The Cheshire village people are so desperate to live in they're begging homeowners to sell

On Stockton Heath's Walton Road, 12 houses built for 12 directors of the same company are among Cheshire's most sought-after properties.

The houses, nicknamed 'the twelve apostles' by local estate agents, are gargantuan semi-detached houses, painted white with handsome black timbers. They have hardly changed since they were built more than 130 years ago.

Many still have their original lead-lined windows, which shimmer playfully as they reflect the light, even on the dullest of days.

So desperate are people to live in such a village, that they have resorted to somewhat desperate measures.

Letters have been received by residents of Walton Road from house-hunters, urging residents to sell their houses to them, since the houses come up for sale so rarely.

Along this road, where handsome Edwardian red-brick semi's mirror their black-and-white counterparts across the street, these letters are as common a sight in letter boxes as red or blue leaflets weeks before an election.

One resident shared a letter. It is from a young couple, just returned from America, and desperate for one of these stunning houses.

"We are currently looking to buy a family home in your area," reads the letter, "but there's not much on the market at the moment. We wanted to drop you a note, just in case you're thinking of selling in the near future.

"We are first-time buyers, having recently moved back to the UK after working in America for the last five years. We are chain free, flexible on timing, and have a mortgage pre-approved with the necessary deposit in place."

As I wander down Walton Road, marvelling at some of Cheshire's most sought-after properties, a lady stops me. Linda Corcoran has lived in one of the 'twelve apostles' for more than 30 years.

"They were built by the same people who built Port Sunlight, for the 12 directors of Crosfields," she tells me. "There's a lane around the back, and every morning they'd be picked up by horse and carriage."

She continues: "I did have a letter asking if I would sell a few months back."

Further into the village at Adams Estate Agents, Stephen Musker tells me just how sought after these properties are.

Of the 'twelve apostles', he says: "They're very highly sought-after, everyone knows about them, and they very, very rarely come to market." He insists that the market is "really hot everywhere," but says that, "Often people tell me that if one of those came up they'd buy it."