Country Life's 10 best property stories of 2020, from Cotswolds cottages to the 17,000sq ft mansion for sale at £400k
Sprawling mansions, charming cottages, vast estates... the property market boomed in the second half of 2020, and these were the places which most caught your imaginations.
NB: As we've looked back, some of the homes below have now been sold — but at the time of writing, not all. If you've £10m burning a hole in your pocket and feel like buying up thousands of acres in the Highlands, you might be in luck...
A magnificent Cotswolds manor house with pool, walled garden and a rich history of intrigue
Credit: Knight Frank
Penny Churchill looked at Luckington Manor in October, telling its tale of history and intrigue.
An eight-bedroom, 17,000sq ft Italianate mansion for sale at just £400,000 — and yes, there is a catch…
Credit: Strutt &Parker
That catch is pretty much summed up by the picture of Blackborough House.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
A waterfront house in West Sussex that’s Georgian at the front — and a bit of a surprise at the back
Credit: Jackson-Stops
James Fisher found a place in Sussex that was the property equivalent of tucking a racy modern novel into a Jane Austen dust jacket.
What £1 million buys across Britain today
Credit: Savills
Toby Keel discovered houses on the 7-figure mark from a graceful Sussex home to a Scottish mansion complete with loch.
A vanishingly rare chance to own 9,300 acres of pristine Scottish Highlands
Credit: Galbraith
Kinrara has mountains, lochs, and eight estate houses and cottages — and at the time of writing it's still for sale.
A 13-bedroom castle under £1m with a stunning oak-panelled library and impossibly romantic boathouse
Credit: Galbraith
Glencruitten House came under the microscope in March, a quite astonishing house with a barrel-vaulted library that has a secret door.
A heartbreakingly pretty house with party room, swimming pool and the best of the north Cotswolds on its doorstep
Credit: Savills
The £3m Grade II-listed The Manor House at Chipping Norton had ‘the wonderful homely feel of a house your parents might have lived in for 30 years,' discovered Penny Churchill.
A country house hotel that’s ripe to return to life as a spectacular Devon mansion
Credit: Marchand Petit
A spectacular £2.5m house that had been converted into a grand country house hotel — and the time looks right for it to become a family home once more.
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A beautiful Norfolk estate that’s been in the same family for a century and a half, including a house with the ‘perfect party kitchen’
Credit: Savills
Wood Hall, on the market at a £9.35m guide price, is a storied estate in Norfolk with a wealth of opportunity for buyers.
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‘The most perfect small 15th-century country house in the kingdom’ has come up for sale
Credit: Knight Frank
June saw the launch — at a guide price of ‘offers over £5 million’ — of Grade I-listed Cothay Manor and its magical gardens near Wellington, Somerset, a house first described in Country Life back in 1927.
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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Sophia Money-Coutts: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but should dogs really be allowed in posh hotels?Dog lover, Sophia Money-Coutts, debates whether our canine companions should be able to accompany us to Five Star establishments.
By Sophia Money-Coutts Published
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Country Life 22 October 2025Country Life 22 October 2025 is guest edited by Sir David Beckham, with the football icon sharing his love of the countryside, his favourite recipe, showing Alan Titchmarsh around his Cotswolds.
By Country Life Published
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The factory that once fuelled the Victorians' insatiable appetite for pianos has become a set of gorgeous, characterful apartmentsChappell & Co were a huge name in 19th century music, even working with Beethoven. Today, one of their old factories in Camden has become a series of beautiful apartments.
By Toby Keel Published
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What £1 million buys you across Britain, from a Cornish cottage to a miniature castle in the HighlandsSprawling country houses, a mini-estate in Scotland and homes where the sea almost laps up at your feet are among the property options open to those with a seven-figure budget. Here's our pick of the best £1 million houses for sale across the land.
By Toby Keel Published
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The Hampshire home of a Victoria Cross-winning British WWI ace fighter pilot is for sale, with lake, chapel and some of the best fishing rights in EnglandPenny Churchill looks at Longparish House, a north Hampshire haven on the River Test.
By Penny Churchill Published
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Five superb country homes, from under £1 million to £20 million, as seen in Country LifeOur look at some the best homes to come up for sale via Country Life in the past week includes a Wiltshire dream home and a vast Kent mansion that's an easy commute to the City.
By Toby Keel Published
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Rock stars and the country house: Liam Gallagher's life in the Cotswolds is in the finest tradition of music A-listers, from The Beatles to BeyoncéWhat is it about the British countryside that draws A-listers from every walk of life? With Liam Gallagher's Cotswold former home on the market, Toby Keel takes a look.
By Toby Keel Published
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Life on Portugal's Coast of Kings, where Ian Fleming met the triple-agent whose gambling inspired 'Casino Royale'Once a quiet fishing village west of Lisbon, Cascais became an unlikely hive of activity during the Second World War, attracting regal refugees and intelligence operatives in equal measure. Russell Higham investigates its enduring glamour — and its connection to Casino Royale.
By Russell Higham Published
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An extraordinary Italian palazzo built in the heart of Oxfordshire is up for sale at £16 millionThe Palazzo Pallavicini in Genoa inspired the creation of Newington House, which is on the market for the first time in 35 years.
By Penny Churchill Published
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A bum deal on a bog-standard property? The former public conveniences being sold off for a songLondon has several affordable properties with enviable postcodes and great lighting... so long as you're happy spending more than a penny on a Victorian loo.
By Toby Keel Published
