Every corner of Britain has an extraordinary wealth of ancient folk tales, but few as fascinating as the tale of Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst.

According to local lore, this pair of conjoined twins were born in 1100, joined both at the hip and at the shoulder. Not only did they survive to the age of 34 — surely an impressive feat for those living in the 12th century — but they also became well known, dubbed the 'Biddenden Maids' after the name of the village in which they were born, and where today the beautiful Vane Court is for sale. Its history doesn't go back quite as far as the days of the Biddenden Maids, but it's not far off: this seven-bedroom home in five acres of lands dates to 1419.

Mary and Eliza might easily have been lost to history had it not been for their generosity. Upon their deaths in 1134, they bequeathed five plots of land to the village, which became known as the ‘Bread and Cheese Lands’. The income from these parcels of land went on to provide food and drink to those in need every Easter, a tradition that continues in some form to the less fortunate residents of Biddenden to this very day.

The rich tradition of providing sanctuary to those in need seems to have made Biddenden an attractive place to live, especially to those in exile. Sir John Kotelawala was once Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon) and, upon his electoral defeat in 1956, retired from politics and moved to the village in self-imposed exile.

An exile that was slightly less ‘self-imposed’ was that of Prajadhipok, otherwise known as Rama VII, King of Thailand (then known as Siam). After his abdication in 1935, Rama VII moved to the UK — first to Surrey and then, in 1937, to Vane Court, believed to be the oldest house in the village.

Now on the market with the Cranbrook and East Kent office of Savills for £5.5 million, the property could rightly be considered as being fit for a king. Rama VII and his wife, Queen Rambai Barni, were said to be extremely happy in the village, and were often seen ‘out and about’ on their bicycles and attending village fêtes.

But Rama VII could have been forgiven for staying at home, such is the beauty of Vane Court, itself described by Pevsner as ‘the only house in Biddenden of the Wealden type’ and now listed Grade II*.

The house actually came on to the market just over a couple of years ago, in September 2023, and was a victim of hugely unfortunate timing: that was the month that Britain's economy and housing market was sent spinning by the shortest-serving prime minister and chancellor the country has ever seen. Two years on, the property has been split into the house and gardens for £3.95 million, plus 62 further acres of land, which available by separate negotiation. The whole estate is priced at £5.5 million.

With seven bedrooms in total, Vane Court is today a stylishly presented family home with a raft of restored period features and elegant formal gardens surrounding the property. Though its oldest parts date back over 600 years there are some more recent additions in a home set over three floors with a central open courtyard space.

Upon entering the ground floor, visitors are greeted by the original entrance hall, as well as an oak staircase leading up to the bedrooms.

A sitting room is immediately to your right and the rest of the reception rooms flow to the left: first the dining room, then the kitchen/breakfast room and, finally, the family room, boot room and study completing the ‘C’ shape.

Upstairs, the seven bedrooms are laid out over two floors, with the master (The King’s) bedroom on the top floor — supposedly because of the royal custom that no head in the house could be higher than his.

As well as beautifully presented gardens and further paddocks that extend to some 67 acres, the gardens and grounds also feature a heated swimming pool and a tennis court, as well as a range of ancillary outbuildings and barns that could be converted, with the necessary consents.

A particular highlight is the water garden, known as The King’s Pond.

Vane Court is for sale via Savills for £5.5 million — see more pictures and details.

When the Edwardian professional classes went house-hunting beyond the suburbs, they sought what Mark Rimell of Strutt & Parker’s country-house department describes as ‘their very own Howards End’, referencing the 1910 novel by E. M. Forster. That is ‘[country homes] close to a railway station with trains into the city’. As a result, the countryside surrounding London and other large cities is peppered with Edwardian country houses that typically feature landscaped gardens and high boundary hedges, providing a secluded retreat.

Rignalls, sitting a mile outside the Buckinghamshire village of Great Missenden and launched on the market at a guide price of £4.5 million, is one such example. And a very fine example it is too.

Designed by the architect Charles Holden in the early days of his career, the house is influenced by the Arts-and-Crafts Movement, although Holden later performed something of a design U-turn by going on to champion a more unadorned style, free of ‘unnecessary’ decorative detailing.

Among his later and better-known works are several stations along the London Underground and the University of London’s Senate House in Bloomsbury (which some described as Stalinist when it was first unveiled).

Externally, the house is typical of the Arts-and-Crafts style, boasting high ceilings and much natural light, as well as steeply pitched roofs and decorative chimneys. Reportedly, the acoustics in the impressive double-height reception hall are so good that Sir Felix’s wife, Augusta, an opera singer, would perform from the galleried landing to guests below.

The house was commissioned in 1909 by Sir Felix Semon. He was a German-British pioneer in neurobiology and a prominent throat-and-speech specialist who had been appointed Physician Extraordinary to Edward VII in 1901 and helped a 23-year-old Winston Churchill overcome his lisp when in the military. In his biography, he is quoted as saying, after the first appointment with the future prime minister: ‘I have just seen the most extraordinary young man I have ever met.’

An interesting further chapter in the house’s history opened up during the Second World War, when Rignalls was occupied by a member of the free French government, the base of which, until the reconquest of North Africa in November 1942, was in St James’s, London SW1 — easy to reach by catching one of the frequent services from Great Missenden station to London Marylebone (today, the journey can take only about 40 minutes).

Rignalls, which stands in about 10¼ acres, was last on the market in 2016, when it was advertised as in need of modernisation. The present owners have undertaken a substantial programme of renovation and restoration to return the property to its original state. The work was carried out by architect Keyvan Lankarani and historical-decorating specialist Patrick Baty.

The principal rooms all face south, overlooking the terraced gardens with glorious views of the Chiltern Hills beyond. This outlook is even more impressive on the first floor, where the main bedroom suite is located, alongside three further bedrooms. The second floor, where there are three more bedrooms, could be used as a self-contained flat.

As part of the original project, Holden commissioned Gertrude Jekyll to design the garden, the drawings for which are now archived at the University of California, Berkeley, US. Although many of her original layouts for country-house gardens have been lost, those at Rignalls have been faithfully restored by landscape designer Todd Longstaffe-Gowan.

The gardens lie predominantly to the south of the house, below a Yorkstone terrace with wide, brick steps leading down to the lawn surrounded by colourful shrubbery. There is a separate timber garage building, recently built, as well as stables, an outbuilding and mature woodland.

Rignalls is for sale via Savills — see more pictures and details.

Even for someone who grew up in the US, places like Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Malibu and Hollywood retained a kind of mythical status. I knew that they were famous places where famous people lived, but I didn’t know why. But now I know why. Because they are very nice places to live.

If any evidence were needed, then look no further than 722 North Maple Drive, where Gary Gold, which is a tremendous name for a Beverly Hills estate agent, has this glorious property for sale for the very reasonable price of $26 million.

The property is the former home of supermodel Christina Estrada, and was brought to our attention as ‘Beverly Hills’ Prettiest Mansion’. It offers 9,000sq ft of living space, five bedrooms and eight bathrooms. The home is sold fully furnished, which is nice.

Dating from the 1930s, the mansion wouldn’t look out of place in Italy. Plenty of the decoration and features throughout the two-floors are distinctly ‘Old World’, featuring columns, archways, beamed ceilings and clever plasterwork.

But, as befits a $26 million home, there are plenty of modern comforts included, such as the fantastic kitchen, and bathrooms. The primary bedroom suite is a real highlight of the property and, unsurprisingly considering its owner, features a very large walk-in wardrobe.

Outside, the property offers a spacious garden area, featuring a stylish pool, manicured lawns and tall hedges for added privacy. Los Angeles is the type of city where it’s nice to spend all year outside, and 722 North Maple Drive has plenty of opportunities to take advantage, and even a covered loggia on those rare cloudy days.

Further amenities included in the property are a separate guest house with two bedrooms and a five-car garage. The postcode is the famous 90210, with the property situated just off Sunset Boulevard. Truly how the other half live.

722 North Maple Drive is for sale for $26 million. You can view pictures and find out further information here.

Surrey — £3,250,000

Some 5,000sq ft of space is on offer at this grand country home dating back to the 16th century, with timber beams and enormous open fireplaces.

Perhaps best of all? The enormous country kitchen with stone floors, doors onto the terrace and a bottle green Aga.

For sale with Strutt & Parker. See more pictures and details for this property.

Buckinghamshire — £3,750,000

A seven-bedroom home in a pretty village not far from Aylesbury, with 22 acres of grounds that take in parkland, paddocks and formal areas.

For sale with Michael Graham. See more pictures and details for this property.

Surrey — £3,500,000

With direct access to Frensham Common, in the heart of the Surrey Hills near Farnham, this century-old Arts-and-Crafts home is a true haven from the world (it even has its own swimming lake), yet still just an hour from central London.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details for this property.

Surrey — £7,999,950

A Wentworth Estate home with all the shiny marble opulence you'd expect of some of the smartest (and biggest) homes in this part of the Home Counties.

The agents tell us that it has a 'Lutron HomeWorks lighting system' and a 'Crestron home automation', neither of which we'd ever heard of before, but we're imagning great things that may or may not stop short of a full-blown robotic AI butler. (Disclaimer: they almost certainly do stop short of including a robotic AI butler.)

For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details for this property.

Berkshire — £18,000,000

With a location 'on one of the country's most exclusive private roads', this yet-to-be-finished mansion near Sunningdale has everything from a Norwegian sauna to a State Drawing Room. Just as you'd hope at this price, of course.

For sale with Strutt & Parker. See more pictures and details for this property.

With global uncertainty still clouding the outlook for the country house market in 2025, leading agents expect demand to remain strongest in established local hotspots. That said, good houses in spectacular settings will continue to find buyers, whatever their location — and that leads us to the sale of Sandridge Park, which is on the market with Knight Frank for £6 million.

This imposing house is set in some 27 acres of gardens, parkland and woodland, 2½ miles from Melksham, a Wiltshire town just south of Chippenham, and an easy drive to the east from Bath.

The pristine 12,389sq ft Georgian-style house, which is unlisted, was built on Sandridge Hill between 1858 and 1860 by Ralph Ludlow Lopes, a successful barrister who was the High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1869. According to British History Online, Lopes’s grand new house replaced Lord Audley’s Sandridge Hill House, which previously stood on the site.

In the mid 1970s, the Lopes family decided to sell Sandridge Park, which stands in a sheltered south-facing spot on high ground with views towards the Vale of Pewsey, Salisbury Plain and the Mendip Hills. It was bought by Andrew Hoogeweegen, a former managing director of Heineken UK, who established the property as a venue for weddings, private parties and conferences.

In 2019, Sandridge Park was acquired by the present vendor, who embarked on an extensive refurbishment that included the addition of a new porch and entrance hall and saw Sandridge Park revert to its original status as a grand family home. And 'grand' really is the word: the furnishings, fittings and finish are all impeccable; this is a sort of Georgian fantasy mansion made real.

Immaculately presented throughout, the main house offers no fewer than seven impressive ground-floor reception rooms — reception hall, entrance hall, drawing room, dining room, library, sitting room and study — plus a vast bespoke kitchen and various utilities.

The first floor houses a luxurious principal bedroom suite and seven further double bedrooms, with bathrooms or shower rooms en suite.

Two further bright and spacious double bedrooms, both equipped with en-suite shower rooms, are located on the second floor. With fast-moving modern living in mind, the house has been re-wired with cat 6 cabling to each room run by a 50+ port matrix system. We're not even going to pretend to know what that means, but it's probably a really good thing, or the agents wouldn't have mentioned it.

Excellent secondary accommodation includes The Apartment, a two-bedroom annexe, and The Lodge, a self-contained, two-bedroom cottage.

Outbuildings include a workshop, gym and stores, and a new, four-bay garage with electric sectional doors, each bay pre-wired with charging stations for electric vehicles.

Sandridge Park is for sale at £6 million — see more details and pictures.

'An inspirational renaissance': The house and gardens of Sandridge Park

A historic house has been saved from ruin by sympathetic owners, who have mixed modern planting with tradition to create

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Devon — £4,950,000

The double-height main hall with vast stone fireplace sets the scene as you walk in to this place, a home which oozes old world atmosphere.

The setting is astonishingly beautiful: 114 acres of lush woodland, pristine gardens, and serene water features.

For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details for this property.

Hertfordshire — £2,000,000

This old mill house – the latest incarnation of a mill that has been here for 1,000 years — has been updated and renovated to turn it into a comfortable family home.

As it stands today it has six bedrooms, almost 5,000sq ft and a charming mill pond.

For sale with Michael Graham. See more pictures and details for this property.

Devon — £3,500,000

In the very heart of Exeter, a quite amazing opportunity in the shape of a 14-bedroom house.

Larkbeare House, which dates to 1862, has many Tudor-style elements, grand entertaining spaces and is close to the waterfront.

For sale with Strutt & Parker. See more pictures and details for this property.

London SW6 — £2,500,000

A four-bedroom flat in this riverside property brings a touch of country life to Fulham

There are wonderful views over the communal gardens and the River Thames, and a lease with a reassuringly enormous 872 years left on it.

For sale with Radstock Property. See more pictures and details for this property.

Cornwall — £1,500,000

A five-bedroom farmhouse in a pretty hamlet that's not far from Truro and St Austell.

The gardens — of which there are 12 acres — are gorgeous already but evidently have huge potential too, while indoors the place is the sort of dreamy country home you see on Instagram.

For sale with Jonathan Cunliffe. See more pictures and details for this property.

Cheshire — £15,000,000

A grand, modern mansion in an exclusive development near Alderley Edge that backs on to open countryside.

Inside, the fittings really have to be seen, with the agent calling it a house that has 'set a new benchmark in the area for quality and precision'.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details for this property.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Perched on the western slopes of Windwhistle Ridge in south Somerset, the serene medieval parish of Chaffcombe is bounded to the north by Knowle St Giles, to the east by Cudworth, to the south by Cricket St Thomas and to the west by the market town of Chard. Half a mile south of Chaffcombe village stands historic Avishays House set in rolling parkland that includes paddocks, woodland and five houses on the estate — including an ice house and a clock tower. It originally came to the market last autumn, and is now back up for sale via Symonds & Sampson with an asking price of £5.75 million.

The Grade II*-list Avishays is located centrally within its 90 acres, with the main house boasting 7,168sq ft of traditional family accommodation on two floors.

