The comforting smell of potato pie wafts from the Meeting Place, a no-frills café situated in a corner of a once grand Victorian building. Inside, Lesley Bleasedale is ferrying steaming plates to waiting customers.
It's just past 10am on a Friday morning in Darwen, Lancashire, and you could be forgiven for not knowing much about this former cotton mill town. But its years of hiding behind the rolling West Pennine Moors may soon be over. The picturesque market town, home to 27,897 people, was recently named by Rightmove as one of its 10 "property price hotspots", with the average house price increasing by a hefty 6.9% in 2024.
Sitting at a still more than reasonable average of £177,000, it's become popular with first-time buyers hoping to snap up a bargain. Resident Natalie Banks, 39, says that while cheap homes may draw people in, it's the friendly people that make them stay.
"You go out on the moors and 25 strangers will say 'hi' and ask about your day. People are proud of their town and there will always be someone to help you if you ever need it," the communications manager says.
The quaint town of today pales in comparison to its peak at the start of the 20th century when the population had grown to over 40,000-strong.
It had grown from just 3,600 people a century before to become a beacon of British industry, pumping out leather, wool, cotton and coal until the local industries collapsed with the global depression that followed the Second World War. By 1958, the cotton mills had closed down and the population had shrunk by more than 10,000.
Like many that swelled during the Industrial Revolution, the area struggled as Britain's imperial heyday came and went. Yet its property prices have now surged thanks in part to a £100million redevelopment, which local councillor Brian Taylor hopes will attract more families, while keeping Darwen's identity alive.
Work is already underway with the first phase of the revamp costing £6.5million which includes the demolition of the 117-year-old library and giving the town centre a much needed facelift.
Brian says: "Hopefully it will attract families into town because the more footfall we have the better for the shops and the stalls.
"But it is not just that. We stage music festivals, art exhibitions and events which excite and draw people into the town. This combined with more diversity in the kind of houses available in Darwen will hopefully attract more people to live in this beautiful area."
Andrew Boast, property expert and founder of SAM Conveyancing, believes Darwen is growing in popularity due to its proximity to the bigger nearby town of Blackburn.
"The rental market is strong, making it a good option for buy-to-let investors, but its long-term growth will depend on continued investment," he says.
Sweet shop owner Laura Jenkinson, 46, is certain her high street's independent retailers are crucial to Darwen's renaissance.
"We don't have a Costa or a Starbucks, but we have excellent local coffee shops," she says. "One of the other big things that has brought the house prices up is the community belt into Manchester which has in theory improved the train service, bringing people out of areas such as Bolton and Bury."
Andrew says price rises in areas such as Darwen are driven by the "ongoing demand for space" since the pandemic.
"There has been a shift in what buyers are prioritising and more people are looking for larger properties with gardens," he said.
"With the rise of remote working, many no longer feel tied to expensive city centres." He also added that a "shift" in the housing market is seeing prices in London and the South East stagnate or decline, with a surge in demand in more affordable regions.
This may explain why Skelmersdale, just 35 minutes down the road, is another unassuming town experiencing a property boom.
Prices in this former coal mining town situated next to the M58 climbed by 8.4% last year - the fourth biggest rise in the country.
Like Darwen, there are big development plans afoot. The council has announced a £150million regeneration plan including 650 new homes and a railway station, a refurbishment of its amphitheatre and library, and a plan to make Skelmersdale one of the greenest places in the UK.
Spearheading the changes is Mark Kitts, Managing Director of Tawd Valley Development. "Skelmersdale is a great, affordable place to live and well positioned for travel to Liverpool, Manchester and Preston," he says.
Andrew Boast agrees. "It's been overlooked in the past but is benefiting from new housing developments. With prices still relatively low, it could be a smart choice for those looking for a good return down the line," he says.
And Lancashire is not the only region with suburban areas experiencing a new wave of interest.
Top of the list is Sunbury-on-Thames in Surrey where property prices surged by 12.5%, followed by 9% rises in Bristol city centre and Swinton in Greater Manchester.
Estate agent sales director Frances Lowery, 27, believes the pandemic was a "game changer" for certain regions in unlocking new housing opportunities.
