Best country houses for sale this week

Hertfordshire — £3.25 million

In the leafy outskirts of Hertford, a home has come up for sale that where a young rock band from London and their manager came together to change the world of music.

For sale via Hamptons — see more details and pictures.

Kent — £2.5 million

In the beautiful Kent countryside near Sevenoaks, the quirky and charming Chart Cottage has an inspiring tale to tell.

For sale via Hamptons — see more details and pictures.

Devon — £2.25 million

A Devon retreat with spectacular interiors, a swimming pool and enough green energy that you'll turn a profit on your electricity bill.

For sale via Marchand Petit — see more details and pictures.

Worcestershire — £1.35 million

A secluded cottage surrounded by a glorious valley, with open fires, ancient beams and a dedicated Lego room.

For sale via Morgan Aps — see more details and pictures.

Hertfordshire — £7,500,000

On an estate that was once owned by Westminster Abbey, this house was built and has evolved over the centuries, not least the 21st, to become a superb modern home, full of light and modern comforts while retaining its character.

An example? The ancient wine cellar looks like something from the Napleonic era, yet it sits below a swish Neptune kitchen.

The 18 acres of grounds, which Humphry Repton worked on in the late 18th century, are a highlight, and include a wonderful walled garden.

For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.

Kent — £5,000,000

Having a helicopter is one thing; having a helipad and hangar to land it on and keep it in is quite another, but Postling Lodge has both.

This spectacular home in the Kent Downs National Landscape, built in 2009 but since extended further, is slick and modern — with a pool that would grace a boutique country house hotel.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

Wiltshire — £1,600,000

On the market for the first time since it was built three decades ago, this lovely family home amid open countryside five miles from Chippenham is an amazing opportunity to create a life in the country — and the huge barns and 14 acres of land offer all sorts of options.

One thing to note though: there's an agricultural tie on the property, so you'll need to do your homework — our guide to buying property with an agricultural tie can point you in the right direction.

For sale via Webbpaton — see more details and pictures.

East Sussex — £5,950,000

With six bedrooms, over 8,000 sq ft and 55 acres, Socknersh Manor sits in a parcel of land near the village of Burwash. Beyond the main house — 16th century, fully refurbished and Grade II-listed — you'll find a series of barns, games rooms, lake, tennis court, and a coach house set up with a gym, cinema and much more.

For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.

Bedfordshire — £1,500,000

Tucked away down a discreet private driveway, this six-bedroom home sits in just over two acres of gardens, orchard and woodland, all backing on to open countryside.

For sale via Michael Graham — see more details and pictures.

West Sussex — £3.95 million

Lord Snowdon's country retreat, with wonderful gardens, a lake dug out by Snowdon himself, and the most fascinating bathroom we've ever come across is on the open market for the first time ever.

For sale via Blue Book — see more details and pictures.

London — £25 million

A country estate within Hampton Court Park, Evgeny Lebedev's magnificent mansion is full of beauty, art and charm.

For sale via Knight Frank and Savills — see more details and pictures.

Herefordshire — £25 million

The picture says it all: Dinmore is as spectacular an estate as you'll find for sale in Britain today.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

Surrey — £3,500,000

Tucked away in an enchanted spot ringed by woodland near Hindhead and Haslemere, Hunters is a wonderful little enclave on 12 acres of land.

The main house is full of charm, and a separate pool and poolhouse seem perfect for summer life in Britain.

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For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.

Devon — £6,500,000

The ultimate coastal estate? Glenthorne has a strong claim to that title, with 77 beautiful acres on the north Exmoor coast, beautifully tucked away, wonderfully private, and exquisite within.

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For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

West Sussex — £3,500,000

Mermaid Cottage sits on one of the most sought-after plots on the estuary at Bosham — and it's glorious. This Grade II-listed house was re-designed and extended in striking style in 2012, and is a superb blend of period charm and modern cool.

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For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.

Bedfordshire — £1,350,000

A magical Bohemian fantasy of a home, gorgeously presented, and full of wonderful touches as the pictures here show. There's also a detached garage building with workshop and a self-contained annexe above.

For sale via Michael Graham — see more details and pictures.

Perthshire — £10,500,000

One of the grandest residential and sporting estates in Scotland is seeking a new owner. The Kinnaird Estate has a fine main house, 11 cottages, four miles of salmon fishing, farmland, moorland, woodland, stalking, a pheasant shoot, gardens and a healthy holiday letting business.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

Oxfordshire — £5,250,000

A dream home on the Thames, with seven bedrooms, pool, tennis court and much more.