Its Georgian façade faces west, with views over lawns to the parkland beyond, but the main entrance is located in the original 17th-century wing to the east. Head in from that direction and you come to the house's magnificent centrepiece: a swirling, twisting double staircase so beautiful that we featured it last week in our look at properties with superb staircases.

Inside, well-designed interiors offer a seamless flow of rooms, including a galleried entrance hall, three main reception rooms, a study, large kitchen/breakfast room, master bedroom suite and six further bedrooms, five with their own bathroom.

An impressive leisure suite, comprising an indoor swimming pool, gym and sauna is accessed via a half landing on the back stair, while the grounds also include a tennis court and a lake.

In the early 1500s, the Avishays estate was held as a freehold under Chaffcombe manor before being sold in 1559 to John Browne of Frampton, Dorset. Several generations later, Robert Browne sold the estate in 1697 to his tenant, Elias Sealy of Chaffcombe.

Sealy was succeeded by his son, Samuel, whose daughter, Sarah, married James Marwood of Widworthy, Devon. Under her will, Avishays was to be held jointly by her four daughters as long as her only son, James, ‘continued insane’.

He died in 1811, after which Avishays passed to Sarah Bridget Marwood, whose great-nephew, William Elton, sold it to Edward Clarke, a Chard solicitor, in 1859. Thereafter, the property changed hands many times, before Savills facilitated its sale to the current owners in 2017.

According to A History of the County of Somerset Volume IV (1978), edited by R. W. Dunning, ‘the house is of brick with stone dressings and appears to be of the 18th century, but the east side of the main building incorporates part of an earlier 17th-century house which was re-fronted in the last years of the same century, when an eastern courtyard with coach house, stables and brew-house were laid out.

The courtyard was further enclosed on the north by a kitchen wing added in the earlier 18th century, and in 1745 the main range was extended southwards and doubled in depth by the addition of new principal rooms behind a symmetrical west front of seven bays. More service rooms were added to the north in the 19th century.

There is a large walled garden to the south-east, and on the hill to the east a small embattled structure of the 19th century, known as The Castle’ (now the Monmouth Clock Tower, listed Grade II). There is also the Ice House, similarly elegant of design.

To the rear of the house, the charming coach house provides guest accommodation and stables, with a further outbuilding converted into a separate games/snooker room.

Another coach house has been renovated to include a wine cellar and a secure garage for classic cars. If sold as a whole, the estate would include the additional land, some woodland and five other properties, namely the East, West and North lodges, plus two modern estate cottages.

Avishays is for sale at £5.75 million — see more pictures and details.

As an American boy of some 10 years of age, the idea of leaving New York City, flying across the Atlantic, and going to England was quite concerning. Even more concerning was the concept of boarding school, to which I was to be sent. This might shock you, but they don’t really have boarding schools in Manhattan.

I suppose the best way to prepare for such a shake up of a lifestyle is to do the required reading. One such book that I was given, which of course allayed every fear I had about the school system I was soon to be deposited in, was Tom Brown’s School Days. Definitely no nerves after reading that.

The author, Thomas Hughes, wrote that famous book while living in Uffington in Oxfordshire. Indeed, the very building in which he wrote it, Largo House, is for sale with John D Wood and Co for £1.95 million. Let’s dive in.

Designed by the architect George Street in the mid 19th century in the Victorian Gothic style, the property is set in the heart of the village, but set down a drive, providing plenty of peace and quiet with all the benefits of village living. The Fox and Hounds is a nice pub, I’ve been there.

Set over three floors, the property boasts six bedrooms and some 5,300sq ft of living space. It also comes with wraparound gardens with plenty of nice spots to sit in. It’s in a conservation area. Everything is very pretty in this part of the world.

Highlights of the interiors include (in my opinion) the kitchen, which has been sensitively remodelled to provide all the comforts a modern home could need, but stays in sync with the period features of the property.

Two other reception rooms on the ground floor are finely detailed and both feature open fireplaces. On the first floor are three bedrooms, with the other three on the second floor.

The principal bedroom suite features a dressing room, as well as a castellated balcony, which is always important so that you can pretend you are a king or a queen surveying your domain and laughing at your enemies.

Outside, the well maintained gardens are mostly set to lawn, with trees and borders providing privacy. There’s also an outbuilding that contains a garage, store room and studio — perhaps a spot where you could write a great novel.

Largo House is for sale with John D Wood & Co. for £1.95 million. For more information and pictures, click here.

Credit: Savills

With its own private chapel, Robert Adam's most northerly house is for sale with 308 acres

It was also the first house Adam built in Scotland after he returned from his Grand Tour and has been

A few weeks ago on the Country Life Podcast, we spoke to the travel writer Liz Schaffer about her recent trip around Britain. Which spot, we asked, would be your number one suggestion for a place to visit?

Her answer was the unspoilt corners of the Pembrokeshire. So it’s particularly lovely to see a magnificent home for sale in exactly one of these places: Lancych Mansion.

James Skudder of Country Living Group in Haverfordwest quotes a guide price of £1.5m for this magical mansion, which is to be found at Boncath in Pembrokeshire’s scenic Cych valley, halfway between the ancient Welsh borough of Newcastle Emlyn on the River Teifi and the coast at Cardigan, a 15-minute drive away.

Lancych Mansion was built in 1820 in the Regency Gothic, cottage-orné style for Walter Jones, a doctor and antiquarian, by Peter Frederick Robinson, who was well known for his designs of ornamental villas, although the east wing is the original farmhouse, which dates from about 1600.

Acquired in January 2021 as a renovation project by sisters Pamela and Helen Bath, the property has been sympathetically restored.

The main house, listed Grade II* by CADW, offers four gracious reception rooms, a large kitchen/breakfast room.

There are seven bedrooms and seven en-suite bathrooms.

The oldest part of the property houses a separate two-bedroom cottage, which can be closed off to use as a separate home, or incorporated into the main house.

The land — 15 acres — includes meadows, woodland and even an island in the river. It is ‘the ideal place, to walk, swim, fish or observe the myriad wildlife that calls the valley home,’ Mr Skudder says.

Lancych Mansion is for sale at £1.5m — see more details and pictures.

Have you been doing holidays all wrong for years?

Author and journalist Liz Schaffer joins the Country Life Podcast to talk about how 'Slow Travel' can help you make

What does a property need to fulfil your list of country house dreams? It's a question that all buyers have to ask themselves, no matter if they have a budget of £350,000 or £35 million.

Bayham Hall — which, at £3.6 million via John D Wood, sits between those two extremes — sheds an interesting light on the decisions to be made. This is a home which is as grand as it gets from the outside, as stylish and chic as you could wish for on the inside, prompting the agents to claim that it mixes a Downton Abbey exterior with a Soho House interior.

It's huge, too: almost 8,000sq ft of accommodation, with eight bedrooms (many of which can be configured for other use), spectacular, high-ceilinged living spaces, and a hallway with staircase that lends the place real grace and beauty.

Take the kitchen, for example. It was once the library, but now that space has become a huge, bright room at the heart of a house which blends the modern with period living in plentiful creative and practical ways.

The choices of art and decor are what give this Kent house its contemporary twist on classic country house accoutrements. Thus we have a Chesterfield sofa adorned with boldly patterned cushions, and a four-poster bed that is the antithesis of the heavy, dark timber, curtained four-poster you might expect when coming up the drive.

As well as all this grandeur within, Bayham Hall also has a fine rural setting in over five acres of grounds and gardens, while nearby Tunbridge Wells offers a town that both provides plenty in its own right, and also a fast rail service in to London.

The compromise? You don't get to call the whole place your own. The purchase price is for the freehold of the west wing of a mansion designed and built in the 1870s by David Brandon. You'll be able to impress friends by inviting them to come and see you down in the country, and they'll drive up to your door via a Downton-style driveway; but those grounds and gardens will be shared with others who live on this estate, and in other parts of the house.

For some that will be a deal breaker (they might to look at nearby homes such as this which offer space and privacy without that period drama grandeur). For others it'll probably be a boon, since isolation and worries about ground maintenance are two things which make some country house buyers think twice. Neither is an issue here.

So that puts the ball back in the buyers' court. Is this how and where you want to live? Is this a better choice for you than a similarly-priced Edwardian home in Cobham, or a terraced house in the heart of Edinburgh, for example? All that is up to you.

Bayham Hall is for sale at £3.6 million via John D Wood — see more pictures and details.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

It’s hard to imagine that the original builders of the medieval mill on the north-east corner of Jersey would one day have imagined it could be used in war. Still less, we’d imagine, would they have thought that one day it would not serve its function to the community, but instead be seen more as a delightful curio in the gardens of an exquisite house.

Then again, we doubt that they’d ever have dreamed that the mill would last seven centuries; and we’re sure they’d be delighted to see that it stands to this day, as part of a £10.995 million property for sale in St Martin via Hunt Estates.

The historic Rozel Mill dates back to the 14th century and, in more recent history, it was commandeered as a lookout point by the Germans during the Second World War.

It's not hard to see why, for the views are spectacular.

On the market for the first time in 40 years, Rozel Mill as it stands today is a handsome country property only minutes away from Rozel Harbour.

Its ground floor comprises a formal dining room and a 40ft orangery that includes a bespoke kitchen, a breakfast area, a living room and a cosy reading nook.

Upstairs, the primary suite and four further bedrooms are spread over the first and second floors.

The pretty gardens feature a terrace, jacuzzi and a wonderful dining terrace on the seaward side.

A separate two-bedroom cottage offers further accommodation.

For sale via Hunt Estates at £10.995m — see more details and pictures.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Northamptonshire — £1,500,000

Few things get us more excited than a house that was once a windmill. This exceptional example near Blakesley is one of the best we've seen, with seven bedrooms and 3,800sq ft of living space.

The current owners acquired the Grade II-listed windmill 26 years ago and have restored its fabric, preserved its original features, and created a divine family home.

For sale with Michael Graham. See more pictures and details for this property.

Bedfordshire — £1,300,000

In the heart of Bedfordshire, you'll find this five-bedroom Grade II-listed vicarage from the 17th century. Believed to be the oldest property in the village, it has been sensitively cared for and modernised in recent years.

The property also boasts a detached barn/outbuilding. Currently used as a leisure/entertainment space, it has bags of potential for further accommodation if required.

For sale with Michael Graham. See more pictures and details for this property.

Jersey — £14,925,000

An exceptional residence of some 18,700sq ft near St Savour on Jersey. Where to start. Nine bedrooms, hot-and-cold running everything, the finest contemporary fittings — you name it, this place has it.

A highlight, if we have to choose one, is the basement dining hall, which looks like the kind of place from which you would plot world domination.

For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details for this property.

Jersey — £17,000,000

Built in the early Georgian style, Maison du Coin is an elegant eight bedroom home with two acres of land and all the modern trimmings.

The gardens are elegant and formal, with vegetable beds, manicured lawns and impressive walls. The focal point is the magnificent pool area.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details for this property.

Buckinghamshire — £3,500,000

Have you ever got so frustrated at work that you've said you'll retire and join a monastery? Well at Burnham Abbey, you have that chance.

The Grade I-listed abbey and various outbuildings is ready to be transformed into a family home. All the pieces are in place, and it just needs a careful new owner to return it to life.

For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details for this property.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Some homes in Jersey are very evidently at the top end of the property market purely due to their size, and their location on a charming island with a low tax regime. Others, though, are clearly a cut above for one reason or another; and it’s one of these — Anne Port Farm, a £16 million joy on the island’s north-east side — which we look at today.

This granite-built home was erected in the 1970s in 16 acres of breathtakingly beautiful grounds which stretch across the entire expanse of Anne Port Bay. By Jersey standards, this is a big swathe of land, and the sale represents a rare opportunity to purchase a significant coastal estate on Jersey.

https://youtu.be/Ey2xA2BKUyg?si=pQDYlqwUMSkD6IHp

Eagle-eyed readers might recognise the house and interiors: this was the home of the late George Farrow, a property developer and investor who rose from humble beginnings to become one of Britain's biggest landlords.Rosebery's auctioned off his exquisite collection a few weeks ago; and his home itself is now for sale for the first time in half a century.

Accommodation includes a dining room and a drawing room, as well as a library and large kitchen, plus a 30ft extension.

An impressive marble staircase leads up to the principal bedroom suite and two guest suites. The entire second floor comprises one vast room, ideal for housing a collection.

Outside, the summer house sits adjacent to the terrace and there is a three-bedroom cottage.

As impressive as the buildings are, the setting is just as much of a draw. Mature gardens include woodland leading to a beach with a slipway from which, on clear days, the coastline of France can be seen.

For sale via Hunt Estates at £16 million — see more pictures and details.

Photo credits: Hunt Estates / Chris Giles Photography / Roseberys

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

2,500 years ago, Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians were destroying the Temple of Solomon. The Kingdom of Carthage was taking over the western Mediterranean. And in leafy Berkshire, a group of ancient Britons were busy building Bussock Camp, an ancient Iron Age hill fort in a stretch of land which has laid seemingly almost undisturbed ever since. We tend to think of Britain — and particularly the south-east — as busy to the point of teeming, yet here on the fringe of the commuter belt you can find an ancient site full of interest.

An ancient site, moreover, which is currently up for sale as part of the 170-acre Bussockwood estate, for which Matthew Allen of Fisher German in Banbury quotes a guide price of £8.9 million.

The Bussockwood estate — and the handsome mansion at its heart — sits in a private woodland setting in the hamlet of Snelsmore, on the edge of the Berkshire Downs and within the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, 2½ miles south of Chieveley.

Bussockwood has been owned since the 1950s by the Palmer family, descendants of Victorian biscuit manufacturers Huntley & Palmers, well-known as benefactors to society in Reading and the wider Berkshire region.

At the centre of the estate stands Grade II-listed Bussockwood House, a large Queen Anne-style house built in 1907 to the design of Mervyn Macartney, a leading Arts-and-Crafts architect who was a surveyor to St Paul’s Cathedral.

The main house — which we must point out needs modernisation, albeit not quite so much as the hill fort does — offers some 10,000sq ft of gracious, well-proportioned living space on three floors, including three main reception rooms, a study (the former billiard room) and a large kitchen/breakfast room.

There is a principal bedroom suite with garden views, eight further bedrooms and four bathrooms, with three additional rooms that could be converted to extra bathrooms.

An adjoining, three-bedroom flat can be accessed through the kitchen of the main house, with further accommodation provided by the three-bedroom Bussockwood Cottage, the converted coach house and two timber-frame Colt bungalows with paddocks.

