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.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
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.
"
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.
"
‘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.
-
'The watch is Head Boy of men’s accessorising': Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey and Tom Chamberlin's Summer Season style secrets
When it comes to dressing for the Season, accessories will transform an outfit. Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey and Tom Chamberlin, both stylish summer-party veterans, offer some sage advice.
By Country Life Published
-
Lewis Hamilton, Claude Monet and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 29, 2025
Tuesday's Quiz of the Day looks back at Lewis Hamilton's first win and ponders on the meaning of greige.
By Toby Keel Published
-
About time: The fastest and slowest moving housing markets revealed
New research by Zoopla has shown where it's easy to sell and where it will take quite a while to find a buyer.
By Annabel Dixon Last updated
-
A wisteria clad hall built by one of the founders of the Bank of England
Come for the history of Old Hall. Stay for the interesting interiors.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
A gorgeous Scottish cottage with contemporary interiors on the bonny banks of the River Tay
Carnliath on the edge of Strathtay is a delightful family home set in sensational scenery.
By James Fisher Published
-
Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country Life
We take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
By Toby Keel Published
-
380 acres and 90 bedrooms on the £25m private island being sold by one of Britain's top music producers
Stormzy, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones are just a part of the story at Osea Island, a dot on the map in the seas off Essex.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in Kent
North Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
By James Fisher Published
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streets
This six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
By James Fisher Published
-
A tale of everyday life as lived on Britain's most expensive street
Winnington Road in Hampstead has an average house price of £11.9 million. But what's it really like? Lotte Brundle went to find out.
By Lotte Brundle Last updated