Paul O'Grady's 'oasis of nature' in Kent
The late entertainer's home was our most clicked-on property of the year, which told the tale both of the house and also how O’Grady and his husband Andre Portasio spent 17 years turning the property into a wildlife haven. A wildlife haven with seven bedrooms, 20 acres and a dance studio.
A farmhouse and 200 acres of the Lake District for sale at the same price as a two-bedroom flat in Barnet
This wonderful opportunity to build a new life in the country popped up just a few weeks ago, but still made it into second spot in our top 20.
An iconic movie star's £10 million home in Buckinghamshire
The great Dirk Bogarde was British cinema's biggest star in the post-war era, and the house he lived in was exactly the sort of country home you'd imagine him throwing parties with the likes of Alec Guinness and Noël Coward invited.
Welcome to the Notswolds: The county with 'all the ambience of the Cotswolds without the price tag'
Not a house in fourth place but an entire county as we took a look at Rutland's many wonderful qualities... and where a classic Georgian rectory is under £1 million.
The 'places to live' ranking that lists all 1,429 towns, cities and large villages in England and Wales
As ever with these lists, the methodology can be questioned and the results might leave you scratching your chin... but it's hard not to dive in simply to find out where your own home town ranks — and gawp in surprise at the place on top of the list.
A five-bedroom Georgian country home on the edge of the Lake District for less than a three-bedroom London flat
Swapping city for country is something many of us dream of, and this wonderful old house made it look incredibly appealing.
A Scottish island for sale with seals, seven houses, a lighthouse and its own pub
Its own pub!
Freddie Mercury's house is on the market, 46 years after he bought it following an advert in Country Life
The Queen lead singer left his home to Mary Austin after his death in 1991. She spent the past 30 years looking after it, but decided to sell it earlier this year.
A medieval Manor house that was once a royal hunting lodge
A Jacobean main staircase, a 13th-century Great Hall, and a giant spa-style bathtub come together under one roof.
A remarkable Edwardian country house in one of Herefordshire's most enviable locations
After 120 years in the same family, this glorious place hit the market for the first time.
'One of Britain's greatest estates' up for sale for the first time in a generation
A castle, river and 711 acres of Cumbria. Magnificent.
An exquisite Georgian country house in a village with an irresistibly quirky name
The entire map of Britain is full of gloriously quirky place names (Auchtermuchty in Fife and Pratt’s Bottom in Kent are particular favourites), but for a constant stream of magnificently bananas places, it’s hard to beat the West Country.
The £30 million Dorset estate that comes with a 200-year-old mansion, a cricket ground, a nature reserve and an entire village
Finally an answer to the question of what to buy For the man or woman who really has everything.
A gorgeous Devon home owned by a great novelist and a Hollywood star, set in one of Britain's most unusual seaside villages
A beautiful house, a magical location, a fascinating tale to tell... and this house even had a bargain price tag.
A true once-in-a-lifetime chance as 554 acres of blissful English countryside up for sale
Country estates are hard to find, but this one within 50 miles of central London was an incredible rarity.
The country house where the architects threw out the rulebook, and created 'one of the best 12 homes in Britain'
Who said houses have to be a collection of rectangles? Penny Churchill looked at a place which subverted the usual form of country house design.
An utterly gorgeous Victorian house with character, charm and a couple of acres, all for just £650k
Sometimes a house comes on to the market which seems to offer so much, for so little, that it’s genuinely hard to believe.
A picture-perfect country house tucked away in its own secret valley
An utterly charming home with land, a pool and an exquisite verandah.
A Scottish island with beaches and a castle, all for the price of a two-bedroom London flat
Sweet dreams are made of houses like these.
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
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'You could walk round it every day and always notice something new': A private tour of the garden of multiple Chelsea gold medallist John MasseyInspired by his friends Christopher Lloyd and Princess Greta Sturdza, nurseryman and plant breeder John Massey has made a garden in Worcestershire that never ceases to delight, writes Charles Quest-Ritson. Photographs by Clive Nichols
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‘Once upon a time they covered an area the size of Ireland’: The restoration of Britain’s native oyster reefs is shaping future marine projects around the worldJane Wheatley reports on an innovative project to restore Britain’s once plentiful native oyster reefs in Tyne & Wear.
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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.
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An extraordinary Italian palazzo built in the heart of Oxfordshire is up for sale at £16 millionThe Palazzo Pallavicini in Genoa inspired the creation of Newington House, which is on the market for the first time in 35 years.
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A bum deal on a bog-standard property? The former public conveniences being sold off for a songLondon 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.
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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 hallsOrchil 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.
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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.
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A beautiful Victorian vicarage that was home to one of the Cadbury family heiresses is on the marketPenny Churchill tells the tale of Monks Bridge in Warwickshire.
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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.
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Six homes with fantastic features, from pools and paddocks to waterside settings, as seen in Country LifeOur look at the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week includes a Chipping Norton farm and a Cornish dream home
