Chilham Castle

THIS ESTATE MAY be a grand manor house masquerading as a castle, ornamental crenellations and all, but in every other way it’s the real deal. Built in 1612 on the site of a keep dating from 709, it has all the essential components of an English country house: mullioned windows, linenfold wood panelling, massive stone fireplaces, moulded plaster ceilings, wine cellars, a library, several pantries, a room just for storing cutlery, staff quarters and a liberal distribution of antlers. The coral-coloured brick house stands in 121 hectares of terraced lawns, herbaceous borders and parkland, enclosing a kitchen garden, a lake with boathouse, two tennis courts, a vineyard, two gate lodges and extensive stables and paddocks.

With 11 reception rooms, 14 bedrooms in the main house (plus five in the gate lodges) and 12 bathrooms, the estate has 33,734 sq ft of historic living space to get lost in. It wouldn’t be an English manor house without a few eccentricities, and here these come in the form of the layout, which is a hexagon missing one side, and a 1920s indoor marble pool.

The current owners, who open the gardens to the public, have completed a full restoration. Previous proprietors include several kings of England, not least Henry VIII.

The castle sits on the edge of the picture-perfect village of Chilham, 92km from Central London. What more could you want for your US$21 million?