For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.

Argyll — £2.1 million

A house described as 'one of the most remarkable private holdings on Scotland's west coast', and while you'd expect an agent to talk a place up, you'll get no argument from us on this one. Truly outstanding in every way.

For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.

London — £25 million

The magnificent Ormeley Lodge, home of the socialite Annabel Goldsmith and her family — as well as a refuge for everyone from Diana, Princess of Wales, to Imran Khan — is for sale. And it's magnificent.

For sale at £25 million via Knight Frank and Sotheby's International Realty — see more details.

Gloucestershire — £1.85 million

Is there a more idyllic home in the Cotswolds for sale right now? This Georgian mill set in a dozen acres has a private lake, paddocks, woodland and access on to the Thames & Severn Canal.

For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.

New Forest — £4.25 million

The breathtakingly pretty Malwood Walk House has it all: wonderful period architecture, stylish new additions, exquisite gardens, and you can walk straight out of the gates into the New Forest near Lyndhurst.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

Hertfordshire — £3 million

Some 8,000 sq ft and a swimming pool beneath a vaulted ceiling at this historic manor house with fine country views. The pool — along with gym and sauna — is currently run as a business; whether you keep it that way is entirely up to you.

For sale via Michael Graham — see more details and pictures.

Devon — £1 million

Utterly idyllic, this thatched cottage in Chudleigh looks like something out of a picture book: it's covered in rambling roses, has delightful gardens, and is full of quirky charm.

For sale via Jackson-Stops — see more details and pictures.

Monmouthshire — £1.895 million

Penyclawdd Court is a remarkable, Grade I-listed country house in a wonderful rural spot near Abergavenny. Full of character, six bedrooms, and no chain to worry about.

For sale via Powells — see more details and pictures.

Herefordshire — £9 million

Huge excitement for this launch: Dinmore, ome of the most incredible properties in Herefordshire, has come on to the market. The ivy-clad cloisters with a tower at one end are breathtaking.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

Oxfordshire — £6.5 million

CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien used to meet regularly at Studley Priory, an outstanding 11-bedroom house that was, back in the day, a country hotel. Now, this venerable old building is a home once more — and what a home it is.

For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.

Norfolk — £4.5 million

An unbearably handsome Queen Anne house — plus four cottages — on this 47-acre estate in Great Hockham. This is a proper, rural playground, with superb grounds, swimming pool, tennis court and more.

For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.

Kent — £2 million

In a rural setting between Canterbury and the coast, this early 20th century home is peaceful and calming. A separate coach house is run as a successful holiday let.

For sale via Hobbs Parker — see more details and pictures.

Wiltshire — £7.9 million

Water, water everywhere in this Grade II*-listed house that sits on the banks of the Avon, with lakes alongside, and its own swimming pool. Period features abound — including plasterwork ceilings and open fires — and wait until you see the wine cellar.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

East Sussex — £7.035 million

Over 300 acres of Sussex to call your own — though the vendors are open to splitting the sale into as many as seven lots. At its heart is Oldcastle, a Grade II-listed country house of wonderful architectural beauty and historical significance.

For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.

A 13,000 sq ft house expanded by the current owners — with help from architect Ian Adam-Smith — in the spectacular and unspoilt Surrey Hills landscape south of Farnham.

The interiors — stylish and exotic — are also a highlight.

For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.

Nottinghamshire — £15 million

As grand as it gets, this ten-bedroomn, Grade II*-listed home has over 27,000sq ft of space, and sits in 49 acres of Sherwood Forest. Remarkable inside and out.

For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.

Buckinghamshire — £13 million

Some 250 acres of Buckinghamshire with a grand, unlisted country house at its heart, plus a thatched barn, stable block, tennis court and much more.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

West Sussex — £1.25 million

A wildly charming cottage dating to the 15th century in the village of West Hoathly, just down the road from the wonderful Gravetye Manor.

For sale via Jackson-Stops — see more details and pictures.

East Sussex — £8.25 million

On the site of an old Victorian bathhouse, this 6,250 sq ft home right on the seafront in Hove has five bedrooms, unbeatable sea views, a walled garden/courtyard, orangery, gym, music room, and off-street parking.

For sale via Pereds — see more details and pictures.