The Bussockwood Estate is for sale at £8.9 million — see more pictures and details.

It’s always a pleasure to come across a genuinely historic country estate, the sort of place which has survived the upheavals of the 20th century to emerge resplendent in the 21st, thanks to sound long-term investment and upgrading by current owners.

Combe Court, in Surrey, is a perfect example — albeit one which has been pulled back from the brink, having at one point been converted into luxury apartments. You’d never know it to look at it today, however, and Crispin Holborow of Savills quotes a guide price of £18 million for this Grade II-listed, classic Victorian country house.

The place is set in 94½ acres of formal gardens, lakes, parkland and woodland in the heart of the Surrey Hills, two miles from the quintessentially English village of Chiddingfold, not far from Haslemere and Godalming.

The house stands on high ground overlooking its own grounds, with glorious southerly views over a wonderfully peaceful part of rural Surrey.

It’s a sprawling, beautiful building which offers more than 10,900sq ft of elegant, contemporary living space, including a grand vaulted reception hall.

The rest of the house takes in three main reception rooms, a study, a chapel (yes, really), utilities, cellars, and a kitchen/breakfast/family room which is vast. How cast? It's over 850 sq ft, roughly the same the floorspace of a modest three-bed semi.

There are principal and guest suites, with four en-suite bedrooms in the main house; but if you need more space, further accommodation is available in the detached coach house and two staff cottages.

The imposing main house and its stable block were both listed Grade II in 1983, following a reconstruction aftera 1970s fire, which saw the addition of a turret in the same Tudor Gothic style. In the late 1900s, it was owned by the music and film producer Tony Smith, best known for his association with the bands Genesis and Pink Floyd, who sold the estate to its present owners in 2008.

Improvements carried out under the present ownership include the renovation of the stables, the re-siting of the drive and the construction of the luxurious swimming-pool complex. Also in the pipeline is an application for planning and listed-building consent fora substantial three-storey extension.

Combe Court was built in 1850 by the Revd John Storer and acquired 10 years later by George Henry Pinckard, who ran the Clerical, Medical and General Life Assurance Company, founded by his uncle, from 1839–58 and remained a director of the company until his death in 1892. He died without a male heir, leaving the Combe estate to his nephew, John Coles, who changed his name to George Henry Pinckard in order to inherit.

During the First World War, the estate was let to the government on a 20-year lease, during which time it became a remount depot for the training of war horses and carriage mules.

At the start of the war, Britain’s equine army numbered 25,000 horses. However, many more would be needed and, in the first year of war alone, more than 460,000 horses held in private hands were compulsorily purchased by the army; many thousands more were imported from overseas.

At Combe Court, several of the horses and mules were trained by the owner’s daughters, the Misses Coral and Cherry Pinckard, before being shipped to the front, where an estimated eight million horses, mules and donkeys (from all sides) are said to have died during the four years of conflict.

Combe Court is for sale through Savills at £18m — see more details and pictures.

The ups and downs of the property market in 2023 have led to all sorts of headlines — not least in our Property Talk articles, which last week spoke of how the conditions for buyers 'are the best in years', according to agents.

But amid the talk of percentage price drops, number of days on the market and so on, in some areas of the market asking prices have changed considerably since the peak of the boom. Recently we wrote about the £3.5m discount Great Tangley Manor in Surrey; today, we take a look at one of Yorkshire's finest privately-owned homes: Studley Royal House.

It was back in the summer when the exquisite, Grade II*-listed Studley Royal House — near Ripon, North Yorkshire — came on the market. It was originally at a guide price of £8 million through Savills Country Department, but now is down to £6.25m, via the same agent.

Can a house with a mid-seven-figure price tag be called a bargain? Well, if ever that were the case then it probably is here. Studley Royal House offers a rare chance to enjoy the privacy and pleasure of a grand country estate with none of the bother, thanks to its location at the heart of the magnificent, 800-acre Studley Royal Deer Park, now owned by the National Trust.

North Yorkshire’s only World Heritage Site, the park is not only home to a large herd of fallow, red and sika deer, it also boasts famous 18th-century water gardens fed by the River Skell, which meanders past the atmospheric ruins of Fountains Abbey — a setting described by Christopher Hussey in his English Gardens and Landscapes 1700-1750 (1967) as ‘one of the most spectacular scenic compositions in England’.

Fountains Abbey was founded in 1132 and, by the mid 13th century, was one of the richest religious houses in the kingdom. Following the Dissolution, the abbey was sacked, before the buildings and more than 500 acres of land were sold to Richard Gresham, an MP and former Lord Mayor of London. He later sold them to Stephen Proctor, who further despoiled the abbey, using the stone to build the Elizabethan Fountains Hall.

In 1699, John Aislabie, an ambitious politician who was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1718, but expelled from Parliament in 1720 following the South Sea Bubble debacle, inherited the Studley Royal estate, where, for the rest of his life, he indulged his passion for landscape gardening. It was a passion shared by his son, William, who inherited the estate in 1742 and began extending the pleasure grounds into the eastern part of the Skell valley.

In 1760, having acquired the neighbouring Fountains estate from the Messenger family, he incorporated the dramatic abbey ruins into an extension of his father’s gardens. On William’s death, the estate passed through the female line to the Vyner family, who sold it to West Riding County Council in 1966.

In 1983, North Yorkshire County Council sold it to the National Trust, after which the entire park was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986.

The Aislabies’ house in the northern part of the park, which was home to Queen Ethelburga’s School during the Second World War, burned down in 1946 and was never rebuilt.

Instead, the splendid Georgian stable block, built for John Aislabie’s racehorses between 1728 and 1732, was converted into an elegant Palladian country house set in 2½ acres of private formal gardens on high ground overlooking the deer park towards Ripon Cathedral in the distance.

Built of stone under a slate roof with distinctive pavilion towers in each of the four corners, the pristine, 11,708sq ft house surrounds a central square courtyard overlooked by all the main rooms and dominated by the working clock tower.

For selling agent Crispin Holborow, ‘Studley Royal House combines the convenience of modern living with the ambience of a classic period house, and the added bonus of the right to use the Trust’s adjoining and neighbouring property’.

The house offers elegant accommodation on two floors, with six public rooms, including a magnificent drawing room, a ballroom, a study and library, a sumptuous master suite with two dressing rooms, a bathroom and a shower room, plus five further bedroom suites and a two-bedroom guest wing.

The private gardens to the west of the house are approached through a coach arch from the courtyard and are protected from deer by a gravelled walk that runs around the perimeter between hornbeam and yew hedges.

Stone steps lead down to a large Italian garden with meticulously maintained flowerbeds, privet hedges, clipped yew and extensive topiary.

Studley Royal House is for sale at a guide price of £6.25 million through Savills — see more details and pictures.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

The delightful, Grade II-listed Lynch House stands in 3¼ acres of lovely gardens and grounds in the village of Kensworth, eight miles from Harpenden and 11 miles from the cathedral city of St Albans, Hertfordshire. It is newly listed with the Savills at a guide price of £2.95m.

In 1927, a valuer from the former Ministry of Public Buildings and Works visited Lynch House — then owned by the trustees of Benjamin Bennett’s Kensworth estate — to carry out a valuation for rating purposes.

He summarised it as follows: ‘A real old Georgian House. Typical of its period. Slightly modernised but kitchen and attics very bad. Central Heating. No electric light. Charming front but small and old fashioned inside.’

Thankfully, things have improved since then.

From 1928 Lynch House was let out to a series of tenants, including retired diplomant Sir Walter Beaupré Townley (who'd served as British ambassador to Romania, Persia and the Netherlands) and one Brendan Bracken, a larger-than-life Irishman from Co Tipperary, who leased Lynch House from 1931.

Bracken served as a Conservative MP from 1929 until 1952, becoming Churchill’s Minister of Information from 1941 to 1945 at a time when the ministry employed Eileen Blair, first wife of Eric Arthur Blair, better known as George Orwell. The writer was himself working on propaganda for the BBC at the time, and many have speculated that Bracken and his policies were were a key inspiration for the novel 1984. He might even have inspired the name 'Big Brother' itself: Bracken was known throughout Whitehall as BB.

The Kensworth estate was split up and auctioned off in 1943, when Lynch House, by then in good order throughout, was sold with its pleasure grounds, described as ‘beautifully timbered and tastefully laid out with two kitchen gardens… the whole property screened from the road by a belt of coniferous and other trees’.

Since then, Lynch House has been owned by successive generations of the same family and is on the market for the first time in almost 80 years.

Although now in need of updating, the house has been re-plumbed, rewired and well maintained over the years. It offers traditional accommodation on two main floors, including four fine reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, a sitting room, six bedrooms and five bathrooms, with three versatile attic rooms on the second floor.

The sale includes the modernised, two-bedroom Lynch House Cottage in the courtyard behind the house, and a barn with potential for conversion to a games or entertaining area, subject to the usual consents.

Lynch House is listed with Savills at a guide price of £2.95m.

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Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

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Visiting one of the many homes run by the National Trust invariably leads to the same thought: what would it be like to actually live here?

Organisations like The Landmark Trust do a wonderful job of renting out restored stately homes, of course. But staying for a long weekend is a very different thing to taking the sort of house you’d see in a Jane Austen film adaptation and calling it home.

That exact opportunity, however, has arisen in Wiltshire, where Annabel Blackett of Strutt & Parker’s country department is handling the £2m sale of a 125-year lease, granted by the National Trust, on an important Georgian country house: the Grade II*-listed Philipps House.

The 125-year lease and £2m purchase price is just the start, though: Philipps House also needs complete renovation — start to do the sums and some of the other very pretty, perfectly liveable houses nearby might seem a better bet.

But that ignores the central point: Philipps House is an opportunity for a dreamer, someone who can’t believe that they could leave in such a magnificent stately home at the price of a four-bed Chiswick terrace.

The imposing stone mansion offers more than 38,000sq ft of living space on three floors, including an impressive staircase hall.

There are three state rooms and various family rooms on the ground floor, 11 double bedrooms and five bath/shower rooms on the first floor, with further bedrooms and store rooms on the second floor.

There is also more on offer than just the main house. The guide price of £2m includes not just the lease of Philipps House but also its courtyard of historic outbuildings, set in just under 4½ acres of gardens and surrounded by 200 acres of parkland maintained by the National Trust, within the West Wiltshire AONB.

Previously known as Dinton House, it stands on the edge of the sought-after village of Dinton, eight miles west of Salisbury, and was completed in 1821 for local landowner William Wyndham to the designs of Jeffry Wyatt, one of the most eminent architects of his day.

The house was occupied by successive generations of Wyndhams until the outbreak of the First World War, when they were forced to sell.

In 1917, it was bought by Bertram and Florence Philipps, who renamed it Philipps House and donated it to the National Trust in 1943.

The 125-year lease of Philipps House is for sale at £2m via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.

For millions of people the thought of a visit to the Isle of Wight conjures up images of childhood holidays, building sandcastles on the huge beaches, visiting the famously quirky museums and visiting spots such as Queen Victoria's Osborne House and Carisbrooke Castle.

And if you've ever thought of staying on a more permanent basis, one of the most astonishing privately-owned properties on the island is up for sale: Woodlands Vale, on the outskirts of Ryde, from where the hovercraft comes and goes to the mainland at Southsea.

It's a Grade II-listed, turreted mansion with incredible sea views, nestled within its own parkland, and is now for sale at £3,950,000 via Knight Frank.

Woodlands Vale was built in 1870 in the French Renaissance style for Lord Calthorpe, a Crimean War veteran and a close friend of Queen Victoria, who came to visit regularly.

As it stands today it's a nine-bedroom property that has seven bathrooms and five reception rooms.

Among these is the impressive Billiard Room, which once served as the conservatory, and has double-height ceilings and framed cupola.

The kitchen — designed by Plain English — has an AGA, a spacious central island and French doors which lead to the courtyard and gardens.

Views of the sea and the elegant gardens can be seen from every bedroom and the master suite has a spacious dressing room and two en suite bathrooms, one with its own balcony.

There is a spiral staircase that leads to the top of the turret, where some of the best views can be enjoyed.

The house is set in 30 acres of Grade II listed landscaped gardens, with croquet lawn, heated swimming pool and parkland.

The estate's boundaries stretch to the seafront and a private pathway leads from the house to the beach, providing direct access to the water.

Woodlands Vale is on the market for £3,950,000 with Knight Frank.

Credit: Winkworth

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Hampshire — £3,750,000

In a village near Alresford, a wonderful opportunity to own a country house — originally an 18th century rectory — within glorious grounds.

There are five bedrooms in the main house and two more in the annexe (which also houses an office and family room) as well as a walled courtyard garden and wonderful views across the Candover Valley.

For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details for this property.

Cornwall — £1,650,000

A wonderful 19th century home near the Pandora Inn with views over Restronguet Creek.

It's on the market for the first time in more than 20 years, with four bedrooms, over 3,000sq ft and a terrace from which you can look out across the water.

For sale with Jonathan Cunliffe. See more pictures and details for this property.

Hertfordshire — £2,000,000

An extraordinary medieval house which has grown with the centuries but still retained many of its original features — not least an incredible entrance hall and grounds which still have remnants of a moat.

Six bedrooms and sevn acres of land make this a grand country house, yet it's close to the town of Hitchin, with easy access to the A1 and a fast train service that gets to King's Cross in half an nour.

For sale with Michael Graham. See more pictures and details for this property.

Hampshire — £7,950,000

A spectacular amalgamation of old school charm and modern design in this mini-estate of 19 acres in the South Downs, a little to the east of Winchester.

There is everything from a golf simulator to stables included, with the main house alone having more than 10,000sq ft.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details for this property.

Suffolk — £3,800,000

If exposed brick and timber is your idea of a great country house, you've come to the right place: this five-bedroom home near Bury St Edmunds has more of both than we can remember seeing in years.

The gardens are a real highlight as well, with an outdoor pool, kitchen garden, greenhouse, a separate cottage and superb equestrian facilities.

For sale with Strutt & Parker. See more pictures and details for this property.

Warwickshire — £2,950,000

Sitting almost in the shadow of the village church, this is a seven-bedroom family house dating back a couple of hundred years.

