Todmorden is top of the house price league in Yorkshire

The town registered the biggest house price rise in Yorkshire over the past six months, seeing values climb by 3.89 per cent.

In August last year, the average price was £138,856 and it is now £144,263, showing a gain of £5,407,.

Hebden Bridge, meanwhile, saw a 2.58 per cent rise.

The second highest gain was in Cottingham, near Hull, which saw a 3.12 per cent uplift in property values. They now stand at an average £203,356. Holmfirth was third in the table with homes now worth 2.99 per cent more.

Lawrence Hall of Zoopla says: “When evaluating price growth in Yorkshire over the past six months, one would automatically assume properties in the cities have performed the best, but values in nine of the ten largest towns and cities have actually fallen since August 2014, with only Halifax bucking the trend with a 0.46 per cent increase.

“Instead, the strongest appreciation has been witnessed in the market town of Todmorden, where average prices have grown by almost four per cent. With typical values in the area hovering around the £144,000 mark, buyers can get plenty of bang for their buck and are within easy commutable distance of Leeds and Manchester as well as the likes of Halifax and Huddersfield.”

In Todmorden, Ben Turner, of Anthony J Turner estate agents, is not surprised by the Zoopla findings and attributes the town’s popularity to property portals.

“Over the last 15 years we have seen a massive leap in enquiries, before then it was Calderdale’s forgotten town. If buyers look on the internet for a property within 20 miles of Manchester, Todmorden comes up on the search.

“They see how much more they can get for their money here and it’s got a direct train to Manchester. The internet has put Todmorden on the map.”

Residents in Tod also have a 40 minute commute to Leeds by train and its prices are lower than fashionable Hebden Bridge.

“Todmorden has always been seen as the poor relation to Hebden Bridge and houses are up to 30 per cent cheaper here but the gap is closing, especially at the top end of the market,” says Ben.

Prices start at £75,000 for a terraced house, while in Hebden they start at £115,000. Cottages start at £125,000.

“It’s still affordable and best of all it has a great community spirit. Once people move here they tend to stay, which says a lot about the place. Hebden Bridge has a very transient population. There’s a four-year churn there, whereas Todmorden doesn’t have that turnover,” says Ben, who predicts an even brighter future. “I expect to see strong, steady growth in Todmorden and, as it gets better known, its desirability will increase. As far as I am concerned it is the pride of the Pennines.”