Berwick-upon-Tweed: house price bargains draw retirees

John Cridland, 58, and his wife, Denise, have recently completed a “mid-life MOT” — and moved to Berwick-upon-Tweed as a result.

Originally from the Home Counties, Cridland, who authored an independent review for the UK government of the state pension age, is a big believer in the idea that people in their late-50s should reassess where they want to live as they approach retirement.

He chose Berwick, England’s most northerly town, barely two miles from the border with Scotland, for its rich history and fabulous coastline. Its town centre railway station provides direct access to two capital cities — Edinburgh and London — allowing the Cridlands to pursue portfolio careers.

This little town has another feature that tempts southerners who visit the Northumberland coast for holidays to stay: the price of its property.

Few attractive seaside towns offer well-maintained Georgian or Victorian house for under £400,000. In Berwick, estate agents Rettie is selling a three-bedroom Georgian home for £225,000.

Retired people who visit the town “can’t believe the value for money”, says Andrew Aitchison of Aitchisons Property Centre. On Church Street, Edwin Thompson is selling a pretty two-bedroom terrace house for £182,500.

Prices are low for a reason. Berwick was once Scotland’s wealthiest port, changing hands between Scotland and England at least 13 times between 1174 and 1482. Its Walls, a system of bastions and ramparts, were built between 1558 and 1570 to keep out the Scots. Now they afford dog-walking locals and visiting holidaymakers superb views of the North Sea.

But Berwick is a small town with a rural hinterland and relatively low wages. Well-paid jobs are more likely to be found by commuting north to Edinburgh or south to Newcastle, each around 45 minutes away by train.

Some of Berwick’s residents are regular commuters — but there could be more, agents report. Edinburgh’s high property prices in particular ought to be offering Berwick more than a trickle of incomers to its top addresses, such as Ravensdowne with its handsome 18th-century houses and Castle Terrace, which has big detached Victorian villas.

Legally part of England since 1836, Berwick’s identity is ambiguous. “They feel in no-man’s-land,” says Aitchison. The local accent is Northumbrian to Scottish ears, and Scottish to the English. The postcode is Scottish and sports teams play in Scottish leagues. Yet Berwickers can only envy Scotland’s free university tuition and free healthcare for its elderly while bemoaning their own limited local hospital services.

“The majority of people in the past three years to whom we’ve sold larger houses have moved up from the south,” says Ed Seymour, sales manager at Edwin Thompson. A £500,000 three-bedroom terraced home on the outskirts of London can, he says, be traded in for a substantial house in the Berwick area.

On the town’s Quay Walls, with views over the Tweed bridges and the estuary, Rettie is marketing a Grade II-listed 17th-century townhouse with five bedrooms for £450,000. In Scremerston, Fine and Country is selling a four-bedroom home for just under £600,000. In Tweedmouth, the same agent is selling a six-bedroom Georgian home with coastal views for £950,000.

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After decades between 1970 and 2000 when prices in and around Berwick rose by 2-3 per cent annually, they accelerated over the next eight years by about 250 per cent, but then ground to a halt in the recession. Some lower-priced property is still at 2008 prices, or even a bit below, but characterful and higher-end houses have risen by up to 15 per cent.

“We’ve had record-breaking prices in Castle Terrace and Ravensdowne in the past 12 months,” says Amy Brown, an agent at Retties. She cites West Coates at 30 Castle Terrace and Springbank at 34 Castle Terrace, which both sold in 2018 for £835,000 and £820,000, respectively, and a Georgian townhouse at 76 Ravensdowne which went for £610,000.

Some who love Berwick are happy to keep it secret but wider recognition could bring investment and job opportunities and fuller use of assets such as its barracks, formerly the home of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers. “There’s huge potential in Berwick,” says former regimental secretary Ed Swales, a security consultant and local resident.

But, as Seymour says: “We are right on the edge of everything.” Where once Berwick made waves, now it has to catch the ripples.

Buying guide

• Berwick is 56 miles from Edinburgh and 345 miles from London. The fastest direct trains take, respectively, 41 minutes and three hours 35 minutes
• Berwick-upon-Tweed parish has 298 listed buildings, according to Historic England
• Tourism is an economic driver for Northumberland, making up 11.8 per cent of the county’s economy and contributing £665m. In 2017 the county welcomed more than 10m visitors, an increase of 6 per cent on 2016

What you can buy for . . .

£99,000 A two -bedroom flat in the Old Corn Exchange
£350,000 A Grade II-listed three bedroom Georgian townhouse with views over the river Tweed and estuary
£825,000 A detached Victorian mansion with pool in 1.5 acres in Castle Terrace

More homes at propertylistings.ft.com

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