There is a detached barn conversion, a plethora of other outbuildings and 30 acres of land — though it can be split in to lots.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details for this property.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

This expansive Thames-side mansion is seriously impressive at first glance. Step inside and things only get better. And then, when you see what lies behind the property, you realise that this is a truly special home. That's because this is one of just a handful of houses with access south west London's 'secret gardens', accessible via iron gates from its back garden. Secluded and hidden from view, the 12-acre green space known as the Pleasure Gardens is exclusively available for those who live in adjacent properties.

The property is in St Peters Road in St Margarets, directly across the Thames from Richmond, and is on the market for £15,000,000 via Knight Frank and Savills.

The double-fronted Jacobean revival style mansion is arranged over four floors with three reception rooms, six bedrooms, six bathrooms, and a host of leisure facilities, including a cinema room, gym, spa and swimming pool.

Frankly, though, you'll probably already be wowed into submission the moment you step in to the hallway.

It features a sweeping cantilevered marble staircase in the entrance hallway, a bar and wine cellar, plus five balconies and a roof terrace.

As for the aforementioned pool? It's truly stunning pool, an ind0or-outdoor masterpiece with glazed arches that can up at the touch of a button.

See what we mean? This is very special indeed.

The pièce de résistance however, must be the secret gardens, which include tennis courts, a lake and a magical Monet-inspired bridge. The private parkland offers a space for families and friends to relax, unwind and create lasting memories.

The site of the property originally had one house, completed in 1887, before a second adjoining home was added. The first property, named Ormonde Lodge, was built by two bachelors who won a fortune backing the horse ‘Ormonde’, the winner of the 1886 Derby, trained by John Porter.

In 1987 the two properties were combined, creating a unique home of vast proportions.

The handsome home sits in the desirable St Margaret’s area of South West London, which is walking distance of both Richmond and Twickenham town centres, and has excellent road and rail links both in to and out of London.

The property in St Peters Road, Richmond, is on the market for £15,000,000 via Knight Frank and Savills — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details. 

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Credit: Berkshire Hathaway

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Set in the heart of unspoilt Shropshire countryside, four miles from Oswestry and 22 miles from Shrewsbury, Grade II-listed Woodhill Park is described by the agents as ‘a glorious Georgian house standing in the privacy of a magnificent park and woodland estate’.

For sale for the first time since 1987 at a guide price of £4.5 million via Savills, the ring-fenced 156-acre estate has remained largely intact since the mellow red-brick house was first built in the early-to-mid 18th century.

The imposing Georgian house is said to be in good decorative order throughout. It offers 11,075sq ft of accommodation, including a spacious reception hall, four main reception rooms, a large kitchen, a study, 12 bedrooms and four bathrooms.

Outside, an Edwardian stable courtyard of two-storey stone stables has lapsed planning consent for conversion to two cottages.

Other estate buildings include a two-bedroom lodge, three cottages, a pair of unrestored semi-detached cottages, and a courtyard of farm buildings, including a clear-span modern building that could easily be converted to an indoor riding school.

Although altered and extended in Victorian times, the house remains true to its origins, having the beautifully balanced, well-lit rooms and fine decorative detail that is the hallmark of the Georgian era. The estate itself comprises mostly wooded parkland with a range of cottages and barns suitable for conversion to a variety of uses. According to Historic England, the park was laid out in 1806–07 and later extended.

Woodhill Park, better known as Woodhill, is said to have been built for Richard Jones, whose daughter and heiress, Elizabeth, married Lazarus Venables, scion of a prominent Welsh landowning family, in 1771. Venables greatly extended the house, moving the entrance front to its present position and altering the course of the road southwards away from the house.

Their son, Lazarus Jones Venables, made further alterations to the house and acquired more land. In doing so, he appears to have overspent and Woodhill was offered for sale in 1852.

The property was then sold to a member of the Lees family, who were baronets of Blackrock, Dublin. In about 1870, they further extended the house, adding a new billiard room and dining room. In the late 1800s, Woodhill was the seat of George Dumville Lees, who was twice master of the Tanatside Harriers and, as ‘Tantara’ George, was a well-known writer on hounds. He was killed in the hunting field in November 1906, when his horse tripped on some concealed barbed wire and landed on top of him.

The 20th century saw the removal of many of Woodhill’s Victorian additions. After the Second World War, the Woodhill estate, by then part of the Ormsby-Gore family’s Brogyntyn estate, was transferred to David Ormsby-Gore, who farmed the estates while also becoming MP for Oswestry and a minister in Harold Macmillian's government.

After John F. Kennedy was elected as US President, Ormsby-Gore was appointed British Ambassador to the US, serving from 1961 to 1965 — years which included the Cuban Missile Crisis. As well as distinguishing himself in incredibly trying times, he also developed a close friendship with the Kennedy family. Indeed, he was 'my father's closest friend,' according to JFK's daughter Caroline Kennedy.

Following the President’s assassination in 1963, he maintained close ties with Kennedy’s widow, Jackie, and her brother-in-law, Bobby Kennedy, both of whom stayed with him at Woodhill; he was also a pallbearer at Bobby's funeral after the assassination in 1968. That same year, and by now Lord Harlech, Ormsby-Gore proposed marriage to Jackie. She declined, marrying Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

Woodhill was sold with 93 acres in 1971 and, 16 years later, was again back on the market. Having sold Woodhill to its current owners in 1987, Tony Morris-Eyton of Savills is now fronting the campaign for ‘this exceptional small estate, which offers complete privacy in a truly glorious setting’.

Woodhill is for sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

When talking about A-listers in Scottish property, it’s generally a reference to the listed building system north of the border, which uses letters instead of the Roman numerals of the English system.

This time, though, it refers both to that and to a very different A-lister: the iconic rock star Bob Dylan, who is selling Aultmore House, the Highland retreat he’s owned for almost 20 years. Tom Stewart-Moore of Knight Frank in Edinburgh is handling the sale and seeks ‘offers over £3m’ for Category A-listed home.

The house sits in 24 acres of formal and walled gardens — which include a greenhouse they'd be proud of at Kew — as well as paddocks and woodland at Nethy Bridge in the heart of the Cairngorms, six miles from Grantown on Spey, 13 miles from Aviemore and 35 miles from Inverness.

Approached along a private, tree-lined drive, Aultmore House offers more than 18,000sq ft of elegant accommodation on three floors, including four grand reception rooms, 16 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.

The property features many elements and designs introduced by the original owner, including Adam-style fireplaces in the reception rooms, exquisite plasterwork on ceilings and archways and timber floors and facings throughout.

The wiring, heating and hot-water systems were upgraded in 2007–08, and, more recently, smoke alarms and emergency lighting have been installed.

Aultmore was bought by the legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and his brother, David, in 2006, before a further refurbishment of the house and its three cottages, which have been let over the years as a wedding and holiday venue.

Aultmore House was commissioned by Aberdonian industrialist Archibald Merrilees as the family’s summer residence and built between 1911 and 1915 to the designs of the eminent Edwardian architect C. H. B Quennell. Sadly, Merrilees died in 1917, having spent only one summer at Aultmore.

Sold after the war in 1922, the house was extended by the Nivinson family with the addition of a nursery wing on the north side. Aultmore remained in Nivinson family ownership until 1978, having served as a convalescent home during the Second World War.

It was later a finishing school for foreign students and an upmarket B&B, but gradually fell into disrepair before being sold in November 2000 and subsequently restored before Dylan bought it in 2006.

Aultmore House is for sale at ‘offers over £3m’ via Knight Frank — see more pictures and details.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

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The well-heeled county of Cheshire is blessed with many extraordinary and unashamedly extravagant homes, not least the extraordinary Ollerton Grange, whose appearance on the market we recently covered. Many of those mega-mansions are in and around Alderley Edge, which has been hugely popular among the superstars of the two big Manchester football clubs; David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo are among those who once called the area home.

Life is altogether more restrained in dreamy south Cheshire, where Will Whittaker of Strutt & Parker’s farms and estates team is handling the sale of Ash House, plus its 186 acres of land.

Ash House is being sold at a guide price of £5.1m for the estate as a whole, or in up to four lots, with a guide price of £2.95m quoted for the main house, its gardens and grounds, separate office, stables and paddocks, some 20 acres in all.

Located three miles from Bunbury and five miles from Nantwich, the estate is being sold on behalf of the executors of the late Sir John Barlow, who died, aged 88, in December last year. A gentleman of the old school, Sir John had something in common with the aforementioned footballers: as well as a former High Sheriff of the county, he was a keen horseman, polo player and successful amateur jockey in his younger days. He was later a popular steward at Aintree and Cheltenham.

According to Mr Whittaker, Sir John bought Ash House as a working farm with a relatively modest farmhouse in 1970. It operated as a tenanted farm until 1996, when Sir John moved there to live and embarked on a major renovation of the house and gardens.

The result was the present handsome, 7,852sq ft country house with six bedrooms and four reception rooms set in beautifully landscaped gardens and grounds

There is a separate office, garages and outbuildings, stables and paddocks, a large range of farm buildings, a semi-detached three-bedroom cottage and three lots of arable and pasture land.

Ash House is for sale at £5.1m for the estate as a whole, or in up to four lots, with a guide price of £2.95m quoted for the main house, gardens and grounds. See more pictures and details.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Credit: Alex Reay / Jackson-Stops

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England looks set to have two new Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in Cheshire and Yorkshire. Carla Passino reports.

In these days of ups and downs it's not uncommon for houses to come to the market, get taken back off again, then find themselves relaunched some time later. That is exactly the scenario being dealt with by Jackson-Stops's Crispin Harris, who is handling the relaunch onto the market of Grade II-listed Ollerton Grange, at a revised guide price of £12.5m, a spectacular home near the quaint market town of Knutsford on the Cheshire Plain, between the Peak District to the east and the Welsh mountains to the west.

The sales particulars describe the property as ‘an unparalleled country estate with a Grade II-listed, eight-bedroom country house with a leisure suite, three cottages, out-buildings, manicured gardens and parkland — in all just under 43 acres, with a further 98 acres available by separate negotiation’.

Having bought the Grange with 141 acres of land in 2000, the owner — then in his thirties — embarked on a painstaking restoration and modernisation of the main house, which was built in the Arts-and-Crafts style in the early 1900s.

No expense was spared in the course of the renovation, which resulted in sumptuous interiors, with many of the furnishings provided by the late Robert Kime, one of The King’s favourite interior designers.

The manor has almost doubled in size to some 25,000sq ft following the addition of a spectacular entertaining wing, comprising a grand entertaining hall and a truly remarkable leisure complex.

The house now offers luxurious family accommodation on the ground and first floors, including seven reception rooms, a kitchen, five bedroom suites and a family bathroom, with a three-bedroom penthouse on the second floor.

Somewhat less than conservative in style, the leisure suite is entered via an enclosed atrium with a two-storey, Moorish-style wooden screen forming the entrance to the swimming-pool complex, which has folding doors on all sides allowing access to the surrounding stone terrace and an electrically operated retractable roof that makes it feel more like an outdoor pool in the summer months.

Also included is a leisure zone with a hot tub and various treatment rooms, with a 68ft-long gymnasium and a yoga room on the first floor.

Ollerton Grange is for sale at £12.5m — see more details and pictures.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Tucked away in the bucolic heart of rural Essex, half-way between Chelmsford and Colchester, one of the county's prettiest country houses has come up for sale via Mark Rimell of Strutt & Parker’s country department. ‘Offers over £4.6m’ are sought for Grade II*-listed Rivenhall Place at Rivenhall, which overlooks twin lakes at the heart of 68 acres of woods and rolling parkland designed by Humphry Repton, three miles from Witham.

It's the sort of place with which people fall in love. Indeed a previous owner, Kate Ashton, told Country Life back in 2013 that she had been so smitten she'd bought it almost on impulse: she had come to Essex looking for a cottage in which to spend weekends, only to end up buying a (then-somewhat-crumbling) Georgian mansion with dozens of acres of land.

Extensively restored in recent years (both by Mrs Ashton and those who took it on from her a decade ago) the main house offers 11,560sq ft of easy living space, including three fine reception rooms, a sitting room, study, kitchen/breakfast room and orangery.

The principal bedroom suite and four further bedrooms are on the first floor, and three more bedrooms and a games room on the second floor.

Amenities include a tennis court, a swimming pool and hot tub, the latter concealed behind mature yew hedges. The three-bedroom cottage adjoining the house is currently let through Airbnb and provides a useful income.

Early records suggest that the grounds of Rivenhall Place were part of a hunting park owned by Edith of Wessex, who married Edward the Confessor and was Queen of England from 1045 to 1066.

In 1590, the house was bought by Ralph Wiseman, the head of a Catholic family whose priest’s hole in the fireplace of the Great Hall can still be seen. Three generations later, the Wisemans sold the house to the Western family, who renamed it Rivenhall Place.

Repton took on Rivenhall Place as his first commission in Essex in 1789, adding the second lake and the bridge, as well as advising on the transformation of the house into the Georgian style.

Rivenhall Place is for sale via Strutt & Parker at £4.6m — see more details and pictures.

Colchester, Essex: The purpose-built capital city of Roman Britain

Clive Aslet considers the town that was one of Roman Britain's greatest cities — and even, for a while, its capital:

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Kent — £4,500,000

The Nunnery is an idyllic Grade II listed country house believed to date back to the 16th Century with later extensions.

The house has been refurbished and modernised, with accommodation that extends to over 6,900 sq ft arranged over three floors and is well balanced between formal and informal living.

For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details for this property.

Kent — £1,850,000

Elegant country house with generously proportioned accommodation and views, located just a short walk from Westerham town.

For sale with Jackson Stops via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.

North Yorkshire — £1,500,000

An outstanding family house of more than 5,000 sq. ft. with triple garage and gardens, in a rural location very close to York.

For sale with Blenkin & Co via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.

Gloucestershire — £1,500,000

Splendid William and Mary 17th century Grade II* listed orangery, beautifully located on the southern edge of Northwick Park.

For sale with Hayman-Joyce via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.

Worcestershire — £1,475,000

Ashmore House is a beautiful late Georgian country house from the 16th century with well-presented accommodation and quintessentially English gardens and grounds.

For sale with Knight Frank via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.

Kent — £1,199,000

An extensive equestrian property including converted barn, detached holiday cottage, stable yard, riding arena and 12.15 acres of land.

For sale with Hobbs Parker via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.

Somerset — £1,000,000

A beautiful detached five-bedroom farmhouse with numerous reception rooms, indoor swimming pool and over three acres of land.

