A gorgeous thatched cottage with granny annexe and its own orchard, just outside the M25 and under £800k

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The delightfully-named Rabbits Corner is an idyllic cottage with a superb granny annexe, just outside the M25 — yet for sale at the price of a flat in a decent London suburb.

No, this place didn’t spring to life from the pages of a Thomas Hardy novel. It’s a real property — or two, in a sense, since it consists of a main house and self-contained annexe — and it has a name even more splendid than you’d hope to find: Rabbits Corner & The Retreat.

The property, for sale via Savills at £725,000, consists of a Grade II-listed house plus separate annexe near Meopham, in Kent, close to the pretty town of Rochester and with easy access to the A2, M20 and M25.

The main house, has two bedrooms, a bathroom suite and a central chimney breast, with a double-fronted wood-burning stove that faces onto both the dining and sitting rooms.

There is a triple-aspect kitchen full of character and a dining room which opens onto grounds which feature a kitchen garden, orchard and a separate, thatched barn with power and light which would make an ideal workshop.

Is there a catch? We know what you’re probably thinking: the whole place looks like the sort of property which could be a money pit. But there is good news on that score: the house has been rethatched and rewired, so the big worries are all taken care of already.

And if you need more living space there’s further good news: planning permission is in place to knock down the existing sun room and replace it. Potential buyers will have to take a look at the details to see if their ideas fit in with what the authorities have agreed.

The Retreat — which is six years old — sits away from the main house within the superbly landscaped gardens. Its main feature is a double-height sitting room, while there is also a bedroom and bathroom, making it an ideal granny annexe.