West Sussex — £4,950,000

A little bit of everything at this wonderful a house a literal stone's throw from Bosham Harbour, near Chichester. Ancient charm in the older parts of the house sit well alongside the newly-added sections, plus there's a pool and large grounds — including lawns, trees and a walled garden.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

Hertfordshire – £2 million

An 800-year-old, Grade I-listed manor house near the hugely popular (and easily commutable) village of Harpenden. The original features — including plasterwork, wood carving and centuries-old paintings — is beyond belief.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

Cornwall — £4.5 million

This former vicarage with views of the River Fowey is the sort of place you dream of inviting guests to at the weekend: seven bedrooms, tennis court, swimming pool and four and a half acres of gardens. A total joy.

For sale via Lillicrap Chilcott — see more details and pictures.

West Sussex — £3,250,000

A magical country pile for sale in Rogate, a West Sussex village not far from Petersfield. More than 7,000sq ft of space, Grade II*-listed and superb views across the South Downs.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

Surrey — £3.995 million

Party barn, sauna, and Jacuzzi meet flagstone floors, leaded windows and a gorgeously curved staircase at this farmhouse in the village of Dunsfold, near Godalming and Haslemere.

There's huge character throughout — and the swimming pool benath a roof of ancient beams is the perfect example.

For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.

Surrey — £8.95 million

Buckinghamshire — £2.25 million

This barn in Great Horwood has been converted into a Scandinavian-style retreat, with class walls, floating staircases and huge, light living areas.

The equestrian facilities — including stables, manege and paddock — are outstanding too.

For sale via Michael Graham — see more details and pictures.

Berkshire — £4 million

There's a slight hitch with this 6,000sq ft country house: it doesn't yet exist. What does exist is the five acres of grounds with planning permission all in place to create an inforgettable and private sanctuary in the North Wessed Downs. The approved design is for a family house arranged over three floors with five reception rooms, seven bedrooms and a detached triple garage.

For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.

Somerset — £6 million

'An immensely lovely example of the English country house at its most refined,' says the agent — and we can only nod our heads in agreement.

For sale via Blue Book — see more details and pictures.

Dorset — £10,600,000

An incredibly rare chance has come up to buy almost 1,000 acres of land in Dorset, with views of Chesil Beach and the Fleet Lagoon. Most of the property is arable land, but there is also a fine, four-bedroom barn conversion included in the sale.

For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.

Berkshire — £3,000,000

A historic country house with centuries of history, walled garden and tennis court, set in 18 acres. As well as the main house, a four-bedroom cottage and two-bedroom lodge are part of the package.

For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.

Buckinghamshire — £2,500,000

Outstanding equestrian facilities (five paddocks, stables and a manege) and a private fishing lake are a huge part of the appeal of this 1930s house. Inside, it's bright, airy and surprsingly modern — while the location is within catchment for Aylesbury's grammar schools.

For sale via Michael Graham — see more details and pictures.

East Lothian — £3,000,000

The family who've been at Kingston House are moving on after more than a century here. There's a little updating to be done in some rooms, but the house has clearly been looked after wonderfully well — and it has a superb location close to the charming town of North Berwick.

For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.

Cheshire — £9.5 million

A 278-acre estate that takes in lakes, woodland wonderful equestrian and sporting facilities (including two pools, a golf driving range and a full-scale gym). The house itself is full of charm, and there's a helipad to make it quicker to get to and from.

For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.

Battersea — £16 million

Seven bedrooms across four storeys in this magnificent riverside home, which according to the agents is thought to have been designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

Cornwall — £3.5 million

The agent calls this 'of Fowey's finest townhouses', and with magnificent views and a superb interior, it's not hard to agree.

For sale via Jonathan Cunliffe — see more details and pictures.

Buckinghamshire — £2.85 million

A 17th century house of over 4,500 sq ft, and a real mix of gnarled beams and modern comfort. There's also a separate converted barn.

For sale via Michael Graham — see more details and pictures.

Winchester — £2,650,000

This real rarity is a Huf Haus-designed house full of 'glass, light and precision design'. It's on a quiet, leafy road — yet you're just a short walk from the centre of beautiful Winchester, and the mainline railway station to London.

For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.

Devon — £6.95 million

All set within 60 acres of beautiful gardens and rolling grounds, in a sought-after position, The Sanctuary is a superb country home by any measure.

For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.

