The Best Country Homes On The Market

Pennington House, Lymington, Hampshire

Close to the coast of Hampshire, Pennington House offers up exceptional views across the sea over to the Isle of Wight. First constructed in 1840, then extended in 1840 and 1920, this Grade II listed Georgian country home plus former coach house is a truly impressive offering. Beyond the 10 bedrooms in the main house, there are two cottages (with three and four bedrooms, respectively) available at an additional cost. The gardens – which have previously been open to the public under the National Garden Scheme – are a highlight of the home, including a rose garden, ponds, fountains, a sunken garden, vegetable beds, fruit cages, a large greenhouse, parkland, pasture, two large lakes and woodland across 40 acres.

£8.25m, knightfrank.co.uk and search.savills.com

Cherry Hill, Wentworth Estate, Surrey

The former home of US ambassador John Hay Whitney, this property was christened Cherry Hill in honour of the Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver where he and President Eisenhower played golf. Built in the 1930s by architect Oliver Hill, the home is a masterclass in modernist design. Drawing on a 1920s aesthetic, but incorporating the elegant curves of earlier movements in British architecture, this Grade II listed, six-bedroom property is a rare find indeed. With a wine cellar, spa, cinema, underground pool and guest pavilion, Cherry Hill feels like its very own private resort – a matter only helped by the fact that its located in Wentworth Estate and neighbours its world-renowned golf course. 

£15m, search.savills.com and knightfrank.com

St. Marys Street, Axbridge, Somerset

This Grade II listed Georgian home is nestled in the heart of the Medieval town of Axbridge. Arranged across three floors, this six-bedroom property boasts two reception halls, a garden room, a study, a cinema room, a games room and a three-room cellar with space for wine storage and a home gym. Outside, the cathedral-like pool-house houses the leisure wing, including a 10m indoor heated pool, a bar/lounge, a gym, hot tub and changing/showing rooms. The acre and more of south-facing gardens, meanwhile offer up fig, walnut and pear trees, a kitchen garden, a formal pond with a grotto and waterfall, a summerhouse, archery area, and views across the fields, over to Cheddar Reservoir and the outline of Glastonbury Tor. 

£2.395m, houseandheritage.co.uk

Byams House, Tetbury, Gloucestershire

Believed to date back to 1720, this picture-perfect home is done up in quintessential Cotswold stone. Rife in period features – think a decorative shell portico, sash windows, exposed beams and stone fireplaces – the six to eight-bedroom home also offers up an outdoor swimming pool and an adjoining cottage. 

£2m, knightfrank.co.uk

Binghams Melcombe, Dorchester, Dorset

With a history that dates all the way back to the 13th century, this is one eye-catching home – and that’s not even mentioning the 370 acres of land. Grade I listed, this nine-bedroom property is arranged around an irregular courtyard, its long history forming a characterful hodge-podge of time periods. Named for Robert Bingham, who acquired the property in the 13th century, the house then remained in the same family for more than 600 years. Set within its many, many acres of arable land, woodland and pasture, the property also offers up further accommodation in the form of the Dower House and two cottages. 

£8.75m, search.savills.com

Old Tile House, Lillingstone Dayrell, Buckinghamshire

This home’s claim to fame? Award-winning gardens once filmed by Alan Titchmarsh. A Grade II listed country house which dates back to the 17th century, this impressive property offers up six bedrooms, four reception rooms, a guest suite, a passenger lift and a secret staircase straight out of a storybook. 

£1.75m, michaelgraham.co.uk

Saddlewood Manor, Tetbury, Gloucestershire 

A step above the usual one or two acres that come with your average country estate, this farmstead manor boasts a dizzying 172 acres of land. Dating back to the 16th century, this six-bedroom property has it all: an open plan kitchen, a drawing room, dining room, library/media room, study, cellar, a swimming pool, two cottages and a host of stables. Among its mammoth land mass, 160 acres of it are arable and 12 are permanent pastures – with the previous owners having dedicated 25 acres of this horsey home to a Rivals-esque polo field. 

