Buying a thatched cottage needn't mean walking into a nightmare of work to do – these delightful places are all as spick-and-span on the inside as they are devastatingly charming from the outside.
Devon – £525,000
France Cottage, located in the Teign Valley near Higher Ashton, is every-inch the archetypal thatched cottage from the outside. Within, it’s a different story: the work that has been done to this three-bedroom home has left the place immaculate and cosy, with an almost new-build gloss to the finish (particularly in the kitchen).
Some will want a more traditional look, but a number of original features remain to make a home that’s a real combination of old and new.
For sale via Strutt & Parker. See more pictures and details about this property.
Dorset – £1,250,000
This 17th century farmhouse has a picture-perfect rural setting within nine acres of land.
As well as the spacious five-bedroom main house, there is also a two-bedroom cottage adjacent – and the current owners have obtained permission to convert the garage to add a large hall/family room.
For sale via Jackson-Stops & Staff. See more pictures and details about this property.
Dorset – £875,000
The brilliantly-named village of Piddletrenthide is just a stone’s throw from the famous Cerne Abbot giant. At the centre of the village is this huge cottage with four bedrooms and a games room large enough to take a full-size snooker table.
Kiddle’s House dates from the 17th century, and was fully restored less than a decade ago. But the place has been famous for far longer than that: it was advertised in Country Life in 1959, inspiring the poet Ogden Nash to pen a poem called ‘Paradise for Sale’. The finest line from that ditty? ‘Sure the gods could not but bless / The man who lives at that address.’
For sale via Savills. See more pictures and details about this property.
Gloucestershire – £750,000
An absolutely stunning house with four bedrooms and five reception rooms in Uckinghall, near Tewkesbury.
The house and gardens are both immaculate, and full of wonderful period touches such as the stained glass windows, beams and supports and the magnificent old fireplaces.
For sale via Knight Frank. See more pictures and details about this property.
Hampshire – £1,275,000
Tucked away in the Test Valley between Winchester and Andover, Halfway Cottage is a five-bedroom home full of nooks and crannies: a snug, a study and both utility room and working area off the kitchen, for example.
There is even a man cave above the garage, while the garden – with its swimming pool and lawns – is a wonderful space with terrific views.
For sale via Strutt & Parker. See more pictures and details about this property.
Norfolk – £550,000
Originally several small cottages, this delightful 18th century house has been converted into a spacious, three-bedroom home.
Beautiful inside and out, but best of all is its location. Not only is it in a charming village with lovely pub and shop, it also has views across to a shared mooring on the River Ant.
For sale via Jackson-Stops & Staff. See more pictures and details about this property.
Northamptonshire – £489,995
In the centre of the village of Flore, this four-bedroom cottage has a quirky floorplan with sitting room, dining room, family room/snug and a kitchen-breakfast room.
The period features are gorgeous, from the beamed ceilings and original fireplaces to the Aga.
For sale via Jackson-Stops & Staff. See more pictures and details about this property.
Wiltshire – £415,000
Small but delightful, this charming two-bedroom cottage in the village of Stockton, near Warminster, has just been completely renovated inside.
But while the inside has been left as a blank canvas, the gardens are not: mature and clearly well-loved, they incorporate areas of lawn, flower and shrub beds and borders.
For sale via Woolley & Wallis. See more pictures and details about this property.
Wiltshire – £899,950
Built from limestone in the 1720s, the traditional three-bedroom Cress Cottage has been modernised incredibly cleverly – there is even underfloor heating downstairs, for example.
The setting is utterly bucolic, overlooking the village pond in this sleepy hamlet.
For sale via Strutt & Parker. See more pictures and details about this property.
Berkshire – £599,000
This three-bedroom cottage in Ashford Hill has a lovely location: overlooking fields, in a village with a pub and a primary school, and within easy commuting distance of towns including Reading and Basingstoke.
Inside there is plenty of character despite a number of modern fittings. The garden is lovely, too, particularly the wishing well next to the lawn.
For sale via Savills. See more pictures and details about this property.
Best country houses for sale this week
A house that's straight out of Cider With Rosie, and a picture-perfect cottage that's commutable to London make it into
A picture-perfect cottage in the Cotswolds for the price of a flat in the suburbs
Time to get out of London? A perfect example English country cottage is on the market in the heart of
A perfect thatched cottage with a fairytale garden, pool and room for horses
A dreamy little cottage has come up for sale within the New Forest National Park.
