What’s going for it? Dorchester-on-Thames is one of those English villages that get me all misty-eyed with patriotism, if only patriotism hadn’t been hijacked by the Kippers. Thanks to an illustrious history some time in the seventh century when it was, briefly, capital of Mercia, it carries itself with a certain grandeur. Its parish church is an abbey, it has the confidence to hold its own annual English Music Festival and the high street is lined with portly town houses, 17th-century mansions and cottages strewn with wisteria that give it the air of a place considerably bigger. These days, though, the stagecoaches, modern life and hullabaloo that must once have coursed through the place bypass it on the A4074 en route for Oxford. It is thus preserved as a kingdom unto itself, water on three sides, including the magnificent Hurst Water Meadow (it’s more Thames-on-Dorchester than Dorchester-on-Thames), a little utopia of untouched Englishness.

The case against Its glory days are long past. Not for lovers of fleshpots.

Well connected? Trains: Didcot is a 15-minute drive away, with regular trains to London (45 minutes). Driving: half an hour to Oxford, 20 minutes to the M40 or Abingdon.

Schools Primaries: hope you’re CofE. Dorchester’s St Birinus CofE is “good”, Ofsted says, as are nearby St Laurence CofE in Warborough, Long Wittenham CofE and Clifton Hampden CofE. Secondaries: “good” locals include Europa School, Wallingford School and, in Abingdon, Fitzharrys or John Mason.

Hang out at… The beer garden of the Fleur de Lys on a warm summer evening with a pint of foaming beer. Drooling at the very thought of it.

Where to buy It’s small as a dormouse, and just as cute, all soft thatch, half-timbered town houses and bow windows. It’s had walk-on parts in Poirot and Midsomer Murders (of course it has). So it’s hard to go wrong, as long as you have the cash. The outskirts offer sprawling former farmhouses and suburban Southforks for those who like such things. Large detacheds and town houses: £600,000-£1.2m. Detacheds and smaller town houses: £400,000-£600,000. Semis: £250,000-£450,000. Terraces and cottages: £250,000-£400,000.

Bargain of the week It’s hardly the picturesque English rural dream, but this four-bed 1960s town house has space aplenty: £475,000 with JP Knight, via rightmove.co.uk.

From the streets

Malcolm Airs “Hurst Water Meadow: bought by the village 20 years ago to save it from development, and a wonderful amenity for fishing, walking and wildlife.”

Rob Ballantyne “Three (!) pubs to choose from, which is pretty good for a small village. Gripes: not brilliantly connected by public transport.”

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