Old and new homes – in pictures

Historic home: Derbyshire. We ooohed and ahhed over every photo of this 17th-century cottage in South Wingfield, near Alfreston – until we got to the view from the garden, when we were stunned into silence by the sight of Wingfield Manor. This £300,000 three-bed cottage offers everything you would want from a traditional property: fabulous fireplaces, decent-sized rooms and beams galore. The garden is beautifully laid out and the kitchen, with its stable door, belfast sink and range-style cooker, is perfectly in keeping with the house.
Click here or call Richard Savidge, 01773 318311
Photograph: Richard Savidge

Historic home: Kent. It may looked tucked into its mid-terrace position, but this Georgian house in Canterbury is surprisingly spacious, with two double bedrooms and enough room for two sofas and a small dining table in the living room. The kitchen is snug but light and bright. The only drawback is that the front door opens directly into the living room. On the market for £200,000.
Click here or call Connells, 01227 469083
Photograph: Connells

New build: Essex. We love this bright, spacious, five-bed house in Great Bentley, near Colchester. The rooms are big, with a 19’x11’ kitchen, a separate utility room, a 26’x11’ living room and a separate dining room. The bedrooms are all decent-sized doubles and four of them have fitted wardrobes, and there are wide-boarded wooden floors throughout. In front of the house there is room for three cars, and the back garden is a good size. Offers in excess of £350,000 will be considered.
Click here or call Lindsells, 01206 899050
Photograph: Lindsells

New build: Hertfordshire. Try to ignore the prison-replica appearance of this four-bed, £305,000 semi in Welwyn Garden City, and the pocket-sized back garden. The kitchen is fitted out with tasteful units and pine worktops (shame about the view of the earth mover), three of the bedrooms are doubles, and Welwyn itself is within easy commuting distance of London.
Click here or call Connells, 01707 800134
Photograph: Connells

Dream home: Greater London. Dickens is believed to have been describing the four-bed Langham Cottage in Twickenham when he wrote in Little Dorrit: “It was a charming place (none the worse for being a little eccentric), on the road by the river, and just what the residence of the Meagles family ought to be. It stood in a garden … and it was defended by a goodly show of handsome trees and spreading evergreens. It was made out of an old brick house, of which a part had been altogether pulled down, and another part had been changed into the present cottage … within view was the peaceful river and the ferryboat … It was just large enough, and no more; was as pretty within as it was without, and was perfectly well-arranged and comfortable …” Need I say more? Yours for £1.65m.
Click here or call Hamptons International, 020 8940 2772
Photograph: Hamptons International