Country houses for sale

OnTheMarket

A picture-perfect castle for sale just outside London

Could this be England’s smallest castle? Well, not quite. But it might be the most practical.

Starborough Castle

Starborough Castle isn't the smallest castle we've ever seen, or even the smallest we've seen this year. A tiny Edward Blore-designed castle in Gloucestershire sold just a few weeks ago that was even tinier.

But this terrific little place on the border of Kent and Surrey, on the market at £1.5 million with Henry & James, is just as manageable and even more enticing.

Set in 10 acres of land, the Gothic-style, Starborough is a Grade II-listed home with two bedrooms and a minstrels’-gallery kitchen.

The moat – which is fed by a spring – is undeniably beautiful, and is spanned by an ancient stone bridge which curves across the water.

There is a longboat is permanently moored beside the castle, providing an additional bedroom, while there is a thatched summer house elsewhere within the grounds.

It’s even ideal for hose owners: there is a one-acre paddock, and a stable, plus a Sussex-style barn with staff accommodation and a stable.

Perhaps even more remarkable is the location, just a few miles outside the M25, and close to the picturesque village of Lingfield. This really is a castle that you could go home to every day.


Sheriff Hutton Castle

Castle for sale - at least one very careless owner

Magnificent and brooding ruins plus a Warden’s House and cottage.

Credit: Duchray Castle (Savills)

A Scottish castle for sale that will take your breath away

This really is one of those 'pinch yourself' properties: an immaculate, picture-perfect Stirlingshire castle set in 80 glorious acres.

chailey moat

Credit: Savills

A 16th century home with a moat dug by hand by a former resident

Grade II listed Chailey Moat boasts a 17th century tithe barn and a cottage.


Country Life

Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.