£6.95m, knightfrank.co.uk

Fountain House, Frome, Somerset

Look familiar? This Somerset home is thought to have been designed by John Pinch the Elder, the same man behind Babington House (now part of the Soho House collection). With its bay windows and Georgian features, Fountain House is every bit the model of regency chic and a mini Babington in its own right. A former rectory, this Grade II* listed property has been sensitively restored by the current owners to preserve its sash windows, shutters, fireplaces and timber floors. 

£2.25m, bluebookagency.com

Brook Farm, Cranham, Gloucestershire

Secluded in a private valley near the village of Cranham, you’d never guess from looking at it that this Cotswold home was built in 2001. With all the charm and detailing of a country manor centuries its elder, this property boasts traditional craftsmanship alongside distinctive architectural character. Alongside the four-bedroom main house, there is a separate two-bedroom cottage which provides further accommodation. Set within more than 10 acres of grounds, this home enjoys trout lakes, sweeping lawns, mature trees and far-reaching views across the surrounding countryside. 

 £2.5m, jackson-stops.co.uk

The Grange, Bidborough, Kent

A portal through time, this Tudor home welcomes you in via its 16th century entrance, onto the Victorian-built section, and then through to the 2001 extension – and that’s not even mentioning the WWII plaque out front. A home of three acts, this Grade II listed country house boasts some of the most beautiful private gardens in South East England. Layered in historic detail, the Tudor corner of the house offers up exposed beams and historic fireplaces, while the Victorian chapter holds the kitchen/breakfast room, garden room and orangery. And whilst the modern extension maintains traditional features up above, a swimming pool and gym sit down below at the lower ground level. Outside, the nearly 16 acres of grounds span expansive lawns, terraces and a classical yew garden, alongside paddocks and a Victorian coach house since converted into additional accommodation.

£5.95m, knightfrank.co.uk and bluebookagency.com

Sendholme, Send, Surrey

Built in 1836 by country house architect George Davey – the man who designed buildings for the the Rothschild family – this Grade II listed home was first owned by Captain William G Hargreaves (not to be confused with the composer). Since extended, today the property spans over 15,800 sqft of accommodation. Alongside the eight-bedroom manor house and its many striking period features, there’s a further two-bedroom cottage and four-bedroom lodge.

Impressive the gardens, woodland, water meadows, equestrian facilities and tennis courts may be, the real standout feature of its 121 acres is the cricket pitch and pavilion. Introduced by home’s second owner, the cricketer Sir Joseph Leese, he would play against other houses in the area, and introduced an annual cricket week including a married-v-singles match.

£9.85m, search.savills.com

Polestead Hall, Stoke By Nayland, Suffolk

Resting on the Essex-Suffolk border in the heart of Constable country (AKA where John Constable painted his most beloved landscapes), this home enjoys views of undulating countryside towards Stoke by Nayland church. A plot of land dating back to the Domesday Book, the original foundations of the present property were constructed in the Tudor era, with later 18th century additions giving it its classic Georgian appearance. Briefly used as a private school ‘for the sons of nobility and gentry’, it transformed into a home for evacuee children during WWII before coming back into private ownership. 

£5.5m, search.savills.com

The Caprons, Lewes, East Sussex 

The former home of academic, historian and Bletchley Park code breaker Asa Briggs, this Grade II* listed Georgian home is brimming with history. More than a home, it would have played host to many an academic debate and dinner party during Briggs’s residence. With vaulted ceilings and period details throughout, the highlight of the home is the library – lined with leather-bound Victorian tomes in memory of the scholar who once lived there. Meanwhile, the Painted Room with its octagonal window and delicate paintwork is a true work of art. 

£2.1m, .jackson-stops.co.uk

Blenheim Farm, Ewelme, Oxfordshire

Maybe not your classic country home, but it’s got a connection to a classic country figure. Home to Belles Berry – chef, writer and daughter of Mary Berry – this property was transformed from a former alpaca farm. From an Aga gifted by Mary Berry and antique painted wooden pews from a French monastery to a library storing some of her father’s 5,000 books from his antiquarian bookshop, this quirky property is full of charm. Plus, it was the site of Mary Berry’s 80th birthday.

