ITV News At Ten’s Tom Bradbury’s quiet life in rural Hampshire town

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Born in Malta, Tom Bradby is a 55-year-old British journalist and novelist. He’s most commonly recognised for being the anchor of ITV’s News At Ten and was previously the Political Editor. Tom is married to Claudia Bradbury who is the daughter of Navy officer Vice-Admiral Hon. Sir Nicholas John Hill-Norton. She is a jewellery designer and married Tom in 1994 – they have three children – Jack, Louisa, and Sam. But where in Hampshire do they reside?

Tom Bradbury and his family reside in a charming country home estimated to be worth £1million in the rural village of Houghton in Hampshire.

Just under two hours from central London, Houghton in Hampshire is a small, rural, mainly linear village that broadly follows the chalk-stream River Test flowing north-south and is in the Test Valley district.

The River Test is internationally renowned for its fly fishing and most of the banks in and around the village are owned by either of the above estates or the Houghton Fishing Club. Earlier this year, the Test Valley was named in the Sunday Times Best places to live.

Houghton doesn’t actually have a huge amount of property, however surrounding villages are a picture postcard perfection of thatch, cob, flint and timber-frame.

There are nearly 50 listed buildings in the village, which include North Houghton Manor, Houghton Lodge, Houghton Manor House, All Saints Church, The Old Rectory, Bossington Mill, and Bossington House, as well as many smaller houses, the oldest of which dates back to the fifteenth century.

Nearly a fifth of the houses in the village are listed, and most of the village falls within a conservation area, designated in 1990.

The village has a pub, The Boot Inn, with a garden running down to the banks of the River Test. However, there is no village shop or school.

For those interested in buying property here, house prices are relatively on the expensive side.

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According to Rightmove, properties in Houghton had an overall average house price of £1,060,000 over the last year.

The majority of sales in Houghton during the last year were detached properties, selling for an average price of £1,350,000. Semi-detached properties sold for an average of £480,000.

Overall, sold prices in Houghton over the last year were two percent down on the previous year and one percent up on the 2019 peak of £1,045,500.

For those who live in Houghton, their nearest town is Stockbridge, just under two miles north-east. This town has seen buyers flock to the million-pound homes in the area.

From the colourful houses with their thatched roofs to the stream running through the centre of the high street, it is easy to see why it attracts visitors. But there is more to the town than a pretty facade.

As a small town with a population of just 562 according to the 2011 census, it is hardly going to be a shopping haven filled with chain stores. But that is part of the attraction to Stockbridge.

The high street is lined with boutique shops selling womenswear and delicate jewellery, and as the home of the oldest fishing club in England, the town has plenty of fishing equipment for sale.

Most of the town is taken up by independent shops, with prices that are typically higher than your average. But the shops also offer a unique take on fashion with original designs that you won’t pick up in high street stores.

The town is also awash with cafes and restaurants, serving Italian cuisine, freshly baked pastries and English pub food. 

As well as the blend of old and modern shops, there is also a nod to the village’s literary history with a trail of 10 poems throughout the town centre that tell the story of the authors inspired by the area.

It’s not just what is sold in Stockbridge, but also the appearance of the area. The colourful shops and houses along the high street are worlds away from the modern housing estates that have been built up around many areas of the county.

A short drive from the centre will take you to the Stockbridge Downs where you can explore the wildlife and history walk. Offering views of Andover and Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, the countryside surroundings in Stockbridge is surely why it is so popular.

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