How to find a place to live on one of Britain's great estates
Houses don't often come up for rent, let alone sale, within the great estates of the nation — but there are some tips you'll need to know if that's what you're after. Madeleine Silver explains more.


Ask Lord Rotherwick when the last time a cottage came up for rent on his 5,000-acre Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire and he’ll struggle to remember. ‘We haven’t had one come up for well over a year,’ says the 65-year-old owner, who downsized to a smaller estate house from Grade I-listed Cornbury House in 2016.
‘It’s the tranquil environment that people enjoy the most. But you have great difficulty if you want to get the cottages back — people love them dearly.’
Rupert Sturgis at Knight Frank in Cirencester agrees that ‘estate cottages are as rare as hen’s teeth… Current estates tend to hold onto them. They either have retained staff in them or they’ve done them up and earn a very good rental income from them because of the beauty of that environment.
‘If you take the big estates around here in Gloucestershire,’ he continues, ‘such as Badminton or Bathurst, they’re in the most amazing locations and they’re unspoilt, because they have one landlord. A lot of the estates are now so popular, they have their own letting agents, as well as long waiting lists.’
'Get in a rental position, be cashed up and ready to go'
The appeal is obvious: a five-bedroom farmhouse on the Badminton estate — within reach of Bath and Bristol — available to rent for £2,950pcm, is worthy of a children’s picture book. ‘They don’t make period properties anymore, so there’s huge demand and limited supply,’ says Mr Sturgis. ‘You have people who want a full-time home, a second home or an occasional retreat, so you’re competing with an awful lot of folk.’
At the Cornbury estate, Lord Rotherwick estimates that 30% of the properties are second homes. ‘As a weekender, you’re plugging into an existing network,’ says Philip Eddell, head of country and London house consultancy at Savills, pointing to the ease of living in a well-managed landscape. ‘There will be a community feel and people living and working on the estate who will keep an eye out.’
Slick in-house maintenance teams are another enviable perk. ‘You know that when you phone up and say your tap’s leaking or your roof has a problem, you’ll be looked after. You’re dealing with a landlord who has multiple properties and knows how to manage them,’ explains Mr Sturgis.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
For all of the charm of living amid rolling parkland, there a few cons to consider, warns Mr Eddell. ‘You’re not top dog, because there’s always a landlord and if you want to have wild parties, that’s probably not going to go down well,’ he says. ‘And although estate houses will normally be very well maintained, totally compliant and the minimum standards done very well, it might be a bit no frills, because it’s not an owner-occupier who’s lived in the house.’
'We probably only advertise 10% of the properties that come up'
None of this makes clinching a property any easier for hopeful tenants, who are advised to scour estates’ websites and social-media feeds for vacant properties. ‘Most of our tenants have been in the properties for a number of years and they don’t tend to go in a hurry,’ says Ralph Peters at Bidwells in Perthshire. ‘We operate a waiting list, but often the landlord will prefer word of mouth. If a house is empty, it’s likely someone will have heard it’s coming up for rent before it’s vacated and get their name down. We probably only advertise 10% of the properties that come up.’
Buying can be an even rarer prospect. As Lord Rotherwick says, keeping the fabric of the estate intact is top of the agenda. ‘It’s very much client dependent and about what the estate strategy is, depending on what they have, what might be surplus and what might appeal in the market,’ says Ross Low at Bidwells in Perthshire, with buyers advised to do their homework as usual about services and plans for the estate.
‘If an estate is offering a property for sale, there’s a good chance it has been tenanted and had a secure occupant for some time. Often, the property remains as it was when originally built, with lots of period features and scope to modernise, which is exciting for purchasers who want to put their own stamp on it, subject to planning,’ says Mr Sturgis.
‘We recommend to anyone hoping to buy that they move down, get in a rental position, be cashed up and ready to go, so that when the right property does come up, they can pounce.’
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
The life that thrives among the dead: How wildlife finds a home in the graveyards and churchyards of Britain
Home to a veritable ‘Noah’s Ark of species’, thanks to never being ploughed, sprayed or fertilised, our churchyards offer a sacred haven for flora and fauna, says Laura Parker.
By Laura Parker Published
-
‘What a shame when a dinosaur disappears into the mansion of an oligarch rather than being displayed for all to enjoy’: The ethics of the dinosaur auction
Fancy a stegosaurus in your living room? You can buy one at auction. But the latest luxury good is a paleontologist's worst nightmare.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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