For sale with Cooper and Tanner via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.

Suffolk — £1,000,000

A distinctive four-bedroom Grade ll listed property with parking and a garage, located in the heart of Woodbridge close to the River Deben.

For sale with Fenn Wright via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.

North Yorkshire — £1,000,000

Known as “The Chapel Of Rock” this stunning and unique home sits within a large plot with storage building and large paved patio ideal for al fresco dining.

For sale with FSS via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.

North Yorkshire — £1,000,000

An attractive detached country home requiring full modernisation with two additional cottages and outbuildings, sitting in approx. 1.58 acres.

For sale with GSC Grays via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.

Kent — £949,000

Yew Tree House is a charming Grade II listed family home with a wealth of traditional features, an extensive garden and swimming pond.

For sale with Strutt & Parker via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.

East Sussex — £750,000

A four-bedroom detached family home built around 1920 with far-reaching views and large mature garden, situated on a countryside lane.

For sale with Wood & Pilcher via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.

Devon — £680,000

A spectacular, contemporary barn conversion on a large plot in a convenient location with outstanding countryside views.

For sale with Stags via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.

North Yorkshire — £650,000

Raydale Cottage is a beautiful Dales property with unspoilt views and retaining original character and charm, set in a truly exceptional location.

For sale with JR Hopper via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.

Wiltshire — £450,000

A charming and quirky Grade II listed house built in 1710, arranged over three floors and sitting in just under an acre of garden.

For sale with Winkworth via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.

Dumfries and Galloway — £239,000

A unique opportunity to purchase a new bespoke cedar holiday lodge on the spectacular Galloway coastline with uninterrupted south facing sea views.

For sale with Galbraith via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.

A classic Edwardian mansion, Cransford Hall sits in some 15 acres of gardens and parkland in the Alde Valley, near Saxmundham.

The sprawling property is currently on the market via Jackson-Stops with a guide price of £2.75 million.

Originally built as a private residence in 1910, the property has also seen use as a care home and boarding house, but has since been remodelled for family use.

Excitingly, Cransford Hall and its 15,800sq ft of accommodation are unlisted, meaning that prospective owners can remodel and refurbish with relative ease, making this an attractive purchase for those looking to create their own home without having to actually build it.

Inside, the property boasts 12 principal bedrooms across its four floors (all serviced via a lift, if necessary) as well as four impressive reception rooms.

The accommodation is extensive and includes a large basement. Dark wood panelling features in many of the rooms, alongside decorative cornicing and large feature fireplaces.

Outside, the gardens and grounds are a mixture of formal lawns, mature trees — including several large oak — and bountiful borders, as well as pasture and parkland.

The grounds also play host to a separate two-bedroom gardener’s cottage.

Cransford Hall occupies a tranquil, hidden setting in the Alde Valley, just four and a half miles from the town of Framlingham, home to a historic Norman Castle and pretty town square. Here, you’ll find a range of shopping facilities, as well as primary and secondary schools in both sectors.

In Saxmundham — also four and a half miles away — there’s a railway station that runs regular services to London Liverpool Street, plus major supermarkets.

The Suffolk Heritage Coast can be easily reached as it is just 13 miles to the east, and the Alde, Stour and Deben estuaries offer further opportunity for watersports.

Cransford Hall is currently on the market via Jackson-Stops with a guide price of £2.75 million — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details. 

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

In the garden of England, Will Peppitt of Savills Country Department is handling the sale, at a guide price of £6.5m, of the impeccably-restored Charlton Court at East Sutton, six miles south of Maidstone.

Originally designed in 1612 by the early English architect, John Thorpe, for Sir Edward Filmer, High Sheriff of Kent, the house was remodelled and extended in Victorian times and sold following the death of Sir Robert Filmer during the First World War.

From 1936, the imposing, 14,800sq ft building, listed Grade II, which stands high on the Greensand Ridge overlooking the Weald of Kent, was adapted for use as a school which closed its doors in 1992. It then stood empty for a time before being acquired by its current owner, who put together an ambitious scheme to convert the main building back into a single residence and restore the historic gardens.

Charlton Court is being sold with some 23 acres of gardens and parkland, with a two-bedroom cottage and additional land available by separate negotiation.

Following the completion of an extensive and sympathetic programme of refurbishment, the main house offers luxurious accommodation on three floors including a reception hall, two main reception rooms, a family room, study, bespoke kitchen and breakfast room, plus a conservatory with doors leading to an outdoor terrace, a gym and a spectacular indoor/outdoor swimming pool complex.

An impressive turned-oak staircase leads to a galleried landing and the two upper floors, where nine bedroom suites are located.

Charlton Court is currently on the market via Savills with a guide price of £6.5 million — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details. 

Maidstone: What you need to know

Location: About 40 miles from Central London. Train services run from Maidstone to London Victoria, whilst high-speed trains run from Ebbsfleet to London St Pancras in less than 20 minutes, and Eurostar trains run from Ashford.

Atmosphere: Maidstone is the largest town in Kent and provides both local and comprehensive shopping. Further shopping is available at Bluewater Shopping Centre.

Things to do: Take a leisurely river cruise or explore the town by bike or on foot along its many designated trails. Some may wish to explore the 900-year-old Leeds Castle and young families will enjoy the Kent Life Heritage Farm. There's also the award-winning Mote Park which covers over 450 acres of green space.

Schools: There are some excellent options in the area, with Allington Primary School, Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, Maidstone and St John's Church of England Primary School, amongst many others.

See more property for sale in the area.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

The renovation of Grade II-listed Lewins at Crockham Hill, six miles from Sevenoaks, Kent, has been a labour of love for interior designer Ashton Taylor Smith, whose home it has been since 2017.

The elegant, 5,485sq ft house comprises the greater part of a Gothic-style Victorian mansion designed in the mid 1870s by the architect J. M. Brydon, a colleague of Richard Norman Shaw, for Peter Robinson, the founder of London’s first great department store. It is now on the market through Savills in Sevenoaks at a guide price of £2.995m.

Once the focal point of a grand Victorian estate, Lewins had interiors designed by the Suffragists and interior designers Rhoda and Agnes Garrett, who were apprenticed to Brydon before going on to found the first interior-design company in Britain to be run by women. Agnes also worked alongside William Morris and one of his wallpaper designs now graces the library at Lewins.

Miss Taylor Smith’s refurbishment translates the dynamic spirit of that era to today’s interiors with a lightness of touch that enhances the elaborate Victorian architecture: of particular note is the light-filled, central Great Hall with its moulded ceilings and Ionic pillars.

Lewins stands in 3¾ acres of delightful gardens and grounds on the edge of Crockham Hill village with far-reaching southerly views.

The house offers stylish accommodation on two floors including, in addition to the Great Hall and library, a large drawing room, a study, kitchen/breakfast room, butler’s pantry and garden room. Upstairs, all five bedrooms have either en suites or adjoining bath/shower rooms with lovely views over the gardens.

Lewins is currently on the market via Savills with a guide price of £2.995 million — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details.

Crockham Hill: What you need to know

Location: In Kent, just under 10 miles from Sevenoaks. Trains run from Edenbridge, Edenbridge Town and Hurst Green.

Atmosphere: The village is home to a primary school, a village hall, pub, tennis court and recreational grounds. Edenbridge is less than three miles away and home to a full range of shopping facilities.

Things to do: Plenty of footpaths in the area as well as golf at Hever, Westerham and Tandridge, amongst others. There's a leisure centre in Oxted and several stately homes that are open to the public.

Schools: Crockham Hill Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Four Elms Primary School and Hollan Junior School all received 'good' ratings by Ofsted. Other schools in the area include Tonbridge Girls Grammar School and Judd Boys Grammar School as well as Hazelwood Prep.

See more property for sale in the area.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Things are stirring in the New Forest National Park, where Oliver Custance Baker of Strutt & Parker’s Country Department quotes a guide price of £10m for Grade II*-listed Boldre Grange at Boldre, 2½ miles north of the Georgian sailing port of Lymington.

One of the New Forest’s most important Victorian country houses, Boldre Grange was built in 1872 for local landowner John Lane Shrubb, to a design by the eminent Arts-and-Crafts architect Richard Norman Shaw. Shrubb was the nephew and heir of the Revd Henry Shrubb, then vicar of Boldre, and the pulpit in Boldre church was also designed by Shaw.

Following Shrubb’s death in 1884, his widow lived at Boldre Grange until her death in 1912. Their son, John, died in 1918, after which the house was sold. Three years later, it was advertised for sale in Country Life (September 24, 1921) ‘at a very low reserve, after large sums of money (had) recently been expended’.

After the Second World War, the house was bought by two families and sympathetically divided, with the former service wing and the main rooms behind the porch forming one part and the rest of the house the other, in addition to a cottage that was once the estate’s dairy.

The current owners moved into the main section of the property 20 years ago. Over the years, they managed to acquire both the porch wing and the cottage, refurbishing each with care and restoring Boldre Grange to its original Shavian splendour. The cottage remains separate, with its own entrance, gardens and garaging that can be rented out for additional income.

Boldre Grange is approached down a long, private carriage drive that runs through mixed woodland before turning a corner to reveal a dramatic view of the house, surrounded by 24 acres of grounds that include the original formal Victorian gardens. These comprise an enclosed terrace garden with a pond, yew walk, orchard and south-facing terrace running the length of the house.

Of particular note, say the agents, is the security of the extensive rural views across Boldre Grange’s own landscape of field and woodland to a far tree line to the south of the property.

The house retains a wealth of original Victorian features, including oak boards, parquet and flagstone flooring, exquisitely detailed panelled doors and architraves, elegant staircases and exposed brickwork and beams in the kitchen.

It offers more than 11,000sq ft of impressive living space laid out across three floors, including two reception halls, six reception rooms, two kitchens, domestic offices, a conservatory and access to cellars on the ground floor, with two principal bedroom suites, seven/eight further bedrooms, five bathrooms and attics on the first and second floors.

Boldre Grange is for sale via Strutt & Parker — see more pictures and details.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Set within the Grade I listed walls of Brough Hall in the North Yorkshire village of Richmond is Atkinson House, a truly exquisite property currently on the market via Jackson-Stops for a fixed price of £795,000.

Brough Hall is a grand, country mansion thought to date from the 15^th century. It was originally the home of the DeBurgh family before passing to the Lawsons who lived at the property until 1979.

After this time, the property and its numerous outbuildings were transformed into a series of smaller homes and apartments, with Atkinson House located in the western end of the hall.

Atkinson House was first featured in the pages of Country Life 55 years ago, on the 19^th October 1967. Similar images from the original publication have been taken to capture the utter timeless quality of the property, and especially highlights the spectacular cantilever staircase, which Country Life first described as ‘a long slow curve of great elegance.’

The words ring as true today as they did 50 years ago, although recent refurbishments have elevated the interiors even further.

Entering into the house you are immediately greeted by the large entrance hall, (along with a wine store and bathroom) from which the cantilever staircase sweeps up to the first floor where a galleried seating area, three bedrooms, sitting room and kitchen are located.

Each room oozes opulence. Large floor to ceiling windows flood the space with natural light; the master suite in particular benefits from three windows and a truly sumptuous en-suite centred around a stand-alone roll top bath.

As well as enjoying 13 acres of parkland as part of the Brough Hall estate, Atkinson House also has a large sweeping south-facing garden with private terrace area.

Atkinson House is currently on the market via Jackson-Stops with a fixed price of £795,000 — see more pictures, or enquire with the agent for further details. 

Richmond: What you need to know

Location: North Yorkshire, just to the east of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Darlington is just under 13 miles away and Middlesborough just under 30 miles to the east.

Atmosphere: The town acts as the gateway to the Yorkshire Moors, with an historic castle, cobbled streets and beautiful riverside views.

Things to do: There's plenty of independent shops and restaurants around the market place; there are also several art galleries, the Georgian Royal Theatre, Richmond Castle, Easby Abbey and of course, the Yorkshire Dales National Park to explore.

Schools: Brompton-on-Swale Church of England Primary School is rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted, and Colburn Community Primary School and Michael Syddall Church of England Aided Primary School are both rated 'good.'

See more property for sale in the area.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

In east Kent, the Canterbury office of Strutt & Parker is handling the sale of Grade II*-listed Charlton Place, set in 129 acres of gardens, pasture, parkland and woodland near Bishopsbourne, in the picturesque Elham Valley and within the Kent Downs AONB, six miles south of the cathedral city.

Selling agent Ed Church quotes a guide price of £3.5m for the historic country house, the first mention of which is in 1240, although the Tudor core of the present house was built in about 1570 by James Herringe, a wealthy local yeoman.

In 1636, the estate was bought by the Aucher family, who had acquired the rest of the manor of Bishopsbourne at the Reformation. The Aucher family and their descendants owned the manor of Bishopsbourne, acquiring (or re-acquiring) the Charlton estate from the Gibbon family, collateral ancestors of Edward Gibbon, the historian, in 1636.

During the Civil War in the 1640s, the then owner Sir Anthony Aucher spent time in the Tower of London for having been on the wrong (Royalist) side, which probably explains why, when building the Dower House at Charlton Place in about 1680, he constructed a secret tunnel — yes, a secret tunnel! — connecting it to the main house.

By 1800, Charlton Place was owned by the Foote family, who added the Regency façade and the west wing containing the magnificent first-floor ballroom, where Robert Foote entertained the Prince Regent (later George IV) and his last and favourite mistress, Elizabeth, Countess Conyngham.

During his ownership, Robert Foote also hosted several female cousins who were good friends of Jane Austen, who was also close to Robert’s uncle, Admiral Sir Edward Foote, captain of the Royal Yacht, who used the house as his country home. The east wing was added in the 1840s by Gen Sir Michael Mulcaster. He also moved the road to the other side of the Nailbourne, building two bridges to do so, and had the lake dug.

During the Second World War, Charlton Place was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence, before being sold to Dr Barnardo’s as a children’s home in 1946.

In 1972, the estate, by then much reduced in size, was bought by George de Chabris, a Canadian fraudster, who lived at the National Liberal Club as well as in Bishopsbourne. He sold off most of the Liberal Club for personal gain, but was never prosecuted. He eventually fled to Miami, where he died in 2001.

Charlton Place was acquired by the current owner, Mrs Wales and her late husband in 1988. Now remarried, she and her husband, Jack, who has compiled an impressively detailed history of the house and its many owners, have lovingly maintained the 13,343sq ft house with its 12 bedrooms and six reception rooms, including the elegant ballroom, which doubles as a function room for weddings and other events.

