With the Christmas season upon us, estate and lettings agent, Barrows and Forrester, reveals that the most valuable home to feature in a popular Christmas film or TV show belongs to the glamorous Edina Monsoon, although even Del Boy is sitting on nearly half a million pounds worth of property.  Over the festive period, families and friends will be gathering around the gogglebox to watch and rewatch all of the classic festive films and TV specials. One universal theme that spans almost all of these films is the idea of ‘home’, often portrayed as a cosy, fire-lit festive paradise of fairy lights, mince pies, and mountains of presents under the tree.  Barrows & Forrester has taken a look at some of the most famous homes from our Christmas TV and film favourites, to reveal which, in today’s market, is the most valuable.  Edina Monsoon’s townhouse in Absolutely Fabulous – Holland Park, London – £3.3m The most valuable home on the list is Edina Monsoon’s Holland Park townhouse from the classic British sitcom, Absolutely Fabulous, which has given us numerous Christmas specials over the years.  The average price for a property in London’s Holland Park area is just over £1.2m, but the average price of a townhouse like Edina’s is closer to £3.3m. Sherlock Holmes’ apartment – Baker Street, London – £2.7m  Just across town from Edina’s place is one of the most famous addresses in the world, home to one of the most well-loved detectives to ever grace the page or screen.   221b Baker Street in London’s NW1 is, of course, home to Sherlock Holmes, but the owner of the property is actually his loyal friend and landlady, Mrs Hudson. Today, the average price of a property in NW1 is £858,000, but the average for terraced property like Sherlock’s is estimated to be £2.7m.  McCallister family home in Home Alone – Chicago suburbs – £1.8m On the other side of the Atlantic, we find the generous McCallister family home in which young Kevin finds himself all on his own and under threat from dastardly burglars in the all-time Christmas classic, Home Alone. The large detached house is located in the Chicago suburbs and estimated to be worth around £1.8m. Buddy’s dad’s apartment in Elf – Manhattan, New York City – £1.3m When Buddy, the oversized Elf from Will Ferrell’s modern Christmas classic Elf, leaves the North Pole to track down his dad in Manhattan, New York City, he finds him living in a salubrious apartment overlooking Central Park. Today, this impressive home is estimated to be worth £1.3m.  Bridget Jones – Borough Market flat, London – £878,000 Unlucky in love but lucky in property investment, Bridget Jones lives in a one-bed flat in London’s popular Borough Market. The home has an estimated value of £878,000.  Will Freeman’s bachelor pad in About A Boy – East London – £859,000 In About a Boy, Hugh Grant plays the wealthy but bored Will Freeman and lives in a bachelor pad in London’s EC1 purchased with his dad’s music royalty money. It’s worth an estimated value of £859,000.  Iris’s cottage in The Holiday – Surrey – £719,000 The almost comically picturesque Surrey cottage owned by Kate Winslet’s character, Iris, in The Holiday has a modern value of £719,000. In the film, it’s Cameron Diaz’s Amanda who spends most of the time in the cottage. Dursley Family home in Harry Potter – Bracknell – £435,000 4 Privet Drive, home to the Dursley Family and a young, mistreated Harry Potter before he was aware of his wizarding powers, is thought to be located in Bracknell and therefore has a modern value of £435,000. Del Boy’s flat in Only Fools And Horses – Peckham – £423,000 Del Boy’s flat in Nelson Mandela House, Peckham, which he shares with Grandad and then Uncle Albert, is worth £423,000 on today’s market which Del would no doubt think is lovely jubbly. Gwen’s home in Gavin & Stacey – Barry – £199,000 Finally, the most affordable Christmas house is that belonging to the titular Stacey and her mum, Gwen, in Gavin & Stacey. Located in Barry in South Wales, the terraced home has an estimated value of £199,000. Data tablesData tables and sources can be viewed online, here. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Job security is the single most important aspect for workers in the UK when it comes to remaining in work roles, according to a recent survey by worker advocates Acas. The survey revealed that job security beat out development opportunities and even effective leadership, with 43% of workers naming it an important part of their existing role. There are two main elements that render a career path ‘secure’ or not: skills involved, and demand experienced. Typically, you will enjoy a long and lucrative career for specialising in a core skill that will always be needed, whether bricklaying or conflict resolution. With this in mind, then, what makes construction one of the best industries for job security, in which you can foster a steady career? Demand The construction sector is one of the safest in which to cultivate a career, for a number of reasons – the most crucial of which is perhaps the sheer demand it enjoys. Whether commercial premises, landscape architecture or simply the development of new build housing, construction companies are nothing short of necessary for the continued development of vital infrastructure. Therefore, if you’re looking for a role with excellent job security, as well as a consistent pipeline of varying work projects, construction could be a great industry for you to get into. Wide range of career options The construction sector is a wide church, with roles to suit all skills and abilities. The boots on the ground, so to speak, are skilled workers that understand essential building techniques and processes. The construction manager’s job description is that of a delegator-in-chief, picking up people- and time-management skills in order to oversee the timely, safe and proper completion of a given project. However, this list is not exhaustive and is a job well-suited to anyone who enjoys keeping busy whilst juggling a variety of responsibilities. Constructions also need financing, and those finances need managing – meaning roles for development managers and accountants alike, to say nothing of the myriad administrative roles that stitch complex builds together. Every part is important, and high demand for bespoke skills makes the industry especially safe to build a career within. Construction is a constantly growing industry and one which offers great job security. If its of interest for you to enjoy a varied work role in a busy working environment, then investigate what construction could offer for you. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals