They're certainly not for everyone. Some people feel a little disconcerted by high ceilings, unusual windows and the quirkiness of any fixtures and fittings left over from the building's former life.
Others, however, will scratch their heads in wonder at the thought that not everybody would love the places precisely because of all the above. They'll gleefully convert baptismal fonts into bathroom sinks, build mezzanine floors to allow for bedrooms beneath the galleried ceilings and happily cut a letterbox into the four-inch thick oak doors.
This beautiful Cotswolds church — on sale for £495,000 via Savills — is a case in point:
The main living areas keeps an incredible sense of space, while an impressive master suite is tucked in to the space above and includes a dressing room and a very well appointed bathroom tucked into the beautiful old roof.
Outside, the building is incredibly pretty — as is the setting in the Cotswolds AONB near Stroud.
The Old Chapel is for sale at £495,000 via Savills — see more pictures and details.
Equally impressive is this church in Woodlesford, a West Yorkshire village close to the A1(M) and M62 near Leeds — it's for sale via Fine & Country at £800,00.
While the Cotswolds church makes for a fairly small house, this is a huge family home with over 5,000sq ft of space, including four bedrooms and a games room.
The way the living space has been designed to make the most is just wonderful — not least in the dining room:
Most eye-catching of all, however, is the way that wooden staircases have been incorporated into the original design of the church — they've been kept wonderfully in keeping, and make a real feature of the stained glass.
All Saints House is for sale through Fine & Country at £650,000 — see more details and pictures.
A similar approach has been used at this truly sensational home in Tiverton, Devon, which is on the market at £650,000 via Stags.
Visitors to the church would scarcely believe what lies beyond the Gothic arch doorway as they enter via the old churchyard:
The blend of old and new, traditional and modern is bold and glorious. A bright green range cooker sits beneath a modern extractor and dome lightshades while the light streams in through the huge stained glass windows to one side:
The bedrooms are build into the roof space, but cleverly boxed off to offer privacy and noise protection — something that can be a problem for some buyers, particularly those with children who need to get to sleep before the adults hit the sack. It's real lesson in making a lovely old building into a genuinely effective modern home.
Old Church, Cove, Tiverton is for sale at £650,00 via Stags — see more pictures and details.
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
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.
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A home where medieval, Georgian and modern come together in rare styleSet in a couple of acres in the leafy outskirts of Essex, Rochfords is a family house that blends old and new with charm and a sense of fun.
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Missing ponies, Highland games, and a lighthouse in the Shetland Isles. It's a very Scottish Country Life Quiz of the DayImpress your friends north of the border by scoring highly on all things Scotland.
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A home where medieval, Georgian and modern come together in rare style
Set in a couple of acres in the leafy outskirts of Essex, Rochfords is a family house that blends old and new with charm and a sense of fun.
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A private island in the Thames Estuary is up for sale at £50,000, complete with its own Victorian fortDarnet Fort, is seeking a new owner — but it's going to need someone of great vision and spirit.
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A 500-year-old house with interiors by Soho House's designer, gardens by an RHS Chelsea gold medallist and its own grass tennis courtHaslingfield Manor is an extraordinary mix of styles and ideas, from Tudor Britain to the cutting edge of modern design. Penny Churchill takes a look.
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Utterly wonderful country homes for sale across Britain, from a 10-bedroom mansion to a Devon hideaway, as seen in Country LifeFrom an irresistibly charming house in Devon to a 400-year-old commutable home in Hertfordshire, here's our pick of some of the best homes to come to market via Country Life in the past week.
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The London house where Rolls-Royce's co-founder Charles Rolls tinkered with his very first car is for sale at £17 millionCharles Rolls, the engineer and co-founder of Rolls-Royce, got his hands dirty when using the stables of this fine London home as a makeshift garage. Annabel Dixon reports.
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A vineyard for sale on the slopes above 'the best beach in Britain' is for sale at just £650,000In the beautifully unspoilt Devon village of Bantham, an award-winning vineyard is for sale. Toby Keel takes a look.
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This spectacular 14th-century castle has had its price cut by £7.5 million. Here's whyThe art and science of being an estate agent is never trickier than when dealing with homes that are being sold for the first time in centuries — and Ripley Castle in Yorkshire provides the perfect example. Lucy Denton explains more.
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A simply perfect thatched cottage in Devon, with charm, walled gardens and all the space you need for family lifeThatched cottages are often pretty, but pretty small — but Julie Harding finds one brings which blends cottage charm with the space of a country manor.