Amenities include a swimming pool, squash court, hard tennis court, croquet lawn and cricket pitch, home to The Exiles Cricket Club.

Charlton Place is currently on the market via Strutt & Parker at a guide price of £3.5 million — see more pictures, or enquire with the agent for further details.

Bishopsbourne: What you need to know

Location: The rural Kent village is located just over five miles from Canterbury. There are two rail stations in Canterbury — Canterbury East and Canterbury West, both of which run on Southeastern mainline services to London St Pancras International.

Atmosphere: The small and friendly village is home to several pubs and restaurants, including The Mermaid Inn, Tadpole Tearoom and renowned hotel chain The Pig. Nearby Canterbury is a charming city which dates back to the Middle Ages and is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site Cathedral which attracts visitors from all over thanks to its rich and fascinating history. 

Things to do: The property itself is situated in the Elham Valley, perfect for walking, cycling and riding. Visit the Canterbury Cathedral, ideally located in the centre of the town, or take in the sights from the River Stour via a river tour. St Augustine's Abbey is another ancient monument to visit which has a museum within its grounds. Once you've explored, visit one of the numerous excellent restaurants.

Schools: Adisham Church of England Primary School is rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted, as is St Thomas' Catholic Primary School. Secondary options include King's Canterbury, Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys/Girls and Barton Court Grammar School.

See more property for sale in the area.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

The critically acclaimed Canadian comedy series Schitt's Creek — which has nine Emmy awards, two Golden Globe awards, a SAG award and numerous others under its belt — follows the story of the Rose family, a hugely wealthy family who lose all their fortune and are forced to move out of their family home, ending up in a run-down motel in a little town called Schitt's Creek.

The mansion that the much-loved on-screen family were forcefully exiled from in the opening episode of the series is currently for sale for $21.888 million CND via Aaron Kirman Group (or approximately £12, 814, 767) and is in every way as opulent and outrageous as you would imagine.

As the on-screen home to Jonny Rose (Eugene Levy), Moira Rose (Catherine O'Hara), David Rose (Dan Levy) and Alexis Rose (Annie Murphy), La Belle Maison is a 17th century, French-inspired mansion in Andrews-Windfields neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario.

Built in 2012, the sprawling property showcases the sort of style you would associate with the über-rich — and as TopTenRealEstate claims, it 'is designed to impress, blending modern luxury with European artisanship.'

No expense was spared in its creation, with enough carved marble to rival Rome.

Measuring 24,000 sq ft of internal living space, there are 14 bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, a heated stone driveway with space for 14 cars and a saltwater swimming pool. The gardens, which amount to half an acre, are scattered with bronze and stone sculptures.

The internal space was designed by Van Lapoyan, in what appears to be a game of 'Am I in a European museum, or a recently built mansion in Ontario?'

The entrance hallway — although the word 'hallway' seems an understatement — is a space designed as an homage to the Sistine Chapel, with domed ceilings, stained glass and a marble staircase and sets the tone for the rest of the property in terms of style and grandeur.

The custom designed banquet hall can host 150 guests (and is the setting of the Rose's annual Christmas party in one episode), decorated decadently in blue and gold tones with marble and granite floors.

A dance floor with a mirrored wall completes the space (no doubt where Alexis practiced her dance routine to 'A little bit Alexis') and makes it perfect for parties and weddings.

In the formal dining room, cherubs fly across the ceiling frescos, looking down upon marble floors created in the Renaissance-style.

A large aquarium and custom-carved marble fireplace join forces in the family room, whilst a cinema room, indoor pool, billiards room and four-storey internal lift help make up the rest of the house.

It is decadent, opulent, grand, garish — but undeniably impressive. The only thing it's lacking is our favourite eccentric family.

La Belle Maison is currently on the market via Aaron Kirman Group for $21.888 million CND — see more pictures, or enquire with the agent for further details.

Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale

A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.

Kinloch Castle, a crumbling-but-iconic landmark on the Isle of Rum with a nominal value of £1 — but the buyer will need very deep pockets...

Kinloch Castle has been seeking a buyer for years, but as its condition worsens the renovation and repair costs for

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

This is the 'largest single property publicly and currently on sale in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea' according to Savills and Rokstone who are the joint agents in the sale on Stuart House, which arrives to the market for a healthy £35 million.

Naturally, the property is impressive.

The Queen Anne- style corner property measures 11,855 sq ft of accommodation, spread out over six floors and holds the title (amongst others) as being the only property with a swimming pool in Cadogan Square.

The sprawling mansion is one of seven red-bricked properties that has remained as a house, with many of the other original mansion blocks turned into apartments over time.

Becky Fatemi, founder of Rokstone Properties claims that 'there are now only a handful of large, multi-storey family houses which are more than 10,000 sq ft in central London.'

Noting that 'the trend to hollow out these buildings and splice them up into lateral apartments, which has been particularly prevalent in Knightsbridge, makes the traditional trophy home even rarer.'

'Comparable to very rare fine art,' Stuart House has a plethora of space and its grand rooms and tall ceilings mixed with Victorian architecture make the perfect concoction for entertaining.

The house was designed in 1880 by architects F.G Knight and Hunt Steward, and today the original ornate moulding, huge stone-fireplaces and sweeping staircases are some of the original period features that help the property maintain an air of grandeur and Victorian sophistication.

There are seven reception rooms, five bedrooms (including a 'teenage retreat' on the top floor), a family 'den' and study.

Downstairs, the lower ground floor gives way to a 'fitness retreat' with a long swimming pool and gym facilities (this is where you can find the staff accommodation, too).

If you're looking for a whole lot of space in central London and have a cheque book that can take the brunt of a £35 million price tag, then Stuart House is a rare and exquisite property that offers the chance to experience the very best of London living.

Stuart House is currently on the market via Savills and Rokstone Properties for £35 million — see more pictures, or enquire with the agents for further details.

Cadogan Square: What you need to know

Location: Cadogan Square is located in the heart of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Sloane Square Underground (District and Circle lines) is located just 0.2 miles from the property, whilst Knightsbridge Underground (Piccadilly) and South Kensington Underground (District, Piccadilly and Circle lines) are both less than half a mile away.

Atmosphere: The prestigious postcode is world-famous for its designer shopping, fine-dining and affluent residents. Built between 1877-1888, the square was named after the Earl of Cadogan.

Things to do: Art lovers can head to the Saatchi gallery, shoppers to the King's Road and Harrods and theatre and music lovers head to Cadogan Hall (home of the Philharmonic Orchestra) and The Royal Theatre. There are countless restaurants, bars, clubs, pubs plus a weekly food market in the Duke of York Square.

Schools: Hill House and Sussex House School are two local private schools. Also within very close proximity is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School and Saint Thomas More Language College which are both rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted.

See more property for sale in the area.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Knightsbridge life: From a hotbed of taverns and thieves to one of the poshest parts of London

Today, Knightsbridge is home and host to the glamorous, but it wasn't always quite that way, finds Carla Passino.

Living on Primrose Hill: Chocolate-box streets, village spirit and some of the best views in London

Carla Passino takes a look at the finer things about living on Primrose Hill.

Before founding the first Tate gallery in 1897 (now known as Tate Britain), Sir Henry Tate hung his collection of (then) contemporary British art in a spectacular double-height Grade II*-listed former billiard room, beneath an enormous original skylight, at his home — an 1835 mansion by Streatham Common on what is now known as Henry Tate Mews (formerly Park Hill).

Currently on the market via Hamptons at an asking price of £1.8 million, the property has eclectic, grand interiors, with the decorative billiard room taking centre stage, with its double-heigh room, mezzanine floor reached via a spiral staircase and decorative ceiling cornices.

In total, the accommodation spans to 3,400 sq ft of living space in a privately owned estate at the top of Streatham Common.

The private gated development’s six communal acres include a listed folly, grotto and orchard and No 12 itself was beautifully redeveloped in 2000; it has five double bedrooms, three en suite, two private terraces and a very smart kitchen/breakfast room.

Henry Tate Mews is currently for sale for £1.8 million via Hamptons — see more pictures, or enquire with the agent for further details.

Streatham Common: What you need to know

Location: In South London, in the borough of Lambeth. Streatham station is less than a mile from the property, which offers services to London Blackfriars in approximately 20 minutes.

Atmosphere: The property itself it set amongst six acres of private landscaped gardens, and offers a peaceful environment amongst city living.

Things to do: Enjoy walks around Streatham Common and through The Rookery, or take a short journey into the centre of the capital for theatres, restaurants, museums and bars.

Schools: There are a number of well-regarded schools in the area including St. Andrews, Julians School, Immanuel & St Andrews and Dunraven Secondary School.

See more property for sale in the area.

Down in Devon, Richard Addington of Jackson-Stops in Exeter seeks ‘offers over £4.5m’ for Grade I-listed Bishops Court near Clyst St Mary, five miles from Exeter, aptly described by the Devon Gardens Trust as ‘an intensely Gothic mansion’ remodelled in 1860–64 by the Gothic Revival architect William White, who worked on Grade I-listed Dartington Hall near Totnes at about the same time.

At Bishops Court, he transformed a house of about 1800, which itself incorporated the remains of the most important medieval residence of the Bishops of Exeter, acquired in 1265 and used by them until 1546.

Set in more than 30 acres of parkland at the end of an imposing lime avenue, Bishops Court stands in open countryside above the valley of the River Clyst and comprises, in addition to the principal family living accommodation, five self-contained apartments.

There is also a Grade II-listed thatched gate lodge and the original medieval tithe barn and adjoining stable block, both listed Grade I.

The current owners of Bishops Court, who bought the draughty 11,796sq ft building in 2003, are artists and architects who have carried out their own sensitive, but practical restoration of the historic structure.

They have carefully updated the interior of the main house, which now boasts four main reception rooms, the former chapel and eight bedrooms, most of which have bathrooms en suite.

The former service wing has been converted into three self-contained one- and two-bedroom apartments and two studios, all let on assured-shorthold tenancies, which, together with the Renewable Heat Incentive from the wonderfully efficient biomass boiler system, provide a substantial income stream.

Bishops Court is for sale through Jackson-Stops at £4.5 million — see more details and pictures.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Best houses for sale in Devon today, from country houses and cottages to a place within a Grade I-listed castle

We pick out some of the finest country houses for sale in Devon today.

Towering amongst the stunning parkland setting in the Surrey Hills Area of Natural Beauty is Albury Park Mansion, a magnificent estate that dates back a century — it's mentioned in the Domesday Book — and which has had a great house at its heart since the early 17th century. The house has evolved over the years, and as it stands now bears the fingerprints of one of the great 19th century architects, Augustus Pugin, who remodelled it for Henry Drummond in the 19th century.

That evolution has continued into the 21st century, and recently it was divided into 12 elegant apartments blending contemporary touches with traditional architecture. One of those apartments is now on the market: a three-bed, first floor apartment currently for sale via Knight Frank at a guide price of £1.65 million.

The estate, with amounts to 150 acres, is owned by the Duke of Northumberland and has long been enjoyed by royals and film stars throughout its history — most notably in 1761, where King George III hosted his post-coronation ball at the estate. The asking price might be a lot for a three-bedroom house, but the setting and the building offer rare history and grandeur which can cost tens of millions in this part of the world.

St Paul's Church, located within the estate grounds, was used as the setting for Four Weddings and a Funeral, during the famous wedding scene between Carrie, played by Andie MacDowell, and Hamish, Corin Redgrave. Episodes of the television series Midsomer Murders have also filmed in the house and grounds on the estate.

The historic estate, which features 63 unique candlestick chimneys, has frequented the pages of Country Life in the past, as it is known as one of Surrey's 'most important country houses.'

The three bedroom apartment is well presented and thought-out, (thanks to the thorough and and strategic renovation of the entire property, undertaken in 2011) and is composed of an impressive drawing room, plus a modern kitchen with adjoining dining room, utility, bathroom and study.

The main bedroom benefits from a large dressing area and ensuite, with the one of the two remaining bedrooms boasting a jacuzzi bath (good luck trying to keep over zealous guests from not out-staying their welcome).

The real focal point of this apartment (if the beautiful interiors, access to five acres of beautifully kept grounds plus spectacular surroundings weren't enough) is the private roof terrace, complete with its own bar — the perfect place for entertaining or enjoying a quiet sundowner in the secluded spot.

Flat 3 in Albury Park Mansion is currently for sale via Knight Frank at a guide price of £1.65 million — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details.

Albury: What you need to know

Location: Albury is a small village set with the Surry Hills Area of Natural Beauty, four miles from Guilford town centre. There are a number of train stations in the surrounding area — Chilworth being the closest which offers links to London Waterloo.

Atmosphere: Albury is a picturesque village that enjoys several pubs, is home to a village church, a cricket club and football club.

Things to do: Oenophile's can enjoy the local wine from Albury Vineyard, whilst keen anglers can enjoy fly fishing on the estate grounds. The surrounding village of Shere and the countryside around the estate are worth exploring, with numerous walks and cycling routes available. The town of Guilford is also a short drive away for shopping and further amenities.

Schools: Chilworth C of E (aided) Infant School is rated outstanding by Ofsted, with Peaslake Free School and Sheere C of E Aided Infant School both receiving good ratings. Guilford County School and Guilford High School are good secondary options closer to Guilford.

See more property for sale in the area.

Perched high above the Glynn Valley, Grade II*-listed Glynn House enjoys magnificent views across the surrounding countryside, but the panorama is only one of its many attractions. The property is currently for sale via Lillicrap Chilcott at a guide price of £3.5 million.

Much of the building as it stands today was completed in 1805 by Edmund Glynn, son of American Independence supporter John Glynn, but its history is much older. The manor was mentioned in the Domesday Book and was later home to distinguished personages such as Henry II’s Justiciar, Richard de Lucy, and perhaps most extraordinary of all the Earl of Warwick, ‘the Kingmaker’.

In the 18th century, the estate belonged to Waterloo hero Sir Hussey Vivian and, in the 1960s, to Nobel-prize winning chemist Peter Mitchell.

As befits a house of this importance, the 18,000sq ft interiors are brimming with striking details, from the plaster cast of Vivian's medals in the main reception rooms to the cupola in the Prayer Hall and the ancient vaulted ceiling in the old bakery.

