Beautiful country houses often come with price tags which put them out of reach for many – but delightful character properties can be found that are well within reach for most buyers, as these places demonstrate.
St Fillans, Scotland — £395,000
A five-bedroom home tucked away in its own grounds and ringed by trees in a location between St Fillans and Comrie,
Inside and out the house has been sensitively and cleverly refurbished: the kitchen with slate floor and Aga is a particular highlight.
For sale with Asset Properties. See more pictures and details about this property.
Rotherham, South Yorkshire — £325,000
Sadly, it’s not the entirety of the magnificently-named Thundercliffe Grange which you get for your £325k, but any disappointment you might feel on discovering that fact will be dispelled once you see the glamorous interior of this Georgian mansion.
The apartment itself is a wonderfully-atmospheric three-bedroom home that has been decorated in great style.
There’s more, though. The purchase price also includes a share of the freehold in this Grade II-listed house — and the arrangement includes use of the communal ground floor rooms. How many apartments for sale include the use of a billiard room with a full-size table?
For sale with Fine & Country. See more pictures and details about this property.
Sunningdale, Berkshire — £400,000
You read the address right: Sunningdale, one of the most expensive commuter villages on the outskirts of London, and a place where buying a home is generally a question of spending millions.
For those who fancy the local atmosphere without the price tag, this two-bedroom place in an attractive mansion block has the famous golf club almost on its doorstep, and the centre of Sunningdale just a few moments’ stroll.
For sale with Chancellors. See more pictures and details about this property.
Walton-On-The-Hill, Surrey — £375,000
This utterly charming little cottage in Walton-on-the-Hill seems an astonishing bargain in this very-pricey neck of the woods, in the heart of this lovely village that’s a simple commute to London.
That said, there are compromises: a downstairs bathroom, for example. But it’s a pretty house with bags of character that looks like an ideal first home for a young couple.
For sale with Kaybridge. See more pictures and details about this property.
Masham, North Yorkshire — £400,000
If it’s space you’re after on a budget, this converted stone barn in the village of Fearby, near Masham, has plenty, with a living/dining room that’s almost 10m long and has a high ceiling.
Cruck Barn is the oldest house in the village, and while it needs a fair bit of sorting out — and the conversion work finishing off — it’s rare to find a 16th century home so full of quirky, original features.
For sale with Lister Haigh. See more pictures and details about this property.
Wimborne, Dorset — £400,000
A quirky thatched cottage backing onto fields that was owned by the National Trust until the present owners bought it in 2008, this two-bedroom home is full of period features.
Beyond the interior of thick walls, wooden beams and inglenook fireplaces there is also a garden with outside seating area, children’s playground and signs which give the place the feel of a beer garden at a lovely country pub.
For sale with Christopher Batten. See more pictures and details about this property.
Oxfordshire — £400,000
This dreamily-pretty four-bedroom thatched house is in the village of Longcot, roughly half-way between Oxford and Swindon, with easy access to both.
It’s deceptively large: there are four bedrooms and two bathrooms in a house with an unusual curved wall, plus a huge sitting/dining room.
Outside, there is a garden, garage and a series of sheds which were featured in a ‘Shed of the Year’ competition in 2018.
For sale with Perry Bishop and Chambers. See more pictures and details about this property.
Cheshire — £350,000
Clover Cottage is an incredibly pretty two-bedroom home from the outside that’s been beautifully-kept inside by the present owners, who have refurbished the whole place.
There are separate lounge, sitting room and dining rooms, with handsome beams running across the ceilings to give real cottage character.
The garden is a real feature too, a mix of formal planting, lawn and vegetable patch, with a greenhouse at the end.
For sale with James du Pavey. See more pictures and details about this property.
York — £375,000
Within the walls of the ancient city you’ll find this two-up, two-down terraced house that seems a perfect spot either for a young couple or downsizers looking to live in the heart of one of England’s prettiest cities.
As well as the sitting room, dining room, kitchen and two bedrooms there is also a study area and a cellar which has been converted into a home office.
For sale with Carter Jonas. See more pictures and details about this property.
Lake District — £390,000
Just a few miles off the M6 on the main road from Kendal to Kirkby Lonsdale is this six-bedroom barn conversion, part of a converted farmstead of six properties.
It’s a huge house — one which has been used as a holiday let, sleeping 12 people — with delightful views over the rolling countryside beyond.
For sale with Davis & Bowring. See more pictures and details about this property.
Argyll — £395,000
Location is the number one draw at Tignna-Mara, a five-bedroom villa on the banks of Loch Goil within the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park.
Inside, however, there is also plenty to like. There is a huge hallway, three reception rooms, kitchen and utility, plus a gym and games room and a huge loft that could be converted into something truly spectacular.
For sale with Dunoon Property. See more pictures and details about this property.
Morton On The Hill, Norfolk – £400,000
‘Prepare to fall in love’ warns Minors & Brady of this three-bedroom house by the River Wensum, and we do not disagree. Far from needing work, this charming property is shiny and ready to go.
With a beautifully-tended-to garden and some weird and wonderful interior choices, this is certainly a find – the new owners can either alter it a bi to suit their tastes or embrace the quirky environment the current owners have lovingly created.
For sale with Minors & Brady. See more pictures and details about this property.
Waternish The Bay, Skye – £399,995
You can almost hear the new owner sigh as they walk through the front door of this special house after a busy day at work. Sitting on the banks of Loch Fyne, this family home is unique and incredibly spacious, boasting six bedrooms and an idyllic location.
The views across the Loch speak for themselves. A favourite retirement spot, the village had benefited from the additions of a pontoon and a sailing club. A short drive from the nearest town, central Scotland can be accessed via A roads and by ferry, though why you’d ever want to leave we don’t know.
For sale with Argyll Estate Agents. See more pictures and details about this property.
Newcastleton, Cumbria – £380,000
11 bedrooms in an equestrian facility for under £400,000 sounds unimaginable, but that’s just what you’d be getting with Bailey Mill, placed just 8 miles from Newcastleton in Cumbria’s beautiful Bailey Water Valley.
The first lot includes the main house and four self-catering apartments, as well as the formal gardens. For those really keen on living the countryside life, the second lot includes stables, a ménage, two further apartments and various plots of land. The choice is yours.
For sale with Rettie. See more pictures and details about this property.
Vale of Glamorgan – £399,950
There’s an astonishing amount of period character in this extremely pretty cottage, surrounded by a wraparound garden in a village not far from Barry.
A stone fireplace and door surrounds give an almost gothic feel to the place in parts, and it’s lovely to see those original details being preserved – the pretty stone wall in the bathroom being a case in point.
For sale with Watts & Morgan. See more pictures and details about this property.
East Sussex – £400,000
A few miles north of the wonderful town of Rye you’ll find the village of Wittersham, and in that village sits this four-bedroom home that is bursting with potential.
It certainly needs some TLC and there are structural issues to address as well, but for a brave buyer there will be all manner of things to love about this family home, from its fine proportions and its location on the prettily-named Swan Street.
For sale with Warner & Gray. See more pictures and details about this property.
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