Summer has a habit of encouraging optimism. Tables are carried onto the lawn, chairs are borrowed from every room in the house and plans are made around the assumption that the weather will hold. These homes offer the gardens and outdoor spaces to make the most of those moments, however long they last.
This month’s collection brings together homes with generous gardens and village settings, where summer is marked by fêtes, cricket matches and a calendar that rarely stays empty for long.
The Court, Somerset
Some of the best gardens are the ones you never see coming.
The Court is a rare example of a Grade II listed Georgian home that proves exactly that. Hidden behind ancient stone walls in the centre of Axbridge, the house opens onto a series of outdoor spaces. Its sweeping lawns and tucked-away terraces encourage the sort of entertaining that starts with lunch and ends with someone producing a boules set from the shed because “it would be rude not to”.
Before long, teams have formed, the rules are being interpreted rather creatively, the children have claimed the far end of the garden as their own small kingdom, and the pool house bar has become unofficial headquarters.
6 Bedrooms | 5 Bathrooms | 4 Reception Rooms
Guide Price £2,395,000
For Sale with
House and Heritage
Coombe Brook, Somerset
Coombe Brook sits just outside Glastonbury, where house and garden feel entirely intertwined. The kitchen and dining space open directly onto a south-facing terrace, so entertaining tends to move outdoors instinctively. Making it entirely possible to slice tomatoes for your latest mob kitchen experiment while keeping one eye on an increasingly competitive water fight.
Roses, magnolia and wisteria soften the landscape, while a stream winds towards a peaceful pond terrace.
Summer here rarely follows much of a plan, drifting between kitchen, terrace and garden as the day gently loosens its belt.
1.5 Acres | 7 Bedrooms | 3 Bathrooms | 4 Reception Rooms
Guide Price £1,795,000
For Sale with
Roderick Thomas
Bretforton Hall, Worcestershire
Some houses know how to make an entrance. Bretforton Hall has had centuries to perfect it.
Set behind an elegant carriage drive in one of the Cotswolds’ prettiest villages, it’s a house that understands occasion. Guests are welcomed beneath gothic arches before finding themselves in a drawing room grand enough to host a ball, should somebody feel inclined.
Outside, broad lawns, an outdoor pool and beautifully landscaped gardens provide every excuse to linger.
It’s the sort of place made for afternoon tea on the terrace- cups left to cool in the shade, conversations running longer than intended and absolutely no urgency to be anywhere else.
Fortunately, the award-winning Fleece Inn is only a short stroll away, should anyone fancy extending proceedings.
2.1 Acres | 6 Bedrooms | 5 Bathrooms | 6 Reception Rooms
Guide Price £2,300,000
For Sale with
Morgan Aps
Higher Greenway Barn, Devon
Some tables are reserved for special occasions. Others overlook River Dart and quietly turn every lunch into one.
Higher Greenway Barn sits within gardens, terraces and woodland that encourage life outdoors. Whether it’s a walk to the river, an afternoon on the water or simply finding a spot to soak up the sunlight, summer feels particularly easy here. The games room opening onto the garden ensures the day doesn’t have to end just because the weather changes its mind. This is Britain after all.
6 Bedrooms | 5 Bathrooms | 5 Reception Rooms
Guide Price £1,500,000
For Sale with
The Coastal House
The Old Vicarage, Northumberland
There’s something wonderfully optimistic about laying a table outside in Britain. Somebody inevitably checks three weather apps, another declares, “It’ll blow over,” and before long lunch is underway regardless.
The Old Vicarage is exactly the sort of house that rewards that optimism. Its generous gardens overlook views of the River Tyne, perfect to set up for the afternoon with a dog determined to steal the tennis balls and whichever Ottolenghi salad everyone agreed looked “quite straightforward” the night before.
A short drive along the Tyne, Corbridge’s midsummer evenings bring late openings, music and a sense that summer has properly arrived. Back at home, the hot tub offers one last reason not to head indoors just yet.
6 Bedrooms | 4 Bathrooms | 7 Reception Room
Guide Price £1,500,000
For Sale with
Finest Properties
Whitley Court, Herefordshire
Whitley Court has little interest in showing off, despite having every reason to. Around an acre of gardens and grounds surround the house, where mature planting and colourful borders creates a setting that feels collected over time rather than carefully orchestrated.
The garden room is the real highlight- a serene spot made for a little more than admiring the view and convincing yourself you’ll only sit for five minutes. Beyond the gates, summer drifts into village fêtes, produce shows and the occasional raffle prize you’ll somehow end up taking home.
1 Acre | 5 Bedrooms | 4 Bathrooms | 4 Reception Rooms
Guide Price £900,000
For Sale with
Morgan Aps
Everything else can wait. The garden won’t.