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
-
Why is Trump’s alleged strike on Venezuela shrouded in so much secrecy?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Trump’s comments have raised more questions than answers about what his administration is doing in the Southern Hemisphere
-
Vance’s ‘next move will reveal whether the conservative movement can move past Trump’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Why recognizing Somaliland is so risky for IsraelTHE EXPLAINER By wading into one of North Africa’s most fraught political schisms, the Netanyahu government risks further international isolation
-
The best food books of 2025The Week Recommends From mouthwatering recipes to insightful essays, these colourful books will both inspire and entertain
-
Art that made the news in 2025The Explainer From a short-lived Banksy mural to an Egyptian statue dating back three millennia
-
Nine best TV shows of the yearThe Week Recommends From Adolescence to Amandaland
-
Winter holidays in the snow and sunThe Week Recommends Escape the dark, cold days with the perfect getaway
-
The best homes of the yearFeature Featuring a former helicopter engine repair workshop in Washington, D.C. and high-rise living in San Francisco
-
Critics’ choice: The year’s top 10 moviesFeature ‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘It Was Just an Accident’ stand out
-
A luxury walking tour in Western AustraliaThe Week Recommends Walk through an ‘ancient forest’ and listen to the ‘gentle hushing’ of the upper canopy
-
Joanna Trollope: novelist who had a No. 1 bestseller with The Rector’s WifeIn the Spotlight Trollope found fame with intelligent novels about the dramas and dilemmas of modern women