Ightham: Grade II listed 15th-century house with minstrels’ gallery and great hall
WHAT YOU GET: Four reception rooms, plus dining room and study. Large kitchen/breakfast room with pantry and utility room. Five bedrooms (two en suite) and two further bathrooms.
WHERE IT IS: In Ightham, five miles from Sevenoaks. From there, Charing Cross is a 30-minute train ride. The Gunpowder Plot was reputedly hatched in the great hall.
UPSIDE: There’s a priest’s hole and a tunnel to the nearby church — perfect for avoiding prying eyes.
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DOWNSIDE: There are five ancient fireplaces, which means an awful lot of humping logs around.
COST: £1.5 million CONTACT: Knight Frank, 01892 515035, www.knightfrank.com
GLOUCESTERSHIRE: Large family property
The Leigh: Grade II listed farmhouse with inglenook fireplaces and landscaped gardens
WHAT YOU GET: Four reception rooms (two with inglenook fireplaces), kitchen with Aga, utility room, cloakroom, garden room, four bedrooms and three bathrooms, double garage and 2½ acres of land.
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WHERE IT IS: In the little hamlet of The Leigh, seven miles from Cheltenham, which has some excellent schools, including Cheltenham Ladies’ College.
UPSIDE: The house comes with a pretty two-bedroom cottage, useful when annoying relatives come visiting, or to bring in extra income.
DOWNSIDE: The Leigh doesn’t have a shop or a pub.
COST: £875,000 CONTACT: C.J. Hole, 01242 255101, www.cjhole.co.uk
SUFFOLK: 17th-century home with pool
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Ashbocking, near Ipswich: large timber-framed family home in just over an acre of land
WHAT YOU GET: Two reception rooms, dining room kitchen with Aga, utility room, cloakroom and wine store (hic!), plus six bedrooms and an annexe with living room.
WHERE IT IS: Eight miles north of Ipswich in the pretty village of Ashbocking, which has a farm shop as well as good state and private schools.
UPSIDE: Although it’s certainly old, the house is not listed, which means that you won’t have the planners breathing down your necks.
DOWNSIDE: There’s only one bathroom for six bedrooms in the main house, which, inevitably, will mean rush-hour queues.
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COST: £675,000 CONTACT: Strutt & Parker, 01473 214841, www.struttandparker.com