IN the week Oxford was once again named the UK’s least affordable city, what more perfect illustration could there be?

Measuring just 16sq m, this single room is on sale as Oxfordshire’s smallest home.

The tiny apartment in Hertford Street, East Oxford, was for 40 years a well-loved gents’ hairdresser – a one-room salon with just two chairs.

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Now the ‘bijoux’ box has been transformed into a combined bedroom/ living room/ kitchen with a ‘wet room’ hidden behind a secret door.

And, remarkably for central Oxford, it even has its own driveway.

The developer who spent tens of thousands of pounds squeezing an entire home into one room – Oxford’s Robin Swailes – say it is ‘an ideal pied d’ terre for someone working in Oxford or for a first-time buyer wanting to start on the property ladder’.

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However, with the sofa turning into a double bed, it could also be the perfect home for a young couple.

The asking price for this remarkable room is a cool £125,000 making it the cheapest home in Oxford.

Just for comparison, if you took your money to the UK’s ‘most-affordable city’ – Stirling in Scotland – the same amount could get you a three-bedroom end-of-terrace house (with £5,000 leftover) or a ‘superbly-appointed’ two bedroom flat with views of Stirling Castle.

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Number 38b's former life as Dennis Pratley's gents' hairdressers.

Even in Swindon you could get a two-bedroom end-of-terrace for just £10,000 more.

Robin Swailes, the man who masterminded Oxfordshire’s smallest house, described his creation as ‘futuristic’.

He said: “The best things come in small packages and this is no exception.

“This is a small home with a big attitude and an inexpensive introduction to the Oxford property market.

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Number 38b's former life as Dennis Pratley's gents' hairdressers.

“The kitchen has been carefully designed to ensure the studio functions as a self-contained unit and has everything required for modern day living.”

The ‘wet room’ – accessed by a secret door designed to optimise the space – includes an integrated toilet and sink.

The wash-basin water is even reused in the toilet to cut waste, while the shower has an inset, fully-lit shelf.

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Mobile charging points are built into the bedside sockets and the ‘luxury’ electric blind can be closed at the touch of a button.

But the home also has a heartwarming story: in honour of the hairdresser who made number 38b his home for four decades and who passed away last year, Mr Swailes christened the flat ‘Dennis W Pratley’s Studio Apartment’.

Oxford was named as the UK’s least-affordable city again this week by the Lloyds Bank Affordable Cities Review.

The study found the average property price in the city is 11.5 times the average wage.

Nationally in 2017, the average price of a house in the UK was seven times the average annual household income.

For enquiries contact Stephen Gardiner at Andrews estate agents on 01865 396500.