The latest full year of HM Land Registry data — covering all UK residential sales to the end of 2026 — is in, and the gap between the fastest-rising and fastest-falling parts of the country is stark. Across England and Wales, Slough led the risers with the median sold price up +5.3% on the year, while Blackburn With Darwen saw the steepest fall at -8%.
Biggest risers
The counties where the median sold price climbed most over the latest 12 months:
- Slough — median £395,000, +5.3% over the year
- Caerphilly — median £190,000, +4.7% over the year
- Brighton And Hove — median £415,000, +3.8% over the year
- Bridgend — median £217,500, +3.6% over the year
- Stoke-On-Trent — median £145,000, +3.6% over the year
Biggest fallers
And where it fell the most:
- Blackburn With Darwen — median £152,500, -8% over the year
- North East Lincolnshire — median £140,000, -6.7% over the year
- Darlington — median £150,000, -6.2% over the year
- Milton Keynes — median £325,000, -5.1% over the year
- Hartlepool — median £121,000, -4.7% over the year
What the numbers do — and don't — tell you
These figures track the median of prices actually paid, not a like-for-like index. A county can post a rise simply because the mix of what sold shifted — more new-builds, or more large detached homes — rather than because any given house gained value. So treat a single year's move as a signal to look closer, not a verdict. Each county page breaks the figure down by property type and postcode district, and shows how much new housing is being built, so you can see what's really driving it.