Tales of the unexpected

These four glorious properties need only a modicum of tender loving care and offer great rewards to the far-sighted

Once the places of residence for Victorian clergy, these three grand former vicarages blend historic charm with modern luxury–and now they’re seeking new custodians

Holwood House, Keston, near Sevenoaks, Kent. A Grade I-listed country house, once home to William Pitt the Younger, with a folly and a garden pavilion. It has domed ceilings and retains its original f

Patrick Brompton, Bedale, North Yorkshire. A renovated, Grade II-listed Queen Anne house dating from 1703 with outbuildings and a 200-year-old stable block with four apartments. It has a kitchen with

Stone-flagged floors, dressers, scrubbed tables and a hound snoozing in front of a glowing range cooker are the hallmarks of a classic farmhouse kitchen. Arabella Youens finds homes with hearts

Georgian rectories in this sought-after landscape tend to stay in the same hands for decades, if not centuries, but a tantalising few have now come to the market