Does Blackpool Tower add extra selling power to your home?

According to a new study on the impact of major landmarks on local house prices, living close to the Tower appears to add four per cent to the value of your home, compared to similar properties not so close to it.

It suggests that if a property in close proximity to the 518 ft tall structure was valued at £137,434, a similar one further away in the town would be worth a more modest £131,632.

Each year this lofty tourist attraction, first opened to the public in 1894, is given the glamour treatment by one of Britain's most watched TV programmes, Strictly, with the Tower Ballroom also a mecca for ballroom dancers from across the globe.

Magazine Homedit, which produced the survey, says it is this special appeal which adds value to homes across the land, and in some cases it appears to make a huge difference.

Properties closer to the stately home Chatsworth near Bakewell, Derbyshire, are top of the list at an average of £635,996.67, compared to Bakewell’s area typical price of £409,397 – a significant 55 per cent increase of £226,599.

The Eden Project in Cornwall, famous for housing one of the world's largest indoors rainforests inside a giant bio-dome, appears to increase house prices by a handsome £103,190, or 49 per cent.

A similar pattern is repeated in the case of attractions such as the famous Roman baths in Bath, Durham Castle , Caernarfon Castle and a string of others across the country.

But does the study hold water as far as Blackpool's estate agents are concerned?

Brian Smith, front desk manager at Broomheads, Blackpool, is not convinced.

He said: "I have had tenants asking for views of the tower, so it does a pull to an extent.

"But it doesn't affect the actual value of houses for sale, as far as we have noticed.

"I can see it making a difference in cases such as Chatsworth and Durham, but many of those are in areas where the market is already more buoyant than central Blackpool at the moment."

The same survey does suggest that certain landmarks can take things the other way - adding a negative effect on house prices.

Top of this list is Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument close to Amesbury in Wiltshire, where homes nearby are on average worth around £120,000 less than those in the wider area - some 37 per cent lower.

Online Mortgage Advisor recently reported that where you live in the UK affects how quickly your home sells, but while location does make a difference, a number of different factors clearly need to be taken into account - even if you do live near to a major landmark.