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2 months ago
Check out these ravishing rural residences
Whether you dream of retiring to a rural manor or are looking to buy a second home in the countryside, our roundup of beautiful country homes brings you the latest in luxury rural real estate.
Although Queen Elizabeth II was once the owner of this Victorian home, she was not the one who lived there. Rather, she gifted the eight-bedroom, six-acre estate to her horse trainer, Major Dick Hern. The estate features a tennis court, swimming pool stables and party barn, plus a toilet nicknamed the ‘Queen Mother’s loo’ on account of her visits to the house.
£4,750,000, struttandparker.com
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Set in 37 acres of grounds, this Grade II listed Georgian country house is straight out of the pages of a Jane Austen novel. Recently updated by Adam Architecture, the estate features a six-bedroom main house, plus an additional Guest Lodge and Gate House.
£8,500,000, search.savills.com and knightfrank.co.uk
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Dating back to 1580, this timber-framed abode has attracted some remarkable owners throughout the years. After WWII, it was home to Oscar-winning actor Sir John Mills, best known for his role in Great Expectations, and later Roger Hargreaves – creator of the Mr Men and Little Miss books. Set within 30 acres, this nine-bedroom property boasts a swimming pool, tennis court and equestrian facilities, just a stone’s throw from London.
£3,950,000, ddre.global
A contemporary interpretation of a Palladian country house, this five-bedroom estate sits within 94 acres of historic Cheshire parkland. Centred around a striking circular atrium, Withington Hall boasts drawing, dining and billiard rooms, plus an indoor pool, gym, sauna and steam room. An additional heated pool sits outside, while a sunken tennis court, equestrian facilities, woodland, five-acre lake, livable pool house and guest cottages complete this mammoth offering.
£25,000,000, jackson-stops.co.uk
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Set behind a medieval moat, this Grade I listed country house dates back to the 15th century. Restored and enlarged in 1937, today this 14-bedroom home retains its triple-height Great Hall and stone-floored ballroom. A three-bedroom residence, croquet lawn, kitchen garden, lake, pool and tennis court span the 34-acre grounds.
£13,995,000, sothebysrealty.co.uk
A blend of old and new, this property combines a Grade II* listed country house with a modern, open-plan wing (winner of a Sussex Heritage Trust award in 2013). Immediately adjacent to the house is a parterre garden, which leads onto a lawn with a bridge over the large pond to a lightly wooded meadow. There is a ha-ha at the foot of the meadow, beyond which is a paddock. In addition, there are two orchards and a kitchen garden.
£3,000,000, knightfrank.co.uk
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Set on the edge of the village, this eight-bedroom, Grade II listed country house dates back to around 1670. Outside, there’s a heated swimming pool with a pool house, tennis court, pond, wildlife paddock, original brick stables and barn.
£2,000,000, jackson-stops.co.uk
Want to live in a Tudor manor house without the excess of space? This three-bedroom apartment expands to 3,500 sqft within the historic Besford Court Estate. Set within 35 acres of grounds lies a tennis court for residents to use.
£900,000, chartwellnoble.co.uk
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This impressive Grade II* listed home looks over Charterhouse School. Designed by the celebrated Arts and Crafts architect Sir Edwin Lutyens for the Reverend Henry James Evans (a retired assistant master and honorary chaplain of the school) the 12-bedroom property was more recently reroofed, replumbed and rewired in the early 1990s. Outside: gardens designed by renowned horticulturalist Gertrude Jekyll and far-reaching views of the surrounding countryside.
£1,350,000, knightfrank.com
Formerly a hunting lodge in the grounds of Rockingham Castle, today this Grade II* listed manor manor house sits within four acres of landscaped gardens and grounds. Situated close to Drayton House, where Saltburn was filmed, this historic home has been modernised with period features maintained – think wall pannelling, ornate coving, Adam style plaster mouldings, exposed beams, stone mullion windows, fireplaces and a particularly fine Jacobean staircase.
£2,850,000, michaelgraham.co.uk
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Complete with a four-bedroom cottage, one-bedroom stable flat, equestrian facilities and 20 acres of parkland, gardens and paddocks, there’s no shortage of space in this 18th century home. Traditional architectural elements such as arched doorways, reeded consoles and symmetrical design can be found throughout the property.
£4,950,000, knightfrank.co.uk
An Italianate style home on the eastern slope of the Malvern Hills, this 19th century property has been refurbished in recent years into a period-rich family home – brimming with corniced ceilings, feature fireplaces, picture rails, original doors and deep architrave and skirting boards. The highlight? A roof terrace with views across the Severn Valley and beyond.
£1,350,000, knightfrank.co.uk
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This Grade II listed, 18th century mill house is home to a RIBA Award-winning library from Crawshaw Architects (created within a former cattle shed), internationally acclaimed gardens by Arabella Lennox-Boyd, and more than 1,000 yards of double-bank fishing on the River Allen.
£4,500,000, bluebookagency.com
Having once hosted Queen Elizabeth II for tea in 1963, this Grade II listed former rectory spans seven bedrooms, six reception rooms, an office, cinema room and gym. As well as the vast open-plan extension, there’s also a converted former coach house for use as an annexe or offices.
£3,500,000, michaelgraham.co.uk
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One of Dumfriesshire’s oldest sporting estates, this impressive property extends to over 1,242 acres across Scotland’s Nith Valley. At its centre sits Blackwood House, a Category B listed country home with six reception rooms and 10 bedrooms. Beyond, there’s six cottages, traditional estate buildings, farmland, woodland, river frontage, and mature gardens.
