Old and new homes – in pictures

Historic home: Kent. Ashford might be one of the UK’s fastest growing towns, but the estate agent promises this Grade II-listed home benefits from ‘a generous amount of peace and quiet’. You certainly get lots of original character and space, and plenty of timber. On the ground floor there are separate sitting and dining rooms, a large kitchen and either a family room or a fourth bedroom with en suite shower room. Upstairs are three generously proportioned bedrooms. Outside, the new owner would do well to invest in a ride-on lawn mower. Or a flock of sheep. Yours for £480,000.
Click here or call Ward & Partners, 01233 754074
Photograph: Ward & Partners

New build: Cambridgeshire. Seven Acres is part of the Great Kneighton development on the southern outskirts of Cambridge, and has been designed along Scandanavian lines. The straight, unfussy exteriors are reflected by the bright, uncluttered interiors. All the homes are well insulated and triple glazed, carry photovoltaic panels on the roofs and underfloor heating throughout. And London commuters take note: it’s just 10 minutes from Cambridge railway station. A first floor two-bed flat costs £319,500.
Click here or call Skanska Residential, 01223 459097
Photograph: Skanska Residential

Historic home: East Sussex. The estate agent describes this £325,000 two-bed cottage in Brighton’s Brunswick conservation area as ‘arguably the prettiest in a row of 19th-century cottages that fate has saved from the onset of modernity’. It has certainly been groomed to within an inch of its life: the decor is tastefully neutral and we love the bathroom, while the grass is either artifical or mowed by an escapee from the Wimbledon All-England tennis club. But there are downsides: the front door leads straight into the living area, the kitchen is on the lower ground floor and the garden actually belongs to the next door neighbour.
Click here or call Cubitt & West, 01273 447337
Photograph: Cubitt & West

New build: Bedfordshire. If you need (a lot) more space, this traditional five-bed detached house in Kempston, on the outskirts of Bedford, is on the market for £483,995. Built by Taylor Wimpey it is set over three floors and comes with the offer of part exchange, subject to meeting the developer’s terms and conditions.
Click here or call Taylors Executive Homes, 01234 818521
Photograph: Taylors Executive Homes

Historic home: West Yorkshire. The exterior of this three bedder in the irrisistably named Thongsbridge, near Holmfirth, might be old, but inside it’s brand spanking new. The layout has been reversed, with two of the bedrooms plus the bathroom and utility room on the ground floor, and a generous lounge, kitchen and bedroom or study on the first floor. It might not be to everyone’s taste but it really makes the most of the space and the glorious beams of the first floor and attic area. A stunning conversion. On the market for £245,000.
W M Sykes & Son, 01484 910120
Photograph: W M Sykes & Son