Movers and shakers in 2005

10 Fastest Selling Country Houses in 2005:

1. Stoke House, Nr Andover, Hants (£2.45m): 48 hrs

2. Oakham, Little Compton, Glos (£1.75m): 5 days

3. Chanters House, Pilton Somerset (£1.5m): 1 week

4. Bruern Abbey, Kingham, Oxon (£5m+) : 2 weeks

5. West Court, Inkpen, Berks (£3m): 2 weeks

6. Treyford Manor, Midhurst, Sussex (£2m+): 2 weeks

7. Downgate, Sandhurst, Kent (£3m): 2 weeks

8. Battle House, Bromham, Wilts (£1.75m): 2 weeks

9. Mapperton House, Wincanton, Somerset (£3.5): 2 weeks

10. Nunton House, Nr Salisbury, Wilts (£1.2m): 2 weeks

10 Best country houses sold in 2005

1. Easton Neston, Northants (Knight Frank), £18 m.

2. Wentworth Place, Surrey (Knight Frank/Savills), £12.5m

3. The Priory, Nun Monkton, Yorkshire (Carter Jonas), 7m+

4. Chilworth Manor, Surrey (Savills), £6m+

5. Delamere Manor Estate, Cheshire (Strutt & Parker), £5.5m

6. Bruern Abbey, Oxon (Knight Frank), £5m+

7. Franchise Manor, E. Sussex (Knight Frank), £5m+

8. Higham Park, Kent (Strutt & Parker), £4m

9. Mapperton House, Somerset (Savills), £3.5m

10. The Manor House, Milton Lilbourne, Wilts (Savills), £3m +

10 Best Estates Sold in 2005:

1. Ash Park, Hampshire (Knight Frank), £10m

2. Ashby St Ledgers Estate, Leicestershire (Strutt & Parker), £9.5m

3. Thimbleby Estate, Yorklshire (Carter Jonas), £7m

4. Barton Manor Estate, I.O.W (Gascoigne Billinghurst), £6.5m

5. Cliveden Stud, Bucks (Bidwells/Savills), £6m

6. High Hatton Hall Estate, Shropshire (Savills), £5m+

7. Bilsby Estate, Lincs (Strutt & Parker), £5m

8. Old Down House Estate, Glos. (Carter Jonas), £4m

9. Little Dartmouth Estate, Devon (Savills), £3m

10. Chestall Hall Estate, Staffs (Knight Frank) £2.5m

Slow Burners:

1. Toddington Manor, Glos (£3.25m): 2 years

2. Easton Neston House, Northants (£18m): 1 year+

3. Deepdale House, Norfolk: 1 year+

4. Barton Manor Estate, IOW (£6.5m): 1 year +

5. Stocketts, Old Oxted, Surrey (3.64m): 10 months

6. Maryland, Worplesdon, Surrey (4.25m): 8 months

100 Best Country Properties Sold in 2005:

Surrey: Wentworth Place, Chobham (Savills), £12.5m; Chilworth Manor, Nr Guildford (Savills), £6m+; Maryland, Worplesdon (Lane Fox), £4.25m; Stocketts, Old Oxted, (Strutt & Parker), £3.64m; Copse House, Goldalming (Browns), £2.25m.

Berkshire: Old Titness, Nr Ascot (Knight Frank/Savills/Strutt & Parker), £9m; Great Martins, Shurlock Row (Savills), £4.3m; Hurst Lodge, Nr Twyford (Lane Fox/Savills), £3.5m; West Court, Inkpen (Strutt & Parker), £3m; West Soley Farmhouse, Chilton Foliat (Strutt & Parker), £1.7m.

Kent: Oakfield, Penshurst (Cluttons), £4.15m; Higham Park, Nr Canterbury (Strutt & Parker), £4m; Downgate, Sandhurst (Knight Frank/Calcutt Maclean Standen), £3 million; The Grove, Penshurst (Jackson-Stops), £2.25m; Guinea Hall, Nr Ashford (Cluttons), £2.1m; Leacon Hall, Warehorne (Strutt & Parker), £1.65m; Forge Farmhouse, Goudhurst (Jackson-Stops), £1.5m; Dane Street House, Chilham (Strutt & Parker), £1.2m.

Hampshire: Ash Park, Nr Basingstoke (Knight Frank), £10m+; Brooklands, Hamble River (Knight Frank), £5.2m; Morstead Manor, Twyford (Strutt & Parker), £2.8m; Stoke House, Nr Andover (Knight Frank/Savills), £2.45m; Long Mead House, Quarley (Jackson-Stops), £2.5m; Stoke Hill Farm, nr Winchester (Jackson-Stops), £2.5m; Ballstone Farm, Ibworth (Knight Frank), £2.3m; The Merrie Thought, Stockton, N. Forest (Woolley & Wallis), £2.25m; Barton Manor Estate, IOW (£6.5m).

