Lion Castle Plantation House, St Thomas, $11 million (£9.08m) 11 bedrooms, swimming pool, private garden, terraces, 140 acres This historic plantation property includes the four-bedroom, 9,000sq ft main house, built in 1721 of coral stone, a two-storey apartment building and a separate three-bedroom manager’s house— all with spectacular views of the island’s south coast. Chestertons International (020–7201 2071)
Cockade House, Cane Garden, St Thomas, $11.5 million (£9.5m)
Seven bedrooms, swimming pool, folly, 5½ acres Originally built in the 1700s on a sugar plantation, this seven-bedroom property, with a main house and two cottages, was reconfigured by mid-20th-century designer Oliver Messel, who also incorporated a ruined folly by the pool. Notable guests have included Pavarotti. One Caribbean Estates (00 1 246 620 4000)
Sandy Lane Estate, St James, $9.5 million (£7.84m)
Four bedrooms, five bathrooms, secondary and staff accommodation Filled with colonial-style arches, this elegant home benefits from the prestigious Sandy Lane golf courses, tennis courts, beach and spa and its main reception room opens onto a covered verandah. The dining room, is open on two sides to landscaped, tropical surroundings. Knight Frank (020–7861 1553)
Firefly, Mount Standfast, St James, $3.95 million (£3.26m)
Five bedrooms, swimming pool, 24-hour security, guest cottage In lush private gardens with exotic fruit trees, Firefly enjoys spectacular views over the landscaped terrain of Sugar Hill and the Caribbean beyond. All bedrooms have en-suite marble bathrooms. Knight Frank (020–7861 1097) and Savills (020–7016 3740)
Atelier House, Carlton Ridge, St James, $4.6 million (£3.8m)
Four bedrooms, infinity pool Bringing a cool contemporary look to tropical climes, this four-bedroom villa, half a mile from the famous beaches of Barbados’s platinum coast, hits the spot. Built in 2012 and surrounded by a half-acre garden of palms, lilies, bougainvillea and flowering shrubs, it has a dramatic double-height sitting room, extensive outdoor terraces and ocean views. Savills (020–7016 3740)
Coral House, Gibbs, St Peter, $2.15 million (£1.78m)
Four bedrooms, tropical gardens, large swimming pool This elegant four-bedroom, two-storey villa in a quiet and secure residential location with no through traffic is a five-minute walk from spectacular Gibbs Beach, thought to be one of the most beautiful in Barbados. Sotheby’s (020–7993 6508)
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‘City gents in bowler hats beat on our shop windows shouting “immoral!” and “disgusting!”’: The rise (and rise) of the mini skirtWhat the mini skirt lacked in length it more than made up for in meaning.
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Five years, 10,400 miles and a boatload of stories: Mark Ashley-Miller on the Country Life PodcastMark Ashley-Miller, the man who sailed to every harbour in Britain and Ireland, joins the Country Life Podcast.