"An average terraced house in Lancashire would be around £70,000 to £80,000 but after the first lockdown we had a property boom where lots of people moved out and put their properties on the market," she says.
Leaf through Rightmove's statistics for the towns where property prices are rising the most and you find a host of towns in relatively cheap parts of the country.
Prices in the Northumbrian seaside town of North Shields climbed by an average of 6.9% last year, from £231,533 in 2023 to £247,479.
Some £20million of public and private sector investment has gone into the historic North Shields Fish Quay dating back to the 13th century.
"It's made it a much more desirable place to live and stands out as one of the strongest investment locations," Andrew added.
The revamp is due to be completed this year and includes 56 new homes aimed at first-time buyers and families. Ice cream shop owner Marcello Di Mascio, 54, says buyers from down south have flocked to the area and prefer North Shields to Newcastle just a few miles away.
He says: "There have been buying up here and are pushing the prices up. It's close to Newcastle city centre and close to the sea, so you get the best of both worlds."
Despite the regeneration, some locals believe the rest of the town still requires improvement. Local fishmonger Thomas Conway, 37, says: "Most of the businesses have shut down, the tapas bar has closed."
Meanwhile, florist Gurjeet Singh, 44, has doubts over whether there is really a property boom in the area. "I had a house here that I bought in 2008 for £115,000," he says. "I sold it in 2019 for the same price."
The figures below show the area, the average asking price in 2024, the average asking price in 2023, and the year-on-year price change
1: Sunbury-On-Thames, Surrey - £592,976 - £527,005 - +12.5%
2: Bristol City Centre, Bristol - £391,042 - £358,654 - +9.0%
3: Swinton, Greater Manchester - £264,081 - £242,303 - +9.0%
4: Skelmersdale, Lancashire - £154,004 - £142,058 - +8.4%
5: Gosforth, Newcastle Upon Tyne - £302,189 - £280,886 - +7.6%
6: Swansea, Wales - £208,709 - £194,439 - +7.3%
7: Merthyr Tydfil, South Glamorgan - £183,550 - £171,007 - +7.3%
8: Darwen, Lancashire - £177,631 - £166,179 - +6.9%
9: North Shields, Tyne & Wear - £247,479 - £231,533 - +6.9%
10: Glenrothes, Fife - £155,240 - £145,337 - +6.8%
Merthyr Tydfil also made Rightmove's list with prices climbing from an average of £171,007 in 2023 to £183,550 in 2024, some 7.3%.
Known as the "iron capital of the world", the once prosperous town lying 23 miles from Cariff thrived during the 19th century. In 1801 a population of 7,700 was recorded but this rocketed to 91,000 by 1911, establishing Merthyr as by far the largest town in Wales.
It was affluent until the 1850s when new manufacturing processes demanding purer iron ore saw it lose its mantle. Cyfarthfa Ironworks then officially closed its doors in 1919.
By 1932, more than 80 per cent of men were unemployed and 27,000 people emigrated from Merthyr in the 1920s and 1930s. Now just 58,000 live in Merthyr.
Today, despite it being one of the most affordable locations in the UK, residents fear they are being priced out. Haystack café manager Kealy Stewart and her fiancé recently bought a house in the sought after area of Heolgerrig. They were forced to up their budget from £180,000 to £200,000.
She says: "Residents are struggling to get jobs, people here don't have £40k sitting in their bank to buy those houses. The town itself is forgotten about."
Diana Pais, a supervisor at The Crown Inn and a University of South Wales student, says that while the town has its problems, there is "plenty to do" with the area having a "friendly, social atmosphere".
Independent councillor Geraint Thomas agrees as he sits in the Anchor Inn to a throng of friendly 'hellos' and 'how are yous'.
"Most people who come in here, I know who they are," he says.
"In some of the cities that is gone and you don't know who your neighbours are. It is a different way of life." Cllr Thomas says he understands residents' concerns but supports more redevelopment.
"I can see a change that more people are coming here and I hope that when they do come to Merthyr that they get involved in our cultural roots," he says. "It would be a tragedy if we lost that."
