Old and new homes – in pictures

Historic home: Hampshire. A Grade II-listing honours the ancient pedigree of this cottage in the estate village of Baulieu near Lympington. Unfortunately that’s the only appreciation it’s received in the past decade, for the wiring, plumbing, fittings and thatch are also historic, but not in a desirable way. If you have a surplus of savings over and above the £425,000 asking price you could turn the place into an idyll with a detached garage, large garden and up to five bedrooms. Disocncertingly, most of these are on the ground floor, distributed around the skinny galley kitchen you’d probably prefer to relocate.
Click here or call John D Wood, 01590 677233
Photograph: John D Wood

New build: Cambridge. It bills itself as the city’s tallest building – an honour, it should be noted, that can be earned with a mere nine storeys – and promises to introduce ‘hotel living’ to the city, ie a nice lobby and 24-hour concierge. Designed by Cambridge university lecturers, who won a design competition, it will house anyone with at least £250,000 in a chicly fitted, eco designed open-plan apartment, most with a terrace or balcony, and grant them use of a residents’-only gym, an underground carpark and a secluded communal garden. Its position does not show the city at its finest, and it’s a mile’s hike into town, but the station is less than 10 minutes away. Sadly you’ll have to wait until 2014 to move in.
Click here or call The Marque, 01223 347092
Photograph: The Marque

Historic home: Shropshire. One of a cascade of quaint cottages down the steep hill to the river in Bridgnorth. The beamed and vaulted ceilings suggest it could be more than 200 years old – once part of a no-go area of ale and bawdy houses that invigorated the river bargees. Time has improved its social standing while respecting its character: the floors are of quarry tiles and polished wood, the kitchen is oak crafted and there are two new bathrooms. Apart from the fact the sitting room opens directly on to the street, it’s a decent size with three double bedrooms, including an enormous master suite, a kitchen large enough to dine in, and a cellar with potential. The back garden faces sunnily south. Yours for £248,500.
Click here or call Nick Tart, 01746 866004
Photograph: Nick Tart

New build: London. Time was the east London docklands were a no-go area for the affluent; now only the affluent can gain a foothold on a wharf where a two-bed flat costs £500,000. A balcony overlooking the brown flow of the Thames have helped increase the price of this 11th-storey perch in New Providence Wharf. En suites to both large bedrooms, underground parking, glossy fittings and the use of a health and fitness centre with a pool are further enticements – plus, of course, those watery views from all the main windows.
Click here or call Life Residential, 020 364 10120
Photograph: Life Residential

Historic home: Northamptonshire. Time has been kindly to this £179,950 Victorian cottage in Milton Malsor, a prettily preserved village near Northampton. Recent years have flattered modern tastes with elegantly neutral decor, reclaimed floorboards, a Shaker-style kitchen and a new bathroom, but its vintage glories live on in the form of a cast iron fireplace, original panelled doors and terracotta flooring. Three bedrooms, an upstairs bathroom and a good-sized garden are sqeezed behind that svelte facade, although life here is on a compact scale – the bedrooms are all daintily proportioned, the front door opens straight into the small living room and there’s no room for a dining table in the kitchen.
Click here or call Jackie Oliver & Co, 01327 317282
Photograph: Jackie Oliver & Co

New build: Devon. It’s 200m from your front step to the beach, as this four-bed home is one of 11 daring semis arising along the coast road in the resort of Torquay. The glory is the top-floor master suite with dressing room, bathroom and a capacious balcony overlooking the sea. Downstairs is open-plan from lounge to shiny kitchen with another balcony to compensate for the small squiggle of garden and an integral garage. Cost: £399,950.
Click here or call Linden Homes, 01395 262094
Photograph: Linden Homes