Properties of the year: a look at the best houses of 2025
Featuring homes in Somerset, Cumbria and the Highlands
Pembrokeshire: Caldey View, Tenby
Impressive Grade II townhouse (cream house) with access to South Beach. 6 beds, 3 baths, kitchen, office, 3 receps. Still available. £900,000; Country Living Group
Somerset: The Old Rectory, Cricket Malherbie
A fine 18th century house in a glorious setting. 5 beds, 5 baths, kitchen, 3 receps, 2-bed annexe. Still available. £1.6 million; Symonds & Sampson
Scottish Borders: Flat A, Broughton Place, Broughton
An elegant apartment in a Scottish baronial-inspired tower house built in 1938. 3 beds (1 en suite), 2 baths, kitchen/dining room, 2 receps, communal gardens, parking. Sold, price ITRO £485,000; Rettie
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.
Cumbria: Hewthwaite Hall, Setmurthy
A fabulous 16th century Grade II* manor house set in approx. 8 acres within the Lake District National Park. Period features include a Tudor staircase and panelled oak door. 3 beds, 2 baths, 3 receps, kitchen/dining room, garden, barn, parking. Still available. £800,000; Finest Properties
Surrey: Magna Carta Lane, Runnymede
Magnificent and historic Grade II house set in nearly 4 acres on a private island on the River Thames. The property houses the charter room where the Magna Carta is believed to have been signed. 6 beds, 2 baths, kitchen, 6 receps, garden, outbuilding. Still available. £4.5 million; Dexters/Waterview
Worcestershire: The Court House, Wolverley
This atmospheric Grade II* property was built in 1829 and boasts period features including a full-height gothic portico. 3 beds, family bath, kitchen/dining room, recep, parking. Still available. £550,000; Morgan Aps
Highlands: Doune Bay Lodge, Knoydart, Mallaig
A superb off-grid lodge nestled in its own cove with a beach, which enjoys panoramic views over the Sound of Sleat to the Isle of Skye and the Cuillin mountain range. 5 suites, kitchen, open-plan living/dining room, boathouse, garden, parking. Currently under offer. OIEO £395,000; Savills
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Essex: Redshank, St Osyth
Designed by Lisa Shell Architects to resemble both Maunsell Forts and redshanks (a wading bird), this unique home hovers above salty marshland. 1 bed, shower, kitchen/living room, balcony. Sold, price ITRO £400,000; The Modern House
-
Political cartoons for January 19Cartoons Monday's political cartoons include Greenland tariffs, fighting the Fed, and more
-
Spain’s deadly high-speed train crashThe Explainer The country experienced its worst rail accident since 2013, with the death toll of 39 ‘not yet final’
-
Can Starmer continue to walk the Trump tightrope?Today's Big Question PM condemns US tariff threat but is less confrontational than some European allies
-
Exploring ancient forests on three continentsThe Week Recommends Reconnecting with historic nature across the world
-
Ultimate pasta alla NormaThe Week Recommends White miso and eggplant enrich the flavour of this classic pasta dish
-
Woman in Mind: a ‘triumphant’ revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s dark comedyThe Week Recommends Sheridan Smith and Romesh Ranganathan dazzle in ‘bitterly funny farce’
-
Properties of the week: impressive ski chaletsThe Week Recommends Featuring stunning properties in France and Austria
-
The Curious Case of Mike Lynch: an ‘excellent, meticulously researched’ biographyThe Week Recommends Katie Prescott’s book examines Lynch’s life and business dealings, along with his ‘terrible’ end
-
Can You Keep a Secret? Dawn French’s new comedy is a ‘surprising treat’The Week Recommends Warm, funny show about an insurance scam is ‘beautifully performed’
-
Hamnet: a ‘slick weepie’ released in time for Oscar glory?Talking Point Heartbreaking adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel has a ‘strangely smooth’ surface
-
Book reviews: ‘The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else’s Game’ and ‘The Sea Captain’s Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World’Feature Comparing life to a game and a twist on the traditional masculine seafaring tale