renter Girl

Best blog post
Agent’s Diary: Love actually – Wednesday
Douglas and Gordon: A joke’s a joke, but this one is wearing thin
Agent’s Diary: Cut and run – Friday
Cognac Property: Buy the house or the dog gets it
International Property Journal: How tall is the world’s tallest building

Newcomer
GoGreene
Property Addict
My Deco
London BrickWork
The House Historian

Users’ favourite blog
Renter Girl
The House Historian
The Rat and Mouse
Clutton Cox
Cognac Property

Voting for the Users’ favourite blog award is now open. Please place your vote below.

The poll closes at midnight on Sunday 31 January.

The winners of the Primelocation.com Blog Awards 2009 will be announced on Monday 1 February. Good luck!

1. Timber framed house

2. Former piano factory

3. Low built contemporary house

4. Nigel Daly restored home

5. David Chipperfield designed

6. Urban Splash build

7. Modern House property

8. Stanley Kubrick-esque

9. Charming farmhouse

10. Rennovation opportunity

Well, it appears that many of us have been unable to resist this bucolic promise. The insurance arm of the NFU revealed today that 70 per cent of those living in the country have city origins.

“The attractions of rural life are clear with almost 2.4 million Britons moving to the countryside alone over the past five years,” says Lindsay Sinclair of NFU Mutual.

Live the dream? TV presenters Nick Barratt and Melissa Porter

Programmes such as BBC2’s TV show Escape to the Country or ITV’s Live The Dream have worked hard on this, tracking down metropolitan dwellers ‘keen to find a quieter, less stressful’ lifestyle to film, all jollied along by presenters such as the ever-cheery Melissa Porter (pictured).

And it appears to be working. The NFU reveals that 30% of the ex-townies canvassed said ‘friendlier people’ and a ’stronger sense of community’ were the main reasons for their move along with a good place to raise children (37% of those canvassed), peace and quiet (64%), a better quality of life (53%), open spaces (48%) and closeness to nature (36%).

The survey also highlights the benefits of country living. Respondents were keen to point out just how they now talk to neighbours, visit local shops, go to the local pub and attend local meetings much more.

Also, NFU Mutual says its research shows rural people think urbanites moving to the country do try hard to integrate into rural communities – which goes against frequently-aired media comments about ‘city slickers’ irritating their new rural neighbours.