Available for sale as a whole (offers over £6m) or in up to three lots, search.savills.com
Originally a flint cottage dating from the 1830s, this seven-bedroom home was extensively renovated and extended in 2016 by the current owners. Located in the South Downs National Park, surrounded by rolling farmland and mature woodland, this property is designed for indoor-outdoor living.
£2,750,000, knightfrank.com
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This Grade II listed mansion can be found in the Wiltshire village of Lacock – a prominent filming location for all eight Harry Potter films. Bowden Hill House lies at the end of a gravel drive crossing the National Trust Common, set within 34 acres of scenic countryside. Dating back to the mid-19th century, it’s in need of restoration, so be prepared for a project. As well as the house itself, there’s a disused swimming pool and a historic Ice House.
£1,500,000, carterjonas.co.uk
Though a hall has sat on this site since the medieval era, the current Art Deco property wasn’t constructed until 1939 – after the original was demolished in the 1800s. Renowned former residents include Lady Hester Pulter, a 17th century poet and writer interested in modern science and politics. Then, in the 20th century, the house was occupied by Prince Georg of Denmark and his wife Anne Bowes-Lyon, the former Queen Mother’s niece (the Queen Mother and current King were frequent visitors to the estate). Beyond the seven-bedroom house is a Grade II* listed coach house and 15 acres of land.
£2,495,000, struttandparker.com
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The former home of renowned British actor Sir Donald Sinden, this peculiarly-named residence has played host to everybody from Dame Judi Dench, Ronnie Corbett (of The Two Ronnies), Paul Schofield, Michael Attenborough, Jack Hawkins, Ray Cooney, Patrick Stewart, Jeremy Irons and Hayley Mills. As well as its Blue Plaque, this Isle of Oxney home boasts scenic views, a wisteria-clad facade, and a terrace complete with a hot tub for entertaining stars.
£1,000,000, hardinggreen.com
There would be no losing your way home to this bright yellow abode. Just a few miles from the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, this Grade II* listed country home was built in 1591. With over 6,955 sqft of accommodation, this restored property includes eight bedrooms, a bespoke kitchen, an entertaining wing and vine room, outdoor pool, tennis court and secondary accommodation.
£2,500,000, search.savills.com
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This former rectory was designed by one of Britain’s greatest 19th-century architects, George Edmund Street – the visionary behind London’s Royal Courts of Justice. Constructed between 1874 and 1875, The Old Rectory has since been restored and upgraded into a turn-key home, respectful of its Victorian heritage. Outside, Chelsea Gold Medal-winning landscape practice Marcus Barnett Studio oversaw the garden, spanning terraces, structured planting, 100 mature trees, kitchen garden, tennis court, two-bedroom coach house and a pool with pool house.
£5,950,000, sothebysrealty.co.uk
Arranged over three floors, this former vicarage boasts all the high ceilings, well-proportioned rooms, old fireplaces and large Victorian windows of your classic country home. Dating back to the 1860s, the south-facing property enjoys panoramic vistas across the South Downs. Within the grounds, relax among sun terraces, formal lawns, an orchard, kitchen garden, rose garden, lavender garden and naturally screened outdoor swimming pool.
£2,750,000, knightfrank.co.uk
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This Grade II listed country house dates back to the early 1800s, with all the clean symmetry and classical detailing expected of the era. Beyond the 12-bedroom main house sits an 18th century stable block and coach house, now transformed into ancillary accommodation.
£7,000,000, knightfrank.co.uk and search.savills.com
This Grade II* listed country house was described in Pevsner’s The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire, as one of the finest timber-framed farmhouses in the county. Restored by the current owners, this 16th century estate is set within 58 acres of Gloucestershire countryside, spanning formal gardens (designed by three-time Chelsea gold medal winner Jacquie Gordon), pasture, paddocks and a lake. Two ‘secret’ rooms were uncovered in 1947 – now incorporated into the house in a way that maintains their clandestine nature. Beyond the central house, there is additional accommodation (at the Long Barn and Carriage House), extensive outbuildings and equestrian facilities.
£3,500,000, search.savills.com
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Tucked into the rolling Kent countryside, with sweeping views across the North Downs, the gardens of this Edwardian cottage were designed by renowned landscapist Gertrude Jekyll in 1911. Though there was little sign of her influence when the owners moved in 40 years later, they consulted Jekyll experts in the UK and University of California to bring it back to its former glory. Today, the grounds of this Grade II listed home boast vibrant flower beds, a kitchen garden, an orchard, garden room, woodland, stable and tennis court.
£2,500,000, hamptons.co.uk
Who didn’t dream of owning their very own castle as a child? And now this 15th-century tower house gives you the chance to live out those Traitors fantasies. Once a stronghold of the McCulloch family, the A-Listed castle is reputed to have sheltered the reformer John Knox in 1566. Having fallen into disrepair in the 18th century, the castle was the subject of an extensive and meticulous restoration in the early 2000s, aided by a grant from Historic Scotland.
£695,000, search.savills.com
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The home of distinguished South African journalist and authorised Nelson Mandela biographer, Anthony Sampson, this property is named Drum House in honour of his work on the newspaper, the South African Drum. Sitting within the Vale of Wardour, in the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape, the gardens combine mature planting with a kitchen garden, Victorian-style glasshouse, orchard and wildflower meadow. Extending to more than 7,500 sqft, the property comprises a six-bedroom principal house, a self-contained cottage and a former Guildhall.
£3,000,000, bluebookagency.com
