Something in the woodshed

Charming and occasionally eccentric, follies, temples, gazebos and other buildings enliven English country gardens

Kent, £650,000 North Yorkshire, £950,000

Clad in lush green Virginia creeper and commanding views of rolling hills and moorland, Thormanby Hall, 16 miles from York, stands on the site of former Thormanby Castle. It has five bedrooms and notable features include a 7ft-tall fireplace of Wensleydale stone, an oak library from the former Richmond Convent, a ha-ha and mature gardens adorned by an unusual folly: the rose window from the Cistercian abbey of Jervaulx (about 1156). Carter Jonas (01904 558200) At upwards of 200ft, the Victorian folly at Hadlow Castle is the tallest in England. It stands next to an attractive pond, on the other side of which is The Keep, with its battlemented honey-coloured stone and arched windows, one of a series of Georgian Gothic courtyard lodges built alongside the original castle, now long gone. There are three bedrooms and the private garden leads to a walled churchyard and communal gardens. Graham John (01303 474101)

Kent, £6 million

The colonial-style Regency serenity of Langton House estate, with its hedged cricket ground and bluebell wood, belies the urgency that must have been felt by its Second World War owner, who had an underground nuclear shelter installed, which is still intact today. With 80.4 acres of land (58 given over to arable use and pasture provide additional income) and nine bedrooms, the estate, which also has a tennis court, cricket pavilion and a stable block, lies just two miles west of Tunbridge Wells on the edge of the village of Langton Green. Strutt & Parker (020–7318 5190)

Warwickshire, £3.35 million

Moated and magnificent, Grade Ii-listed Oldberrow Court, near Henley-in-arden, dates back to the mid 16th century. With flagstone floors, exposed beams and grand fireplaces, the five-bedroom Tudor property enjoys remarkable views, beyond its formal grounds, paddocks, parkland and sweeping tree-lined drive; there are 15 acres of gardens and 11 of pasture. Outbuildings include a twostorey barn and coachhouse with planning permission for residential conversion, a large stable block with groom’s apartment and a three-storey (pictured to the left of the moat) dovecote topped by an observatory offering 360˚ views—lucky doves. The house and the land are for sale as a whole or in two lots. John Shepherd (01789 292659)

Surrey, £2.15 million

Charming Kingsley House, in Haslemere, dates back to 1906 and has a wealth of original Arts-and-crafts features, including tall, leaded windows. There are nine bedrooms and, outside, the lawned gardens feature a Classical-style Haddonstone temple and a detached indoor pool with a gym and games room. Christie’s International Real Estate (01428 661077)

Somerset, £3 million

Once through the heavy oak studded door, with original sliding bolts, of sevenbedroom Grade Ii*-listed The Manor House, in the village of Ditcheat, near Bruton, there is an abundance of natural light from large oak-shuttered windows, some with seats, as well as an elaborate carved staircase. Outside, as well as a Grade Ii-listed gazebo in the north-east corner with an excellent view of the house, there’s a Grade Ii-listed walled garden with a ‘crinkle-crankle wall’ that’s ideal for growing soft fruit, a stable block, lodge house, paddocks and mature landscaped grounds. Strutt & Parker (020–7318 5183)