The property is currently split into five different homes, which could be once again combined to make a vast, magnificent house.

The exquisite grounds, which total nearly 4 acres, feature formal lawns, large terraces, an array of striking rhododendrons and azaleas, mature trees, an orangery garden, a stone temple and a split-level courtyard garden.

Glynn House is currently on the market via Lillicrap Chilcott at a guide price of £3.5 million — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for more details. 

Bodmin: What you need to know

Location: Bodmin is a historic town located South-West of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. It's rail station — Bodmin Parkway, offers links to London Paddington.

Atmosphere: Bodmin itself is a small town with a train station, several schools in the area and local shopping facilities. It has an old county court room and county jail which attracts visitors.

Things to do: Explore Cornwall! Bodmin is known as the cycling hub of Cornwall, so don your lycra and explore the many cycling paths and off-road tracks on offer. With a treasure trove of gems nearby, Glynn House is perfectly located for easy access to North and South Cornwall. The Eden Project is located to the south, where you can visit the coastal village of Fowey. Bodmin Moor is a designated Area of Natural Beauty and provides many good walking routes.

Schools: St Petroc's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a well-regarded primary school in the area and Callywith College for 16+ is considered one of the best colleges in the country and is reviewed outstanding in a recent Ofsted report.

See more property for sale in the area.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale

A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.

Knight Frank and Savills are joint agents in the sale, at a guide price of £15m, of the incomparable, Grade II*-listed Dinton Hall near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, which has been literally rebuilt from the ground upwards in an extraordinary restoration project that took 10 years to complete at a cost of £10 million, according to the proud owner Richard Vanbergen. That pride is well earned; this is surely one of the grandest country houses for sale in Britain today.

The imposing, many-gabled hall stands on high ground next to the 13th-century parish church of Saints Peter and Paul, to the east of Dinton village and close to the River Thame, five miles from Aylesbury and 19 miles from Oxford.

According to its Historic England listing, Dinton Hall was rebuilt around a medieval core in about 1500 by Archbishop Warham, enlarged and substantially rebuilt in the late 16th century, altered in the 17th century and again between 1855 and 1857.

During the Civil War, it was the home of the regicide, Simon Mayne, the MP for Aylesbury and friend of Oliver Cromwell, who sat as a judge when the King was tried and was among those who signed his death warrant.

Following the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Mayne hid in a secret room under the eaves of Dinton Hall to avoid arrest, but was eventually tried, found guilty and sent to the Tower, where he fell ill and died. Among the Civil War relics retained at the hall is the sword given by Cromwell to Mayne after the Battle of Edgehill.

In 1727, Mayne’s godson, also Simon Mayne, sold Dinton Hall to John Vanhattem, whose family came to England with William of Orange. His son, also John Vanhattem, was knighted in 1760. Sir John never married but had a daughter, Rebecca, who inherited the Dinton Hall estate when her father died.

In 1788, she married the Revd William Goodall and went to live at Dinton Hall, where the couple are said to have raised 16 children. The Goodalls lived on at Dinton for some 150 years, before Sir William Currie bought the property in the mid 1920s.

In 1939, the east wing of the hall was badly damaged by a serious fire that cost the lives of two housemaids. From 1940 onwards, when the owners were denied the oil to heat the house, the building deteriorated steadily as dry rot set in and, by the time Mr Vanbergen bought it in 1999, it was structurally unsound and about to collapse.

Undeterred by the challenges involved, he eventually put together a talented team of architects, mechanical engineers and craftsmen, who were up to the task of what was always going to be a monumental rebuilding project, given the added restrictions imposed by listed building regulations.

Today, Dinton Hall has risen in spectacular fashion from the ashes of disaster and the 20,000sq ft mansion, set in 46 acres of historic gardens and wildflower meadows with magnificent views over the surrounding Chiltern Hills, offers palatial country-house living in ‘a house built to last for the next 500 years’.

Mr Vanbergen’s natural flair for layout and design is evident throughout this remarkable house, which offers state-of-the-art accommodation on three floors, including entrance and inner halls, five elegant reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, a swimming-pool complex and an orangery on the ground floor.

There are four bedroom suites and a further bedroom and bathroom on the first floor; and three further bedrooms, a games room/gymnasium, a staff flat and four attic rooms on the floor above.

Dinton Hall is currently on the market via Knight Frank and Savills with a guide price of £15 million — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for more details.

Aylesbury: What you need to know

Location: Situated in central Buckinghamshire, Aylesbury is 11 miles from Oxford and is equidistance between Milton Keynes and High Wycombe (approximate 40 minute drive).

Atmosphere: Aylesbury is a large market town with historic pubs, a waterside theatre and numerous shops.

Things to do: Aylesbury provides extensive shopping and recreational facilities, with Oxford offering more options for theatres, shopping, golf and hospitals. Thame Parkway and Haddenham provide fast rail links into London Marylebone.

Schools: There are a range of fantastic schools to choose from in the area, including Ashford School, The Dragon and Summerhills for primary options and Oxford High, Headington and Magdalen College for secondary.

See more property for sale in the area.

Credit: Knight Frank

The best country houses for sale this week

Catch up on the best houses that have come up for sale via Country Life in the last few weeks.

A slice of British history has come on the market at Trent Park, in Enfield, north-east London. Developers Berkeley are converting the historic Trent Park House into a collection of 14 luxury apartments, which start from £1.245 million.

The result of a painstaking restoration that’s bringing the building back to its former glory, the apartments will be beautifully designed to complement the house’s architectural grandeur, with buyers able to choose between a traditional and a modern decorative scheme.

Many period details will be preserved, including the original windows, and enhanced with feature lighting — which makes perfect sense, because the appeal of the development rests as much on the sense of history you can breathe in the building as on the exquisite architectural details and opulent specifications.

The Grade II-listed country house originally dates from the 14th century, when it was part of Henry IV’s hunting grounds. Many centuries later, in 1777, George III leased it to Sir Richard Jebb, the doctor that has saved the life of his brother, the Duke of Gloucester, when the latter had become seriously ill in the Italian city of Trento. It’s to commemorate the event that the property’s name was changed to Trent House.

Later bought by the Earl of Cholmondeley for £14,700 (roughly £1.16 million in today’s money), the estate eventually passed to Sir Philip Sassoon, cousing of the poet Siegfried Sassoon. He is the man responsible for the current look of Trent House, which saw the Victorian extensions replaced with new wings, giving the building a Georgian-style look. Indeed, in a Country Life piece from 1931, Christopher Hussey praised the property for having ‘that indefinable and elusive quality, the spirit of a country house... an essence of cool, flowery, chintzy, elegant, unobtrusive rooms’.

But perhaps more importantly, Sir Philip, who had a reputation as one of society’s most exquisite hosts, turned his home into an extraordinary gathering place of Britain’s great and good, from Sir Winston Churchill to Charlie Chaplin and a young Princess Elizabeth.

With the Second World War, the estate found new use, becoming one of the bases for the War Office’s intelligence programmes. It’s here that German prisoners were recorded with hidden microphones, helping the British gain vital information on everything from Germany’s rocket-development plans to the extent of anti-Nazi resistance efforts.

After a spell as a college, the house, with its 412 acres of parkland, woods, lakes and the Daffodil Lawn, is now ripe to make a comeback as the fashionable address it was in the Sassoon days.

The apartments at Trent Park House are for sale through Berkeley — see more pictures or enquire with the developer for further details.

Enfield: What you need to know

• Location: A Middlesex market town of Roman origins, Enfield was absorbed into London in 1965, becoming its northernmost borough.
• Atmosphere: As a former Royal hunting ground, it had a long and distinguished history—it was here that Edward VI was told of the death of his father, Henry VIII, and here that Elizabeth I spent much of her youth. Today, it’s a vibrant neighbourhood with many shopping centres and markets.
• Things to do: Trent Park deserves exploring, but beyond that, Enfield also has the gardens at Capel Manor and Myddleton House, Broomfield Park and the quirky Whitewebbs Museum of Transport. there's also golf at Enfield Golf Club.
• Schools: Enfield has an excellent range of schools, including Enfield Grammar and, in Edmonton, The Latymer School.Find more properties in the area.

Credit: Jackson-Stops

A Tardis-like family home in outer London, close to Bushy park and excellent schools

Behind the unassuming exterior of this Hampton Wick house hide 4,500sq ft of living space and a private garden.

If you're looking for more property, our round-up of best country houses for sale this week has even more.

Surrey — £4,250,000

West End House near Farnham was originally built around the 1500s and has been extended over the years. It combines classically-proportioned rooms with period charm.

For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures of this property or request further details from the agent.

Best houses for sale in Surrey

Bedfordshire — £1,875,000

A Grade II-listed former school with detached annexe and four car garage remodelled to exacting standards, surrounded by open countryside and 5 minutes’ walk from the village.

For sale with Michael Graham. See more pictures of this property or request further details from the agent.

Find more property in the area.

Suffolk — £1,750,000

Exceptional water mill set on the River Stour, in the heart of 'Constable Country'.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures of this property or request further details from the agent.

Find more property in the area.

West Sussex — £4,500,000

Originally built in the 1970's, Prinsted House was formerly a country club and subsequently converted by the present owners into an exceptional harbourside family home.

For sale with Jackson-Stops. See more pictures of this property or request further details from the agent.

Find more property in the area.

Ayrshire — £1,550,000

House of Craigie is a Georgian country house with five courtyard cottages set in private grounds extending to approx. 7 acres.

For sale with Galbraith via OnTheMarket. See more pictures of this property or request further details from the agent.

Find more property in the area.

West Sussex — £1,100,000

A house of quality located in this seaside village, with four bedrooms (two en-suite), three receptions, utility and double garage.

For sale with May's via OnTheMarket. See more pictures of this property or request further details from the agent.

Find more property in the area.

Wiltshire — £675,000

An immaculately presented four bedroom property, with stunning views to the rear towards Longleat forest and off-road parking.

For sale with Cooper & Tanner via OnTheMarket. See more pictures of this property or request further details from the agent.

Best houses for sale in Wiltshire

Hertfordshire — £1,100,000

A stunning Grade II listed, 14th Century detached characterful cottage offering versatile living accommodation, on a beautiful plot.

For sale with Ashtons via OnTheMarket. See more pictures of this property or request further details from the agent.

Find more property in the area.

The ancient village of Barcombe, on the edge of the South Downs National Park near Lewes, East Sussex, is actually three villages in one: the original settlement surrounding the village church of St Mary; the newer village of Barcombe Cross, to which the villagers fled to escape the Black Death in the 14th century; and Barcombe Mills, an old water-mill complex on the banks of the River Ouse, at the bottom of the hill on which Barcombe Cross sits.

There have been mills at Barcombe since Roman times and local records reveal the existence of corn, paper and even button mills on the site from the 16th century onwards, notably in the 1790s, when the River Ouse became navigable from Lewes to Cuckfield. In 1870, a grand new mill was erected on the site. Built over four floors of pitch pine, with an imposing, semi-Classical façade, it was powered by two enclosed water-wheels and eventually closed in 1918. In March 1939, the former mill building mysteriously caught fire and swiftly burned to the ground.

Today, the only evidence of its existence is a grass mound, two peak millstones that lie discarded by the river and the name Barcombe Mills, now a peaceful hamlet, nature reserve and wildlife haven. Traversed by the Ouse and its tributary, St Andrew’s Stream, its waters provide a rich habitat for many varieties of fish, including large sea trout that swim up the river to spawn in its higher reaches.

Such is the tranquil setting for Barcombe House, a fine mid-19th-century country house, currently for sale through Savills (01444 683522) at a guide price of £4.5 million.

Beautifully renovated by its owners who bought it in 2005, the elegant, Grade II-listed building stands in more than 12 acres of landscaped gardens and grounds on the banks of the river, which include a fish ladder that forms part of the sea-trout migratory path and fishing rights along one-third of a mile of the nearside river bank.

A private jetty provides direct access to the river, which is tidal between Barcombe Mills and Newhaven.

With its striking stucco façade under a slate roof, the imposing Regency-style villa offers 8,214sq ft of light-filled accommodation on two floors.

There is a grand reception hall, a sweeping staircase, four grand reception rooms, seven bedrooms and five bathrooms.

The pièce de résistance is the spacious master-bedroom suite, which boasts three sets of French doors that open onto wrought-iron balconies, with far-reaching views over the surrounding landscape.

Outdoor amenities include an all-weather tennis court and a swimming pool heated by an air source pump.

Barcombe House at Barcombe Mills is for sale via Savills — see more pictures, or contact the agent for further details.

Barcombe Mills: What you need to know

Location: Half-way between Lewes and Uckfield in East Sussex, a couple of miles off the A26.

Atmosphere: An idyllic hamlet in the South Downs — there was once a station and a pub, but these days it's purely residential and recreational.

Things to do: Boating and swimming in the river is hugely popular in the summer, while walks through the local countryside are popular all year round. Lewes, to the south, is rightly acclaimed as one of the nicest and most characterful towns in the south east of England, while the glorious house and gardens at Sheffield Park and the pebbly beaches of the coast are both within easy reach.

Schools: Barcombe C of E Primary School, up the road at Barcombe Cross, was rated Outstanding by Ofsted in its last full inspection in 2015.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Regular readers of our property pages will know full well that many of the homes we feature have colourful histories. Some might have been owned by pirates or adventurers, others have links to the great, the good and the controversial.

Very often, the stories attached to such properties go back centuries; but not in the case of Rockwood Hall, a country house with 335-acres estate in the village of Brook, between Godalming and Haslemere, which is now for sale at a guide price of £20-£25 million.

It's listed via agents Clarke Gammon Wellers via OnTheMarket, whose details give the basic outline of what is for sale.

There is a 26,000sq ft main house with nine bedrooms, nine bathrooms and six reception rooms, as well as an air strip, hangar, helipad, tennis court and lake.

The main house has been completely refurbished in recent years, and as the pictures here show there is a great mix of old and new in the features: a below-floor wine cellar, free-standing metal baths in rooms with stone-mullioned, leaded windows.

There is even a complete replica of an American-style diner and bar. It's all finished immaculately.

That said, there is still potential to add value. Beyond the main house there are several other buildings on the site waiting to be transformed, several of which already have permission in place for development.

And as the images here show, there is some work which has been started and remains under way.