Dorset — £8.75 million

Nine bedrooms, 370 acres and 700 years of history in this truly magnificent — and beautifully-kept — medieval masterpiece near Dorchester.

For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.

Northamptonshire – £45 million

Quite simply one of the finest private-owned properties in Britain, as Penny Churchill wrote about here.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

Wiltshire — £3.2 million

This stone-built house dates to the 1920s, and is full of the character of the era — but it's the gardens, the pool and the wisteria growing gracefully across the façade which really makes it irresistible.

For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.

Hampshire – £8 million

The house, the setting — almost on the Solent, with views of the Isle of Wight — and the gardens... this is the stuff of dreams, as long as you dream big.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

Oxfordshire – £12 million

You could easily run out of superlatives to describe Kirtlington Park. Listed Grade I, designed by James Gibbs, refined by John Sanderson and with gardens by Capablity Brown, it's a greatest hits of English architectural elegance. Something like this only comes to the market very, very rarely. And what a joy when it does.

Featuring 17 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms and seven reception rooms, the house is astounding in almost every way, and has recently been restored and refurbished. All set in 29 acres of gardens and grounds, with a variety of amenities and outbuildings.

For sale via Savills – Click here for more details and pictures

Lincolnshire – £2.25 million

The Gothic mansion of Northorpe Hall is one of Lincolnshire's finest family homes, offering eight bedrooms, seven reception rooms and six bathrooms over its 10,000sq ft of living space.

There is much to love here, but most of all the interiors are where this property sings, with lashings of stained glass throughout, and elegant and rich reception rooms. The property also features 6.5 acres of gardens, grounds and parkland, and extensive garaging for up to 10 cars.

For sale via Strutt & Parker— see more details and pictures.

Surrey – £15 million

Few properties are as desirable as a home on the Wentworth Estate, and it's even more rare when something as architecturally significant as this mid-century Modernist property comes to market, with views over the world-famous West Course.

Six bedrooms, seven bathrooms and outstandingly well appointed, this home once served as the country estate of US ambassador John Hay Whitney. Originally built in the 1930s by Oliver Hill, the house is inspired by the works of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

For sale via Knight Frank and Savills — see more details and pictures.

Essex – £1.75 million

There are 'old vicarages', and then there's the Old Vicarage in Castle Hedingham. A superbly presented Grade II*-listed home, praised by Pevsner, the property must surely be one of the finest in the county.

The interiors are grand and spacious, but do need a little bit of love, and offer eight bedrooms set over three floors. A particular highlight is the acre of gardens that surround the property, as well as the achingly contemporary pool that has been seamlessly blended into the surrounding landscape.

For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.

Bedfordshire – £2.75 million

This list wouldn't be complete without a delightful bit of thatch, and that can be found at Strawberry Farm, just outside Milton Keynes.

Five well proportioned bedrooms are married to a plethora of period interiors, making this a country house that is vanishingly traditional. Set in 10 acres of land, with extensive grounds, outbuildings and bags of potential, the property is also within easy reach of London, giving you the best of both worlds.

For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.

Malmesbury — £9.5 million

Imagine a Cotswolds mansion crossed with an Arts-and-Crafts house, all designed by a tech billionaire... and the result would probably be something along the lines of Ladyswood, a country house that tears up the rulebook in fine style.

It's bold, for sure, but is all done with a vast amount of style and panache — and the stables are the sort of thing that would bring out the Rupert Campbell-Black in anyone.

For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.

Badminton — £9.5 million

This ivy-clad home is so beautiful it could bring a tear to the eye, but it's more than just charming and quaint. It's a 15,000sq ft mansion with a vastly impressive leisure suite, grand reception rooms and eight bedrooms.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

Condicote — £21.65 million

There are half a million acres in the Cotswolds AONB, and the new owners of Hinchwick Manor Estate will own just under a quarter of a percent of the whole lot — at over 900 acres, this is a vast stretch of land. As you'd expect, there are several properties included (including a five-bedroom barn conversion) , but the Grade II-listed manor house at the centre of it all is utterly magnificent.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

Just outside Bath — £13.95 million

Just a short drive from Bath — and also within easy reach of Bristol — the incongrously-named Beach House is a joy, with a mix of Georgian architecture and Clive Christian-designed interiors.

It's a wonderful blend, from the grand and ornate reception rooms to a playroom that looks like a private soft play centre, and its own private pub. Six more properties within the 57 acres come as part of the deal.

For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.