It might not surprise you to hear this, but I spend a quite considerable amount of time browsing the internet, looking at property. What might also not surprise you is that, a lot of the time, that property is very nice — large spacious manor houses, with acres and acres of gardens; Grand Design palazzos with hot and cold running everything; estates where one’s land ownership extends as far as the eye can see in every direction.
What might surprise you, is that I prefer the little houses. The two-to-three bedroom cottages, with comfy little gardens, and not too many rooms. This isn’t because of some socialist ideals around home ownership (not entirely, anyway), but rather that I’m quite lazy and wonder how I would ever find the time to hoover and furnish a house with six reception rooms.
A good house, that is a good size, that caught my eye recently is this cottage — for sale for offers in excess of £600,00 with Fine and Country — in the north Devon village of Torrington. It is cosy and thatched, which I like. It has three bedrooms, which is a good number, a nice open-plan layout on the ground floor, which includes the kitchen and dining rooms, and a garden of about half an acre. All very manageable, and in a good location.
The cottage is nicely elevated, catching plenty of sun, with views across the wooded valley in which it sits. It’s delightfully period, with inglenook fires, exposed beams and mullioned windows. Overall, it looks a comfortable and pleasant place to live and entertain and, more than anything, very manageable.
What might be slightly less manageable are the feature gardens, which are terraced and feature meandering paths throughout. They run from the cottage, down to the brook that forms part of the property’s boundary. Extensively planted, they will require some looking after, but they provide plenty of spots to stop and soak up the divine rural Devon wilderness.
For sale with Fine and Country for £600,000. For more information and images, click here
Credit: Savills
A handsome Georgian villa in a quiet and sought-after Dorset village
Grade II-listed Church Villa sits in the heart of a tranquil village, five miles from the mainline railway at Wareham,
Credit: Knight Frank
An enhanced Elizabethan Manor house in Kent with gardens by Gertrude Jekyll
With 9,400sq ft of living space and almost eight acres of gardens, Stonepitts Manor near Seal Chart is a rose
Credit: Hamptons
Three floors, 6,000sq ft and the chance to live in one of London's most famous landmarks
This penthouse apartment at St Pancras Chambers, formerly the Midland Grand Hotel, occupies a privileged position in one of the
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
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A well-connected rural playground with 23 acres on the edge of the South Downs National ParkOld House Farm is an impressive family home with a wealth of amenities that would inspire any rural passion.
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The UK gets its first ‘European stork village’ — and it's in West SussexAlthough the mortality rate among white storks can be up to 90%, the future looks rosy for breeding pairs in southern England.
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A well-connected rural playground with 23 acres on the edge of the South Downs National ParkOld House Farm is an impressive family home with a wealth of amenities that would inspire any rural passion.
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18 magnificent homes for sale from £550k to £20 million, as seen in Country LifeFrom a charming thatched cottage to a 300-acre estate with its own vineyard, here's our pick of places to come to the market via Country Life of late.
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If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
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The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in DorsetWith 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
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An eight-bedroom wonder in East Sussex where the outdoors are an adventureThe interiors of Old Middleton are pretty good too.
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A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of PembrokeshireA lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
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An idyllic countryside home that's light, spacious and comes with a Grade II-listed follyHagg House is a gorgeous family home that just happens to have a miniature castle in the gardens. Annabel Dixon explains more.
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A historic villa for sale on the Via Nomentana worthy of Rome's rich historyThree floors, lots of balconies, and a private garden in one of Rome's loveliest neighbourhoods.
