Suffolk – £450,000
A quaint little village made famous by Gainsborough, Constable and the BBC’s Lovejoy, Long Melford also boasts an accomplished former resident: Admiral William Hanwell, who commanded vessels against Napoleon in the early 1800s, and this home – Hanwell House – has a Blue Plaque to show for it.
A Grade II-listed Georgian property, it has high ceilings, three bedrooms and a courtyard garden. The market town of Sudbury is only two miles away and Bury St Edmunds is 12 miles to the north.
For sale with Carter Jonas. See more pictures and details about this property.
Norfolk – £400,000
The Old Beams is a Grade II-listed 16th-century cottage that has a lovely west-facing garden with a natural pond.
It's set in the low-density village of Forncett St Peter, not far from Wymondham, and which has three churches, an well-regarded primary school and a pub.
For sale with Jackson-Stops. See more pictures and details about this property.
Warwickshire – £499,950
Period features about at this picture-perfect, three-bedroom cottage with inglenook fireplace, thatched roof and several wood-burning stoves.
The cottage is in Stoneleigh, five miles from Leamington Spa and Kenilworth, and backs on to a meadow.
For sale with Wiglesworth. See more pictures and details about this property.
Somerset – £395,000
On an elevated spot, just opposite the beginning of a footpath in the village of Crowcombe, near Taunton, that leads up onto the Quantock Hills, picture-perfect Grade II-listed Dairy Cottage has two bedrooms, open fireplaces and an Aga.
The south-facing gardens are on two levels, with raised flowerbeds and a crescent-shaped terrace.
For sale with Jackson-Stops. See more pictures and details about this property.
Oxfordshire – £495,000
In the village of Marcham, about two miles west of Abingdon and 10 miles from Oxford, lies this picturesque, stone-built thatched cottage.
It has two main bedrooms with a third that's currently used as a study, plus two separate receptions and beautiful gardens adjacent to the grounds of Denman in Marcham Village.
For sale with Thomas Merrifield. See more pictures and details about this property.
Devon – £275,000
The proportions of Flowerpot Cottage are deceptively large, say agents, with two bedrooms, a dining room with stone floors, wood-burning stoves and an inglenook fireplace with a bread oven.
It’s one of the oldest cottages in Yealmpton, which has a primary school, two pubs and two churches and is surrounded by miles of footpaths, including in the inviting Yealm valley.
For sale with Marchand Petit. See more pictures and details about this property.
Credit: H Tiddy
12 stunning character properties for sale at under £400,000
Thatched homes in Cornwall and West Sussex are among the many highlights of these gorgeous character cottages for sale.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
-
Baby elephants, 60s classics and David Beckham's last meal on planet earth in the Country Life Quiz of the Day, October 24, 2025Test your general knowledge this fine Thursday.
-
In the footsteps of the Beckhams: Five beautiful homes in Manchester, Miami, Madrid, London and the CotswoldsIn honour of this week's guest editor of Country Life, we take a look at some of the finest homes for sale in places that Sir David Beckham and his family have called home in the last 25 years.
-
The wisteria clad cottage where Noël Coward and Ivor Novello held court at the height of their fameThe 17th-century Follejon Cottage just outside Windsor was a perfect escape from the city for Noël Coward and his circle of friends. As it goes on the market, Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
A Cotswolds property that's the strangest mix of old and new we've ever seen... and yet somehow, it all worksThe Gasworks is a house quite unlike anything you've seen before — or at least anything you've seen all in one place. Toby Keel takes a closer look.
-
A country house near Windsor that could be straight from the pages of a Jilly Cooper novelPenny Churchill looks at the beautiful polo-lover's sanctuary that is Barkham Square Park.
-
The factory that once fuelled the Victorians' insatiable appetite for pianos has become a set of gorgeous, characterful apartmentsChappell & Co were a huge name in 19th century music, even working with Beethoven. Today, one of their old factories in Camden has become a series of beautiful apartments.
-
What £1 million buys you across Britain, from a Cornish cottage to a miniature castle in the HighlandsSprawling country houses, a mini-estate in Scotland and homes where the sea almost laps up at your feet are among the property options open to those with a seven-figure budget. Here's our pick of the best £1 million houses for sale across the land.
-
The Hampshire home of a Victoria Cross-winning British WWI ace fighter pilot is for sale, with lake, chapel and some of the best fishing rights in EnglandPenny Churchill looks at Longparish House, a north Hampshire haven on the River Test.
-
Five superb country homes, from under £1 million to £20 million, as seen in Country LifeOur look at some the best homes to come up for sale via Country Life in the past week includes a Wiltshire dream home and a vast Kent mansion that's an easy commute to the City.
-
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 BeyoncéWhat 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.
