This 308 sq m townhouse has been a landmark in the high street since the 16th century and its ribs of exposed beams and spectacular fireplaces are testament to its antiquity. But there are some 21st century touches, including a fully-fitted dressing room and palatial bathroom with freestanding roll-top bath. The library, one of four receptions, lends itself happily as a fourth bedroom. The only disappointing thing about the place is the garden, which is an enclosed courtyard – and the car has to fend for itself in any available spaces further up the street.
Strutt & Parker, 01584 873711 Photograph: Strutt & Parker
It feels larger than a one-bedroom maisonette because of the generous proportions and detailing of the rooms and the fact that you get all the landscaped 14m back garden for yourself. Take care of your attire while sunbathing, however, as it’s overlooked by several neighbouring properties. The bathroom and kitchen have been stylishly refitted, the reception room with its original Victorian fireplace has a bay window and it’s a stroll from Streatham Common and Norbury station.
Foxtons, 020 8150 5400 Photograph: Foxtons
If you can cope with isolation – Lairg, your nearest shopping centre, is 56 miles away – you can live regally on a budget that would barely fund a bedsit in the capital. This house was built as a shooting lodge on the most north-westerly tip of the British Isles and has clear views across rugged grassland to the sea. The loneliness of the spot can be eased by the crowds you can accommodate in the seven bedrooms in the main house and the three in the self-contained annexe. It stands in just under two acres of land, but you’re not totally shielded from the outside world – there’s a youth hostel along the lane.
CKD Galbraith, 01463 224343 Photograph: CKD Galbraith
The stately entrance hall in this former dairy is large enough to accommodate a baby grand piano and has been utilised as a music room by the vendors, leaving similarly capacious living and sitting rooms free. Upstairs, the third bedroom has been opened up to make way for a large landing and study area so the family must divide between two big doubles, one with a dressing room. The character is as quaint within as without, with beams and fireplaces and Gothic arched windows. Laborious renovations have added a Shaker-style kitchen, spa bath and exquisitely landscaped gardens.
Fine & Country, 01553 769100 Photograph: Fine and Country
French doors lead from the living room to the private pool with views over the golf course beyond. The three-bedroom villa, which comes fully furnished, is a repossession on the Golf Resort near the Costa Cálida. You and your fellow ex-pats share a club house, gym, pool, communal lounges and on-site shops and bars, including an Irish one so that you can forget you ever left home. It will, of course, come as a shock should you venture beyond the gates of this enclave to find you’re in a foreign land where people eat and speak differently, but you can scurry back to a fish and chip supper and a catch up on EastEnders. €380,000.
Property Venture, 01932 849936 Photograph: Property Venture
