The modern part of this £695,000 former hall house was added in the 17th-century and by great good luck it was configured so that the three reception rooms and kitchen can open on to the modern embellishment of the swimming pool and three of the four bedrooms overlook it. To the front the house, one of the oldest in this riverside commuter village, faces the green and the medieval church. Despite its quaint looks and antiquity the accommodation is enormous, including a grand en suite to one of the bedrooms. The pool occupies most of the courtyard garden – which will save you mowing but restrict other outdoor occupations.
Hamptons International, 01753 720 153 Photograph: Hamptons International
Little did the faithful who raised funds to build this Edwardian church realise that 50 years after its completion it would be sold for private use. Now, where the pews once stood, there are loungers and the nave, up which brides processed, has become a swimming pool. Most of the rooms in this four-bedroom house are cunningly collected on a gallery that encircles the building, although inconveniently, the grand dining hall is a stair climb away from the kitchen. Its ecclesiastical past is still dramatically visible in the stained-glass, the huge gothic windows, soaring roof trusses and the old communion rail crossing the width of the vaulted living room. Sale price: £595,000.
Fenn Wright, 01206 763388 Photograph: Fenn Wright
Outdoor living is obligatory here with three dining terraces and the swimming pool beside the sloping raised lawn. A large, vaulted conservatory allows you to enjoy these luxuries during intemperate summers, and, come winter, you can withdraw to the three large receptions and the study. All four bedrooms are doubles with an en suite bathroom to the master chamber. The pretty stone village is situated handily for the A14 trunk road. Sale price: £500,000.
Smiths Gore Photograph: Smiths Gore
This four- or five-bedroom house is emphatically aquatic. The rear windows overlook the river Torridge, far below its lofty perch. Its own swimming pool is borne vertiginously on one of two large sun terraces and you can observe the port town from the hot tub in the garden. Moreover, each of the four bedrooms has its own bathing facilities – there could be a fifth, bathroomless bed chamber if you harnessed the den – and two of them open on to the pool terrace. The whole £750,000 house is warmed by underfloor heating and communal living is chicly open-plan.
Fine & Country 01237 472344 Photograph: Fine & Country
Acres of tiered gardens cascade down to the banks of Lake Como where a grotto overlooks the water, and as you swim in the shared pool you can absorb the vista over the lake to the hills. The 17th-century villa has been converted into 12 parquet-floored one- to three bedroom apartments with tall windows and spectacular views. They are priced from €350,000 (£288,000) rising to €900,000 for three bedrooms and a private terrace. You still have to install the kitchen units and the light fittings, although plumbing and wiring is all done. The lakeside village of Nesso is just beyond the gardens and it’s 80 minutes to Milan airport.
Ultissimo, 020 3178 4975 Photograph: Ultissimo
