Five magical homes for sale, from an 18,000sq ft mansion in Devon to a 1960s-period piece right on the waterfront in Cornwall
Our look at some of the best homes to appear in the pages of Country Life in the past week or so includes a gem in Surrey that's deceptively new, and an eco-home in Hertfordshire.
Devon — £3.95 million
An estate mentioned in the Domesday Book, with a spectacular tale to tell. The house has been here since at least the 13th century, was once the house of the Bishop of Exeter, and was expanded and enlarged in the 19th century to turn it into the Gothic Revival mansion that it is today.
18,000 sq ft, eight bedrooms, plus a string of ancillary flats make this more than just a home in the countryside outside Exeter. And did we mention the chapel, with its stained glass windows?
For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.
East Sussex — £5 million
Over 100 acres of land, staggeringly impressive equestrian facilities (including a hangar-like barn containing an indoor manege) and a sprawling eight-bedroom house, set in rolling hills near Hartfield, between Tunbridge Wells and East Grinstead. A country estate that's genuinely commutable to London.
For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.
Surrrey — £6.95 million
At first glance a classic Arts-and-Crafts mansion in the Surrey hills between Guildford and Dorking, but a closer look reveals a house built to exacting standards as recently as 2013.
The countryside — which is incredibly unspoilt considering the proximity to London — surrounds the place, while inside there's charm, space, and a magnificent wine cellar-slash-tasting room.
For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.
Hertfordshire — £1.7 million
Surrounded by countryside in the village of Cottered, this home — which is less than two years old — might be very new, but it scores highly for its location and (unlike far too many new builds) the 1.37-acre plot.
And what you might lose in character you gain back in energy savings: this superbly-insulated house has an air source heat pump, solar panels and more eco-friendly elements to earn it an impressive EPC rating of 87.
For sale via Michael Graham — see more details and pictures.
Cornwall — £3.4 million
A five-bedroom house right on the water at Restronguet Point, giving unmatched views across the Fal Estuary.
The house itself dates to the 1960s — it was built by well-known local architect John Crowther — and retains a mid-20th-century vibe within, with parquet flooring and huge picture windows. But really, this one is all about the location and the 135ft of waterfront to call your own.
For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.