£3.95m, search.savills.com

Kingcombe Lane, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire

Sir Gordon Russell was one of the most influential furniture designers of 20th century Britain. And while it’s all well and good visiting the museum dedicated to his work, here’s your chance to own his former home which sits just a stone’s throw away. Complete with a garden table carved by the late designer in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, his self-portrait in a stone waterspout, plus oak panelling, staircases, bookcases and wardrobes designed by the Arts and Crafts practitioner, this property offers a rare opportunity to own a part of design history. Beyond the seven bedrooms in the main property, there is an additional self-contained flat, plus a gym, wild swimming pool and tennis court. 

£5.5m, search.savills.com and jackson-stops.co.uk 

Ashburnham Park House, Ampthill, Bedfordshire

While owning an entire Georgian manor can be a bit of an undertaking, owning a quarter of one offers up the best of both worlds. Though this estate dates back to 1219, it wasn’t until 1661 (when Charles II granted the land to Lord Ashburnham) that the central section of the mansion was built by Robert Grumbold – best known for designing Trinity and Clare Colleges in Cambridge. By 1769, the estate was owned by the Earl of Upper Ossory who employed Sir William Chambers, the architect of Somerset House, to remodel the side wings. 

Having briefly been used as the Head Office of Bovril, today the property, which comprises the left-hand (viewed from the front) section of the original mansion, spans just under 7,300 sqft of accommodation across four floors. Alongside the wealth of period features, this home boasts seven bedrooms, a gym, a workshop, a false door, a Winnie the Pooh mural, Capability Brown designed gardens, as well as an original candlesticks and a clock included in the sale of the home. 

£2.25m, michaelgraham.co.uk

Triscombe House, Williton, Somerset

Beer lovers, this one’s for you: this pink-hued home boasts a fully-equipped commercial brewery. Built between 1902–1905 and designed by renowned Arts and Crafts architect Sir Ernest Newton, the property remained in the ownership of the commissioning family until 1956. While a fire put the house under threat of demolishment in 2003, the previous owners saved it from a tragic fate, reconstructing and conserving the surviving period features.

Since then, the current custodians have continued to improve and renovate the home – with contemporary upgrades including a cinema room, wine cellar (designed to hold approximately 2,500 bottles), solar panels and a biomass boiler. Set within 20 acres of grounds, the estate features formal gardens, sweeping lawns, a walled kitchen garden, an orchard, paddock and woodland – plus a three-bedroom lodge, brewery and outbuildings. 

£6m, struttandparker.com

The Windmill, West Chiltington, West Sussex

While not quite the same as owning one of the country’s last working windmills, there is something particularly whimsical about living in a windmill-turned-home. Famous across its local enclave – where it features in the branding of both the local school and vineyard – this Grade II listed home started life in the early 1800s as Stock Mill. Operating until 1921, it was first converted into a family home in 1927 and later served as an observation post during WWII.

Since then, the current owners have carried out further renovations, including the repair of the mill’s sails; the owners host occasional ‘sail turning parties’ for locals to help keep the mechanism moving. Alongside the three bedrooms in the windmill itself, there is a fourth octagonal bedroom in the ground-floor extension which enjoys far-reaching views across the wooded countryside. The high-ceilinged, beamed living room sits below, with double doors opening onto the garden and a staircase leading up to the reading nook landing. 

£1.6m, hamptons.co.uk

Pollards, Buckingamshire

The former home of Black Narcissus author Rumer Godden (the ground floor wing was added to house her writing room) and the explorer Benedict Allen (the fossils he collected as a child still litter the garden), this 18th century home is rich in history. Spanning across two floors, five bedrooms and four reception rooms, key features include the flint facade, red brick detailing, sash windows, clay tiled roof and exposed beams.

£1.7m, michaelgraham.co.uk