Country Life's best property stories of 2018: Castles, cottages and pocket-sized perfection
Every week we feature dozens of the finest and most beautiful properties to come to the market in Britain – and beyond. Here are the ones which proved most popular in 2018.

Four perfect, pocket-sized character properties from just £275,000
Cute as buttons, cheap as chips.
The Cotswolds manor house rumoured to be Prince Harry and Meghan’s new home
Rumours swirled for months that HRH Prince Harry and his new bride would set up home in this fabulous place – a house which was also used in the BBC's famous adaptation of 'Pride and Prejudice' featuring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.
A 20-bedroom castle for sale at just £500,000 – but with a huge amount of work to do
This incredible place – one of the biggest renovation opportunities of the year – now has a new owner whose work is cut out for them.
‘One of the most beautiful houses in Gloucestershire’ is for sale, the place where Waugh wrote Brideshead Revisited
A 'genial, pleasantly rambling family house' which has our absolute favourite bathtub of the year.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
45 great places to live within an hour of London
There are literally thousands of places where you can live outside of London but still get to the city inside an hour – between this article and our superb guide to the 50 best places to live near London you'll have all the info you could need for making the move out of town.
The ‘Welsh Downton Abbey’ is about to be auctioned off for a song
This glorious home was built by the Mostyn family – specifically the 7th Baronet – between 1825 and 1829, to a design which largely ignored the late-Georgian fashions and instead created something closer to a Jacobean castle.
A fantasy castle for sale near the Peak District complete with moat, dungeon and suits of armour
Caverswall Castle's history stretches back almost 750 years – something which its present owner makes the absolute most of.
19 magnificent French houses, including a château for under £500,000
The French property market still has bargains which are almost impossible to believe by British standards, as we showed in this piece.
An entire cove for sale, including the ‘most-photographed house in Cornwall’
Unspoilt Lamorna Cove at West Penwith, five miles from Penzance, is one of the last remaining bays in Cornwall that remains in private hands.
A magnificent beachfront Scottish castle with 28 acres of wonderful woodland– all for less than a small country cottage
For £695,000 you could buy a respectably sized cottage in Berkshire, you might get a one bedroom flat in London’s zone two, or you could purchase a spectacular 18th century castle on the Island of Mull, with 10 bedrooms and stunning ocean views.
Credit: Massey PR
A winter weekend in Cornwall by train: No crowds, no cars, just blissful peace and beauty
Cornwall is even more beautiful without the summer crowds, says Kate Green, and you don't even need to drive to
Credit: Via Savills in Truro: For sale at a guide price of £2 million is Polbream, in Mullion, some eight miles south of Helston. This extended former farmhouse sits on its own headland, Polbream Point
A magnificent house on its own headland at The Lizard, the balmiest place in Britain
Polbream is for sale for the first time in a generation – Penny Churchill takes a look at this delightful Cornish
Credit: Williams & Goodwin
Six of Wales's finest homes, from a Cardiff mansion to an entire headland of Anglesey (complete with working lighthouse)
In honour of St David's Day, we take a look at some of the finest properties currently for sale across
Credit: Savills
A beautiful home on its own peninsula near Dartmouth, complete with helipad and glasshouse
Woods House occupies one of the finest positions on the River Dart.
Credit: Savills
Exquisitely private waterfront property in South Devon with a guest cottage, tennis court and private jetty
Gurrow Point sits on its own peninsula on the banks of the Dart, with 8000sq ft of elegant living space
Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director, and has been running the website and social media channels since 2016. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature.
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Water you're waiting for? Britain's best heritage lidos were built to save swimmers from polluted seas full of potato peelings, oil and coal — and they're still in action today
The seaside lido continues to offer safe swimming for holidaymakers irrespective of the tide, but they're also architectural gems worthy of our admiration.
By Kathryn Ferry Published
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Ironmongers' Hall: The medieval marvel destroyed by a First World War bomb, and it's inspiring 21st century renaissance
Ironmongers’ Hall in London EC2 — home of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers — is one of the Great Twelve City Livery Companies. This year it is celebrating the centenary of its Tudor-style Hall; John Goodall takes a look, and tells the remarkable story of the building. Photographs by Will Pryce for the Country Life Picture Library
By John Goodall Published
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The majestic New Forest estate formerly owned by a billionaire adventurer — famous for driving 'the world's fastest kettle' — has come up for sale
Great estates in the unspoilt setting of the New Forest are always a welcome sight on the market, and Newton Park is a wonderful example with a sad story to tell. Anna White tells more.
By Anna White Last updated
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A Hampshire Manor for sale that dates back to the days of Alfred the Great, with the most beautiful staircase we've seen in years
The ten bedroom property features an indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, spa complex and stables, and it was restored by the same architect who worked on Downing Street.
By Lotte Brundle Published
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The new property hotspots where you can have it all: Beautiful houses, great schools and idyllic lifestyle
Across the country people are selling up and heading to the towns where there's no compromise on dream homes, outstanding schooling and the good life, according to analysis from two of Britain's top estate agents. Anna White explains.
By Anna White Published
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Where Venice once ruled: The roving Venetians left handsome imprints across the Greek world, from its religion to its rambling villas
Matthew Dennison explores the lingering traces of Venice's vanished empire — and the best places to buy where it once stood.
By Matthew Dennison Last updated
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A delightful 16th century home with some of Kent's most beautiful gardens has come on to the market
The Grange puts the 'garden' into the Garden of England.
By Penny Churchill Published
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A pristine Scottish island for sale at the price of a garage in Fulham
A dot on the map of the west coast of Scotland has come on to the market, where you'll be surrounded by sea, living off grid and be neighbours with the local seal colony.
By Toby Keel Published
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18 beautiful homes, from charming cottages to a Highland mansion with unbeatable views, as seen in Country Life
Our look at some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life in the past week includes Georgian manor houses, charming commutable homes and the grandest home in Newcastle.
By Toby Keel Published
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The gorgeous Somerset home of the designer behind one of Glastonbury's chicest spots
The Manor in Hinton Blewitt is a glorious Georgian home that ticks every box.
By Toby Keel Published