Pride & Prejudice, a party barn and a 22-bedroom country mansion: The 10 best properties for sale in 2017
Between Christmas and New Year, we're taking a look back at some of our most popular stories of the year – today, we look at the stunning properties for sale we wish we owned in 2017.


The Cotswolds manor house rumoured to be Prince Harry and Meghan’s new home
Luckington Court's claim to fame was once its starring role in the 1995 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. The rumour mill now suggests that it might soon have a very different claim to fame.
A dreamy Cotswold farmhouse complete with excellent equestrian facilities and a party barn
Bosmere Farm is a wonderful family house in a stunning rural setting.
‘The most beautiful house in Ireland’
A genuinely magnificent country house, Castletown Cox in County Kilkenny is as grand a residence as anyone could ever wish for.
A complete one-off for horse lovers: House with stables, manège… and a racetrack
In the countryside between York and Harrogate you'll find a curious and extraordinary property.
A 22-bedroom country mansion complete with a golf course, at the price of a Chiswick semi-detached
In the Scottish Borders a few miles away from Kelso lies the beautiful estate at The Roxburghe, which is on the market at the price of a west London four-bedroom semi.
A grand little castle for sale near the golf mecca of St Andrews
This grand country house with more than a touch of castle in its DNA is on the market at an astonishing price – but you'll need to act quickly.
Shropshire’s Baroque masterpiece, with ‘one of the finest interiors in England’, for sale for the first time in half a century
Mawley Hall is nothing less than one of Britain's finest privately-owned stately homes – a truly unique opportunity for whoever takes on this wonderful place.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
An amazing home carved out of a former reservoir
This eye-catching home just outside the pretty Devon town of Sidmouth is a genuine one-off.
An immaculate country house with equestrian facilities that are second to none
Idyllic Standen House at Chute Standen on the Hampshire-Wiltshire border has been cleverly redesigned for family life.
A magnificent Georgian house on the Isle of Mull
This house for sale on the Isle of Mull is a vision of Georgian cosiness in an idyllic natural setting.
Agnes has worked for Country Life in various guises — across print, digital and specialist editorial projects — before finally finding her spiritual home on the Features Desk. A graduate of Central St. Martins College of Art & Design she has worked on luxury titles including GQ and Wallpaper* and has written for Condé Nast Contract Publishing, Horse & Hound, Esquire and The Independent on Sunday. She is currently writing a book about dogs, due to be published by Rizzoli New York in September 2025.
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At the Bonneville Salt Flats, the only currency is speed
Charlie Thomas reports from Speed Week, and talks to those with a bad case of 'Salt Fever'.
By Charlie Thomas Published
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The Irish red and white setter: The rare beauty brought back from the brink
A history of Ireland’s original setter — the elegant, intelligent breed saved from extinction by devoted breeders and cherished as a symbol of the nation’s sporting heritage.
By Victoria Marston 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 Beyoncé
What 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 million
The 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 song
London 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
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A castle for sale just down the road from Gleneagles, where everyone from George VI to a farmer and his pigs once roamed the grand halls
Orchil Castle has seen it all in a tumultuous century and a half — but it's getting back to its best, and now needs a brave new owner to take it on the next step of its journey.
By Toby Keel Published
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Five homes with their own orchards that will be the apple of your eye (almost literally)
If you've been looking enviously this year at neighbours with apple trees that have been heaving with fruit, here is the solution: five lovely homes for sale that come with their own orchards.
By Arabella Youens Published
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A beautiful Victorian vicarage that was home to one of the Cadbury family heiresses is on the market
Penny Churchill tells the tale of Monks Bridge in Warwickshire.
By Penny Churchill Published
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An outrageously opulent mansion in London's answer to Beverly Hills, with a gym that 'wouldn't look out of place in a 7* hotel'
'One of the finest houses in St George's Hill' is on the market. Annabel Dixon takes a look at what's on offer.
By Annabel Dixon Published