Old and new

Historic home: Staffordshire. In the 16th century Wolverhampton looked like this. Tucked into a hamlet close to the city, this three-bedroom cottage has been nurtured into the modern age with remote-controlled gates, a huge and glamorous bathroom, a Shaker-style kitchen and an en suite to the master bedroom. A two-storey oak-framed barn would accommodate superfluous lodgers if adapted. Landscaped gardens unroll behind. Cost: £365,000.
Berriman Eaton, 01902 747744 Photograph: Berriman Eaton/Berriman Eaton

Historic home: Cheshire. This is an extravagant gothic experiment by the Victorian architect John Douglas whose churches and mansions are scattered around the region. Mullioned windows and a turret area swell the main bedroom and add zest. At the end of the street are large public gardens leading down to the riverside, and it is a short stroll into the city centre. Alas, a minute yard is the only garden and the inside décor is dated. Yours for £199,950. Matthews of Chester, 01244 346226 Photograph: Matthews of Chester/Matthews of Chester

New-build: Gloucestershire. This is modernity in its most unthreatening form, except for the £825,000 price tag. If there aren't enough honey-stone Cotswold properties to go around, the solution is to build one from scratch. And here is the result in the village of Poole Keynes, four miles from Cirencester: limestone floors, en suites in two of the five bedrooms, stone fireplaces, a double garage, and extravagant proportions in the living areas.
Knight Frank, 01285 659771 Photograph: Knight Frank/Knight Frank

New-build: London. This £695,000 curiosity arose in 2004 from derelict land in the East End in a suave mix of Douglas fir, steel mesh and brick. Architects Sergison Bates devised a fluid layout of rooms around a courtyard with a decked terrace above. The top floor is a self-contained flat, but could be merged to create a four-or-more bedroom house with vast living areas. Liverpool Street station and the green swathes of London Fields are a walk away.
www.themodern house.net, 08456 344068 Photograph: The Modern House/The Modern House

Bargain of the week: Worcestershire. By rights this three-bedder should be on the market for more than £170,000, but it has been priced at £162,500 for a quick sale. It is in a pleasant suburb of Redditch and is immaculate inside with a garage and a decent chunk of garden. A bay window and a period-style fireplace glamorise the large living room, the dining room leads into a smart new kitchen and there are french windows on to outside decking. Oulsnam, 0152 758 4499 Photograph: Oulsnam/Oulsnam