Properties of the year: outstanding homes for sale in 2021
Featuring secluded courtyards, woodburning stoves and a barrel-vaulted cellar
- 1. Ash Tree Cottage, Mount Gardens, Sydenham SE26
- 2. The Round House & Cottage, Ilfracombe
- 3. The Lock House, Bethnal Green E3
- 4. Knuzden Hall, Oswaldtwistle, Accrington
- 5. The Old Priory, Titley, Kington
- 6. Tumbly, Holne, Newton Abbot, Dartmoor
- 7. The Beach Hut, Millook Haven
- 8. West Lodge Boathouse, Watermillock, Penrith
- 9. East Lodge, Illogan, near Tehidy
1. Ash Tree Cottage, Mount Gardens, Sydenham SE26
Set in its own private micro hamlet, this Georgian cottage is in the Sydenham Hill Conservation Area on the outskirts of Dulwich. Main suite, 3 further beds, family bath, kitchen/breakfast room, 2 receps, study, garden room, utility, cloakroom, detached studio/ annexe, carport, off-street parking, well-maintained gardens.
Under offer, guide price £2m; Knight Frank
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
2. The Round House & Cottage, Ilfracombe
Devon
A striking Italianate circular house and separate cottage in an elevated position adjoining the Cairn Nature Reserve. Main bed, 4 further beds, family bath, kitchen, breakfast room, 3 receps, rotunda room, 3-bed cottage, garage, gardens, summer house.
Under offer around the new guide price of £1.1m; Stags
3. The Lock House, Bethnal Green E3
London
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
A Grade II Georgian former lock-keeper’s cottage on the towpath at Old Ford Lock on Regent’s Canal, backing onto Victoria Park. Main suite, 1 further bed, 1 further bath, open-plan kitchen/ double recep with vaulted doubleheight ceilings, attic, garden.
Sold in November in excess of the asking price of £1m; RiverHomes
4. Knuzden Hall, Oswaldtwistle, Accrington
Lancashire
A Grade II Georgian country house, which has been carefully restored. The property is attached at part of the rear to an adjoining farmhouse (also listed), along with two further homes within a small enclave. 3 suites, 1 further bed, family bath, kitchen/dining room, 2 receps, barrel-vaulted cellar, garage, southfacing gardens, garden house, terrace.
Was on the market at £795,000, but was withdrawn in September; Savills
5. The Old Priory, Titley, Kington
Herefordshire
This fine Grade II house, dating from the 15th century, has been beautifully restored. 2 suites, 2 further beds, family bath, kitchen/ breakfast room, recep with inglenook and woodburning stove, 1 further recep, hall, study, utility, cloakroom, store rooms, office, barn, garage, carport, large gardens, secluded courtyard.
Sold in September in excess of the asking price of £800,000; Strutt & Parker
6. Tumbly, Holne, Newton Abbot, Dartmoor
Devon
Designed by a pupil of Edwin Lutyens, this house is set above the Dart Valley with views to Sharp Tor. 2 suites, 1 further bed, shower, kitchen/breakfast room, 3 receps, terrace, 2 garages, former stables, lovely gardens and grounds, 1.6 acres.
Sold in September in excess of the asking price of £850,000; Knight Frank
7. The Beach Hut, Millook Haven
Cornwall
Built in 1929 as a tearoom and formerly a very successful holiday let, this 1-bed cottage has its own beach and 40 acres of surrounding clifftop in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Sold in October in excess of the asking price of £1.75m; John Bray & Partners
8. West Lodge Boathouse, Watermillock, Penrith
Cumbria
A Grade II Ullswater boathouse in need of renovation, in a lovely setting beside the water at Gowbarrow Bay. 3/4 beds, 2 baths, kitchen, 2 receps, hall, 2 further rooms, outbuilding, lakeshore and grassland with sporting and fishing rights, 0.75 acres.
Sold in May well in excess of the guide price of £550,000; Savills
9. East Lodge, Illogan, near Tehidy
Cornwall
This detached Grade II thatched 18th century lodge sits in a magical setting with Tehidy Woods on the doorstep.2beds, family bath, kitchen, recep, hall, porch, rear and side garden.
Sold in December just over the asking price of £395,000; Lillicrap Chilcott
-
Western Alaska reels as storm aftermath prompts mass evacuations
UNDER THE RADAR Alaskan lawmakers point to climate change as airlifts relocate hundreds from coastal communities devastated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong
-
Sudoku medium: October 17, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Sudoku hard: October 17, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
6 sporty homes with tennis courts
Feature Featuring a clay tennis court in New York and a viewing deck in California
-
Critics’ choice: Seafood in the spotlight
Feature An experimental chef, a newspaper-worthy newcomer, and a dining titan’s fresh spin-off
-
Taylor Swift’s Showgirl: Much glitter, little gold
Feature Swift’s new album has broken records, but critics say she may have gotten herself creatively stuck
-
Theater review: Masquerade
218 W. 57th St., New York City 218 W. 57th St., New York City
-
Film reviews: Roofman and Kiss of the Spider Woman
Feature An escaped felon’s heart threatens to give him away and a prisoner escapes into daydreams of J.Lo.
-
Cyrano de Bergerac: a ‘huge-hearted’ production
The Week Recommends This ‘playful’ and ‘poignant’ rendition brings new life to the ‘gilet-sporting, verse-spouting’ titular soldier
-
I Swear: a ‘warm-hearted’ comedy-drama
The Week Recommends While ‘inescapably hilarious’, the drama also lifts the lid on John Davidson’s experiences with Tourette syndrome
-
Victoria Beckham Netflix documentary feels like an ‘advert’
Talking Point Carefully controlled three-part show fails to answer the interesting questions it raises