Norfolk
The grade II Georgian Old Rectory in Beeston stands in well over an acre of glorious grounds, including a Monet-esque bridge across a moat, a vegetable garden and an outdoor kitchen with pizza oven and barbecue. With a self-contained one-bedroom cottage and home office above the garages, it’s a dream for working from home. The six-bedroom house stands roughly 22 miles from King’s Lynn and Norwich. It has a kitchen/diner with skylights and an indigo Aga, plus separate utility and wine rooms. Handsomely proportioned reception rooms include a library, drawing room and snug.
Air pollution 8.7mcg/m³ particulate pollution annual average, 1.3mcg/m³ below the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside An ideal home for entertaining.
Downside It’s a bit of a drive to the nearest city.
Price £1.1 million
Contact bedfords.co.uk
Kent
Standing within the oldest part of Rochester, Salisbury Villa dates from the early 19th century and overlooks the town’s Norman castle and cathedral. The weatherboard-clad house has five bedrooms and sash windows and is within a couple of minutes’ walk of two schools listed in The Sunday Times Parent Power League (with two others a five-minute drive away). Reception rooms include a library, panelled dining room and 30ft-long sitting room with a wood-burning stove, polished floorboards and doors to two walled gardens planted with cherry trees, perfect for alfresco meals in the sun or shade. Commuters can walk to the railway station in minutes for speedy 36-minute connections into London St Pancras.
Air pollution 11.3mcg/m³, 1.3mcg/m³ above the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside The fabulous floor-to-ceiling window in the breakfast kitchen.
Downside There’s a gated parking space, but no garage.
Price £1.1 million
Contact struttandparker.com
North Yorkshire
This splendid semi-detached townhouse, which was visited by Florence Nightingale in 1852, overlooks the Stray — 200 acres of open grassland. The sprawling six-bedroom property in central Harrogate is arranged over five floors, with a lower ground floor housing a cinema/family room and a handy utility room, while the top floor can be used as a home office or sixth bedroom. Some 3,860 sq ft of accommodation includes three ground-floor reception rooms with high, corniced ceilings and an open-plan kitchen/diner, plus a boot room with built-in cupboards. The A1 is ten miles away and Leeds Bradford airport is a 13-mile journey.
Air pollution 6.8mcg/m³, 3.2mcg/m³ below the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside The curved windows and ceiling roses in the drawing room.
Downside The gardens to the rear are not huge.
Price £1.1 million
Contact knightfrank.co.uk
Bedfordshire
Woodcote, a Scandi-style home with sweeping countryside views, is a single-storey four-bedroom house composed of a series of glazed, open-plan spaces. Six miles from Bedford, it stands in an elevated spot within a short stroll of Pavenham’s village pub and golf course; the bucolic loop of the Great Ouse is great for wild swimming. The sitting/dining room has full-height sliding doors, while the kitchen, which has Velux skylights and a separate utility space, leads to the grounds, which span a third of an acre and include an outdoor entertaining area sheltered by a vaulted cedar canopy. There is a smaller family room if you want to get away from the hubbub, plus two bathrooms and a cloakroom. The principal bedroom has an en suite bathroom and built-in cupboards.
Air pollution 9.5mcg/m³, 0.5mcg/m³ below the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside Two nearby nature reserves for walks and wildlife watching.
Downside E-rated for energy efficiency (G being the worst).
Price £1.1 million
Contact michaelgraham.co.uk
Cambridgeshire
Built on the site of the chapter house of Thorney Abbey in 1728, the grade II listed Cheriton House offers 5,000 sq ft of living space plus an additional outbuilding that the present owners use as an office. The eight-bedroom house has a kitchen/diner, four ground-floor reception rooms and a great hall on the first floor. The attic, accessed from the back stairs, houses four bedrooms with en suite bathrooms. Overlooking the green in Thorney, a village eight miles east of Peterborough, it has pretty gardens with quirky touches including a giraffe sculpture and a greenhouse originally built for a tortoise.
Air pollution 9.5mcg/m³, 0.5mcg/m³ below the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside A lot of house for your money.
Downside The decor is tired in places.
Price £1.1 million
Contact fineandcountry.com
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Glasgow
With its dark-wood panelling, oak floors and original features, this three-storey red sandstone townhouse in Glasgow’s West End makes for the ideal family home. The four-bedroom house on Dowanside Road in Dowanhill has the added bonus of a south-facing garden, reached from the modern kitchen, designed by Harvey Jones, which has a Bertazzoni oven and Miele dishwasher. The hallway, which has an original carved wooden staircase, is bright and welcoming thanks to a large skylight. Much of the house has a traditional feel with high, corniced ceilings, bay windows and walls painted in shades of yellow and green. The West End is a cultural and shopping hotspot and there are good local schools, such as the independent Glasgow and Kelvinside academies.
Air pollution 6.5mcg/m³ particulate pollution annual average, 3.5mcg/m³ below the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside Wealth of beautiful, traditional features.
Downside No garage.
Price Offers over £1.1 million
Contact savills.co.uk
Edinburgh
This recently built three-bedroom Cala Homes duplex lies within the Crescent at Donaldson’s, an upmarket development in Wester Coates, to the west of Edinburgh city centre. It looks on to a grand 1820s building designed by the renowned Scottish architect William Henry Playfair as Donaldson’s Hospital and recently redeveloped as flats. The star attraction is the flat’s terrace on the top floor, leading from the living room. The home has been decorated in white and neutral colours and has a practical, open-plan kitchen dining area and en suite bathrooms. It’s a short walk to Haymarket Station for direct trains to Glasgow and other towns and cities. The heart of Edinburgh’s west end, with its mix of independent stores, bars and coffee shops, is also within walking distance.
Air pollution 7.1mcg/m³ particulate pollution annual average, 2.9mcg/m³ below the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside Underground parking.
Downside None of the period charm that Edinburgh is known for.
Price Offers over £1.095 million
Contact espc.com
Mykonos, Greece
Eliane is the quintessential Greek getaway. In Kanalia in the west part of the island, the villa has spectacular views over the islands of Tinos and Delos. Despite being less than 15 minutes’ drive from the bustling bars, clubs and restaurants of the A-lister haunt, Mykonos town (the tiny capital known locally as Hora), it feels a million miles away from the bronzed throngs. The light-filled, whitewashed interiors are decorated in a contemporary Cycladic style, with more than 3,330 sq ft of accommodation including an open-plan kitchen/dining and living area, three bedrooms and a guest bedroom. If you tire of the expansive outdoor areas — including a large pool, dining area and chill-out zone — head to Ornos beach for sand and dozens of seafront restaurants, within a five-minute drive.
Upside Those breathtaking view over the Aegean Sea.
Downside The roads in this part of the island are ropey.
Price €1.3 million
Contact sothebysrealty.gr