The work that has been done is just the latest chapter in the house's story. Built in the years before the First World War, the house made its headlines in the late 1990s and early 2000s when it was owned by Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of former Pakistan president Benazir Bhutto, and then man who himself became president after Bhutto's assassination. Zardari bought the house in 1995 via an offshore company, but subsequently denied owning it until it was sold in 2004.

Following that it earned a reputation for all manner of, ahem, 'unusual' goings-on as it was used to host parties and events which prompted a series of lurid newspaper articles in both the local and national media.

The last five years have been a time of comparative calm as the development work has gone on, and various permissions obtained.

It's now ready for new owners to begin writing the next chapter in the story — and for those looking for a truly grand estate within easy reach of London, this is likely to be ideal.

The Rockwood Estate is for sale with Clarke Gammon Well via OnTheMarket — see more pictures and details.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Dorset — £2.5m

The architects of this house in Studland — a village on the tip of the Isle of Purbeck — took great care to make the most of the sea views when they created this five-bedroom place in 1998. It's very well-appointed as well, with a daringly modern kitchen by Poggenpohl that has to be seen.

But as well as the house, the spectacular local area is a huge attraction for those looking to buy here. The heathland and beaches of the surrounding nature reserve are breathtaking, while Corfe Castle and Swanage are just a few minutes away.

For sale with Corbens. See more pictures and details about this property.

Flintshire — £2.75m

An extraordinary opportunity to buy a 14-bedroom Jacobean mansion (also pictured top) with stables, manege, two cottages and award-winning gardens, situated a couple of miles from Mold.

The agents suggest it could become a country house hotel, but it would also make a majestic country home.

For sale with Strutt & Parker. See more pictures and details about this property.

Lake District — £2.4m

This five-bedroom home on Lake Windermere is situated on the southern half of the lake, between Bowness and Newby Bridge. It's a 1930s house that was practically rebuilt when it was updated at the turn of the millennium.

The big draw, of course, is the lake itself: the house has terraced gardens which run down to the water's edge where there is a beach, paved slipway and a private jetty.

For sale with Hackney & Leigh. See more pictures and details about this property.

Bristol — £2.6m

A grand, seven-bedroom house for sale in Clifton that has been immaculately restored, and wonderfully decorated in what we very much suspect are some of Farrow & Ball's finest shades.

Original period details are still present throughout — fireplaces, ceiling roses and sash windows with working shutters — while the kitchen/diner is a real highlight with its french windows, skylight and Aga.

For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details about this property.

Northumberland — £2.65m

This eight-bedroom country house in the heart of the Northumberland National Park is set out in the countryside, but lies not far from Alnwick and Morpeth. It's originally Georgian but with Victorian additions, and is a blend of old school charm with modern features — not least the glass wall looking onto the indoor pool.

As well as the main house there are also three self-catering properties within the 3.5 acres — one a converted barn, one a converted stable block and the third a modern bolthole with its own sauna and hot tub.

For sale with Finest Properties. See more pictures and details about this property.

Putney Heath — £2.3m

For a real touch of Country Life within London, this detached, four-bedroom house in Putney seems to tick all the boxes.

It's spacious, charming and light, with a large garden that includes a huge studio — ideal for those wanting a good work-from-home space.

For sale with Chestertons. See more pictures and details about this property.

Ayrshire — £2.5m

There's almost a surfeit of wow-factor at this immaculate country house near Dalrymple, a Georgian building with five bedrooms on a piece of land that stretches down to the River Doon.

The period features, the home gym (complete with sauna) and the grounds that include a cottage and a tennis court. Honestly, though, we'd imagine most potential buyers will be sold the moment they see the chequered black-and-white hallway floor.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details about this property.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale

A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.

Down in Cornwall, Ian Lillicrap of Cornish agents Lillicrap Chilcott is celebrating his best trading year in more than two decades and berates the doom-mongers who had prophesied the collapse of the UK residential property market. ‘Of all our sales in 2020, we sold 40 homes priced between £1m and £5m,’ he says, ‘including one superlative water’s-edge icon, which sold, sight unseen, for between £4m and £5m after the first national lockdown.'

Mr Lillicrap is bullish about things continuing in a similar vein: 'As we power into 2021, we expect strong demand for Cornwall’s finest houses in the £3m to £5m price bracket, due to a shortage of supply and the high level of demand from UK and overseas buyers.’ And currently on his books, at a guide price of £1.65m, is the impressive, Grade II-listed Sconner House at Polbathic, near Torpoint, which dates from about 1820 with later alterations.

Originally built as a dower house for Harriet, Lady St Germans, the house was a private home until the late 1990s, when it became a hotel.

Having acquired it as such, the present owners converted it back to a private residence, which they renovated and refurbished with much loving care over the years.

Approached down a long private drive amid some 14 acres of garden and woodland, Sconner House offers 9,150sq ft of well-proportioned living space.

There is a grand entrance hall, four main reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, conservatory, seven bedrooms (five en suite) and two family bathrooms.

It comes with a two-storey coach house in need of repair — to put it mildly — but with potential for conversion to residential use.

Sconner House is for sale at £1.65m via Lillicrap Chilcott — see more pictures and details.

Down in deepest Devon, a tantalising prospect awaits the new owner of Grade II*-listed Buckland Tout-Saints.

This handsome William and Mary house is steeped in ancient history and set in 4½ acres of secluded gardens and woodland near Kingsbridge in the South Devon AONB, eight miles from Salcombe and 12 miles from the wild open moorland of Dartmoor.

For sale through Marchand Petit in Kingsbridge at a guide price of £2.5m, the property has been run since 2006 as part of the Eden Hotel Collection of boutique country hotels. It could potentially re-open as a hotel under new ownership, and the fact that it looks like it's escaped from the pages of an Agatha Christie novel must surely help with the marketing.

But as more of us seek to escape to the country, a different future might well await this 300-year-old house: there is the option to convert it back to a charming country house with spectacular views over the Kingsbridge estuary and the surrounding South Hams countryside.

The land on which the house stands was part of a vast Saxon estate seized by William during the Norman Conquest, and takes its name from the Tout-Saints family, who held the manor until the 14th century.

The present house was built by the Southcote family in the late 1600s and extended by John Henry Southcote in 1779. In 1793, brewer William Clark bought the manor of Buckland Tout-Saints. He died in 1795 and it was passed to his son, William John. On his death in 1855, the 1,200-acre estate was left to his son who promptly sold it to the Brunskill family from Westmorland.

In 1896, Hubert Brunskill and his wife, Hilda, moved to Buckland House, where they undertook the first major refurbishment in 200 years and embarked on a life of hunting, shooting and fishing. The First World War and its aftermath saw the end of their country idyll and, in 1921, Hubert decided to move to a smaller house in Devon.

On July 16, 1921, Knight, Frank & Rutley advertised the sale in Country Life of Buckland Tout-Saints, comprising the main house with stabling, 12 farms, the hamlet of Goveton, accommodation land and building sites, some 2,000 acres in all.

For the first time since records began, the Domesday holding was split up into small parcels of land, which proved hard to sell, and Buckland House was eventually sold to Col Charles Warden and his wife, who fled the Troubles in Ireland when their home there was burnt to the ground.

The colonel died in 1953 and, three years later, his widow sold the property to a local doctor, in the hope that it would remain a family home.

In the event, it was immediately re-sold to a couple who created the Buckland Tout-Saints Hotel. Thereafter, the property was sold no fewer than five times as a hotel, before finally closing down at the start of lockdown earlier this year.

Given the likelihood that Buckland Tout-Saints will once again revert to private ownership, the vendors have assembled a set of architectural drawings outlining plans for its conversion to a handsome and imposing country home.

Buckland Tout-Saints is for sale via Marchand-Petit at £2.5 million — see more pictures and details.

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Despite the restrictions on movement imposed on various parts of the country as a result of the Covid pandemic, the country-house market is set to record its best year since 2007, says Crispin Holborow, of Savills, who has overseen the disposal of some of England’s most prestigious country houses and estates since the re-opening of the UK housing market in May.

Although many of the biggest deals have been done behind closed doors, Savills has broken cover with the launch onto the open market — at a guide price of £10 million — of pristine Adshead Park, a striking Arts-and-Crafts-style country house set in 136 acres of formal gardens, woods and farmland in the hills above the west Berkshire village of Lower Basildon, three miles from Pangbourne and eight miles from Reading.

Adshead was the realisation of a dream for its owner, the charismatic businessman Sir John Madejski, whose ability to see ‘the bigger picture’ led to the foundation of a diverse business empire. It started with the motor classifieds magazine Auto Trader —launched with £2,000 in the 1970s and sold for £260 million in 1998 — but went on to span publishing, hotels, restaurants, radio, a top flight football team (Reading FC) and property.

Dealing with business is one thing; dealing with planning applications is another matter entirely, and it took all of Sir John’s legendary skills to negotiate the labyrinthine process required to build a new country house on virgin farmland in one of the most heavily protected areas of the Home Counties.

‘Having bought the land in the mid 2000s, I applied for planning consent to build a Palladian mansion on the site of a farm bungalow that was built at the top of the hill in the 1950s. Unfortunately, the west Berkshire planners decided they had all the Palladian mansions they needed and the application was rejected,’ he recalls with wry humour.

Following a series of further failed applications, Sir John and his London architect parted company. He then turned to a local firm, Hives Architects of Reading, at the same time hiring a former planning officer to help smooth the planning pathway.

As a result, plans for the present Lutyens-style house set in five acres of Jekyll-style gardens and grounds and surrounded by farmland and woodland, were eventually approved. Two years later, the dream finally became a reality.

Lutyens himself would surely have appreciated the design, layout and workmanship involved in the construction of this impressive country house, so cleverly positioned in the lee of the hill with views over the Chilterns AONB. The comparative sobriety of the exterior, which blends seamlessly with the surrounding landscape, is offset by the richness of the interior with its grand open spaces and beautifully proportioned rooms.

All the bricks and tiles used throughout the property are handmade. Bronze windows are fitted in oak frames, floors are Italian marble or limestone and the joinery is solid oak throughout.

The latest in technology includes air-conditioning in the principal rooms, under-floor heating generated by a geothermal system, discreet, but effective security and sophisticated audio and lighting systems.

In all, Adshead Park offers some 8,000sq ft of elegant and stylish living space on three floors, all three accessed via stairs or a lift that runs up the turret.

Highlights include the grand entrance hall with its working fireplace and cantilevered staircase; the rectangular drawing room with French doors leading to the garden; the kitchen/breakfast room with its bespoke Smallbone kitchen; and the intimate sitting room with built-in oak joinery.

The first floor houses a splendid master suite and three further bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and the lower ground accommodates a wine room, a cinema and a leisure complex comprising a swimming pool, steam room, Jacuzzi and sauna.

Even Gertrude Jekyll would give a steely nod of approval to Adshead Park’s five acres of beautifully landscaped, south-facing gardens, complete with signature ‘rill’ and Yorkstone terracing, its perimeter enclosed by deer-fencing to protect it from incursions by the wildlife that thrives in the surrounding woods and fields.

Sadly, these days, Sir John rarely has time to enjoy ‘this very special place’, which, he says, ‘needs a family to make the most of all it has to offer’, hence his reluctant decision to sell.

Adshead Park is for sale via Savills at £10 million — see more details and pictures.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

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Grade I-listed Whitechapel Manor, a striking country house set in some 14 acres of terraced gardens and grounds on the southern edge of the Exmoor National Park, has come to the market through Edward Clarkson of Knight Frank in Exeter, who has it on sale at a guide price of ‘excess £2m’.

Situated three miles from the market town of South Molton and 12 miles from the north Devon coast, Whitechapel Manor is built of the local stone, with two wings and a central porch. It’s described in its Historic England listing as ‘an outstanding house with a remarkably well-preserved interior’.

The layout is arranged so five of the six reception rooms face south, as do the master bedroom and two main guest-bedroom suites: all these rooms enjoy views across the formal walled and terraced gardens.

There are eight further bedrooms on the first floor, all with en-suite bathrooms.

According to local records, the ancient manor house was the earliest-known residence of the influential Bassett family until 1603.

It passed through several families before being bought at auction, in about 1800, by John Sanger of South Molton, who later boasted that the purchase had financed itself, he having cut down and sold enough timber on the estate to cover the cost.

In his book The Blackmore Country (1911), Frederick Snell reported Whitechapel as being owned by a Captain Glossop, adding that ‘the place is now in thoroughly good hands, but it has naturally suffered from having been so long a farmhouse, the occupiers of which were profoundly indifferent to its contents and history’. The good times were about to roll again.

By 1926, Whitechapel was owned by Albert Lloyd, whose great-great-grandfather had co-founded Lloyds Bank in 1765. In 1962, his widow died and left the estate to a nephew, who sold it, splitting it into lots, one of which was the manor house, together with about 14 acres of land.

In 1984, this was acquired by John Shapland and his wife, Patricia, who converted the manor into a luxury hotel. They sold it in 1996 and it reverted to being a private family home, which has been extensively refurbished.

Whitechapel Manor is for sale via Knight Frank at £2m — see more details and pictures.

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Credit: Strutt and Parker

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An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Gloucestershire — £2 million

A handsome and substantial detached residence occupying a 1.1 acre plot in this sought-after village offering superb far reaching views and mature landscaped gardens.

For sale with Hamptons. See more pictures and details about this property.

Berkshire — £10 million

Impressive modern Arts & Crafts style country house in a charming Chilterns setting with incredible views in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 3 reception rooms, 4 en suite bedrooms, wine room, cinema, indoor swimming pool, gym, steam room, sauna, Jacuzzi, garaging for 3 cars with storage above, perimeter deer fencing, topiary gardens and formal gardens designed in Gertrude Jekyll style. About 136 acres.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details about this property.

Guernsey — £4.95 million

This fantastic new-build home is situated in a quiet country lane in the heart of Guernsey offering a stunning rural outlook. Stylish and contemporary with 6,000 sq ft of accommodation.

For sale with Swoffers. See more pictures and details about this property.

Suffolk — £2 million

A house believed to be one of the oldest continually-inhabited dwellings in Britain. The beautifully-restored Old Hall, which sits in 51 acres of gardens, grassland and woodland, provides 5,652sq ft of accommodation.

For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details about this property.

Gloucestershire — £3 million

Preston Place stands in 2½ acres of beautiful gardens and grounds that include a swimming pool and pool house which look as if they’ve been shipped lock, stock and barrel from a Tuscan villa.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details about this property.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for