E. Sussex: Franchise Manor, Heathfield (Knight Frank), £5m+.

W. Sussex: West Grinstead Estate, Horsham (Knight Frank), £9m in lots; Treyford Manor, Midhurst (Jackson-Stops/Savills), £2m+; Naldrett House, Rudgwick (Browns), £2m; Friars Gate, Chichester (Jackson-Stops), £1.7m. Buckinghamshire: Cliveden Stud, Cliveden (Bidwells/Savills), £6m; South Pavilion, Wotton Underwood (Strutt & Parker), £4.225m; The Manor House, Weston Turville (Knight Frank), £3m+.

Bedfordshire: Kingswood House, Heath & Reach (Jackson-Stops), £3m. Hertfordshire: Cell Park, Markyate (Savills), £3m. Essex: Nazeing Park, Nazeing (Savills), £3.5m.

Oxfordshire: Ewelme Down House, Nr Wallingford (Knight Frank/Savills), £12m; Rocky Lane Farm, Nr Henley-on-Thames (Knight Frank), £6m; Bruern Abbey, Kingham (Knight Frank), £5m+; Wychwood Manor, Charlbury (Savills), £2.75m; Mill House, Sutton Courtenay (Knight Frank), £2.5m; The Lodge, Little Tew (Knight Frank), £2.3m; The Old Rectory, Westwell (Knight Frank), £2.1m;Portway House, Kirtlington (Savills), £1.75m.

Gloucestershire: Dowdeswell Court, Nr Cheltenham (Knight Frank/Savills), £4.75m; Winson Mill House (Knight Frank/Savills), £4.5m; Old Down House Estate, Thornbury (Carter Jonas), £4m in lots; Toddington Manor, Toddington (Jackson-Stops), £3m+; Todenham Manor, Todenham (Lane Fox), £2.75m; Maidenwell, Broad Campden (Jackson-Stops), £2.25m; Old Rectory, Harnhill (John D. Wood) £ 3m+.

Wiltshire: Baydon House, Nr Hungerford (Strutt & Parker), £4.75m; Withyslade Farm, Tisbury (Fox Grant), £3.6m; The Manor House, Milton Lilbourne (Savills), £3m+; Blackland Park, Calne (Savills), £3m; Dauntsey Park, Nr Malmesbury (Savills), £2.85+; Battle House, Bromham (Savills), £1.75m; Nunton House, Nr Salisbury (Knight Frank), £1.2m;

Somerset: Weacombe Estate, Nr Taunton (Knight Frank), £5m; Mapperton House, Nr Wincanton (Savills), £3.5m; Marsh House, Kingston St Mary (Jackson-Stops), £1.5m; Chanters House, Pilton (Jackson-Stops), £1.4m; Lovelynch Farm, Milverton (Jackson-Stops), £1.25m. Dorset: Nettlecombe, Cheselbourne (Knight Frank), £2.8m; Limbury, Saltway Ash (Humberts), £1.2m.

Devon: Little Dartmouth Estate, Dartmouth (Savills), £3m; Feniton Court, Honiton (Savills), £3m; Holme Down, Exbourne (Jackson-Stops), £2.4m; Wyld Court, Hawkchurch (Jackson-Stops), £2m; Gurrington House, Nr Exeter (Knight Frank); £1.75m; Lower Barn, Salcombe (Knight Frank), £1.75m; Knapp House, East Anstey (Jackson-Stops), £1.35.

Worcestershire: Bretforton Manor, Nr Broadway (Hamptons), £2.5m.

Shropshire: High Hatton Hall Estate, Hodnet (Savills), £5m+.

Staffordshire: Chestall Hall Estate, Lichfield (Knight Frank), £2.5m; Little Onn Hall, Church Eaton (Lane Fox/Knight Frank/Savills), £1.7m+.

Warwickshire: Ashby St Ledgers Estate, Nr Rugby (Strutt & Parker), £9.5m; Ashorne House, Ashorne (Knight Frank), £2.9m.

Northamptonshire: Easton Neston, Towcester (Knight Frank), £18m

Lincolnshire: Bilsby Estate, Nr Alford (Strutt & Parker), £5m.

Cambridgeshire: Westfield, Nr Cambridge (Bidwells), £2m. Suffolk: Broome Place, Nr Bungay (Jackson-Stops), £2.2m

Norfolk: Elsing Hall, Dereham (Savills), £1.85m; The Old Rectory, Southacre (Savills), £1.5m; Felthorpe Hall, Felthorpe (Savills), £1.4m+; The Manor House, Burgh-next-Aylsham (Savills), £1m+

Cheshire: Delamere Manor Estate, Cuddington (Strutt & Parker), £5.5m; Mill House, MPottram St Andrew (Jackson-Stops), £4.5m; Haslington Hall, Haslington (Savills), £3m. Cumbria: Burrow Hall, Kirkby Lonsdale (Savills), £3.5m.

Yorkshire: Thimbleby Estate, Northallerton (Carter Jonas), £7m; The Priory, Nun Monkton (Carter Jonas), £7m+; Faceby Lodge Estate, Stokesley (Smiths Gore) £2.3m.

This article was originally published in Country Life magazine, February 23, 2006