Some homes pull off the trick of offering the best of both worlds. Take as an example Champions Farm, an ancient home that’s been carefully brought up to modern spec while retaining its charm. Then there’s the location: it sits in splendid isolation in the middle of its 111 acres of rolling fields, with magnificent …

Reddish House, in the Wiltshire countryside, was bought by Beaton for £10,000 in the 1940s

As developers move into country villages, the best bets for buyers are often in National Parks and AONBs.

British castle old house