Perfect houses: new and restored

St Leonard’s Place, York North Yorkshire from £1.58 million for a townhouse

Best feature A superb location in the heart of York Style Regency meets modern

Selling agents Savills call St Leonard’s Place ‘the most exclusive development that York has seen for several decades’. Set close to York Minster, this Grade II*- listed crescent is being converted into five exceptional town houses plus 29 apartments and six mews properties.

The houses—a thoughtful restoration of five of the original crescent homes— will blend magnificent period features and contemporary touches, such as open-plan living areas and automated sound and lighting systems.

Savills (01904 617820)

High Warren, The Warren, Ashtead Surrey £4.25 million

Best feature The manicured interiors Style Modern classic

Timeless architecture meets contemporary design at this boutique development of five villas. This elegant house has five bedrooms, including a vast master suite with dressing room and balcony and four airy reception rooms. A separate annexe provides accommodation for guests or staff.

Knight Frank (01483 564660)

Woodlands, Sandy Down

Hampshire £2.595 million

Best feature Beautiful grounds with private woodland abutting historic woods Style Versatile modern spaces with a period flavour

As the name suggests, this four- to five-bedroom house, which sits in more than one-and-a-half acres by the ancient Roydon Woods, comes with its own stretch of woodland.

Inspired by New Forest architecture, Woodlands marries traditional details—from the Michelmersh bricks with corbel detailing to the handmade clay roof tiles and the hand-carved oak banister in the turning staircase—with a flexible, contemporary use of space. All the main rooms make the most of the beautiful rural views.

John D. Wood & Co (01590 677233; www.johndwood.co.uk) and Spencers of the New Forest (01590 622551; www.spencersnewforest.com)

The Acre, Cumnor Hill, Oxford Oxfordshire from £1.425 million

Best feature Distinctive, low-impact architecture Style Tailored to suit your taste

Innovative architecture and sustainability meet at The Acre, a development of just five houses on Cumnor Hill created by Kevin McCloud’s HAB Housing. Each property has been designed to make the most of its position on the hill while minimising its impact on the environment, with plenty of natural daylight, hemp as an insulating material and bird-friendly gardens. The bespoke interiors will be finished to meet each buyer’s taste and needs. Savills (01865 269010)

Moor Green Farm, Finchampstead

Berkshire £4.35 million

Best feature The idyllic location Style Modern Georgian

Views across the Moor Green Lakes Nature Reserve, a lake-peppered haven teeming with roe deer and more than 200 bird species, are just one of the many draws at Moor Green Farm. This six-bedroom, Georgian-style country house has bright, beautifully proportioned reception rooms, a magnificent kitchen/ breakfast room and plenty of scope for fun and relaxation—including a gym, a games room and a cinema room. Outside, the lawned gardens and grounds extend to 5.7 acres. Strutt & Parker (01256 702892)

** Search more country houses for sale