Let there be light

Orangeries, be they the old-fashioned kind for growing fruit or more modern ones barely distinguishable from conservatories, certainly can brighten a place up

- Annunciata Elwes

A Cambridgeshire, £1.55 million 

Beautifully refurbished and quintessentially Georgian-even the iron railings and pedestrian gates to the front boundary have their own separate listing a dose of luxurious modern life can be expected within the honeyed walls of Peakirk House (also known as Greystones), in which a traditional conservatory with roof blinds leading to the rear lawn contrasts happily with period features such as inglenook fireplaces, exposed timbers, shutters and a Venetian window over the front-door pediment.

There are six bedrooms and refurbished floorboards or limestone flooring throughout, plus a wine cellar and the potential for a self-contained annexe in an adjoining building. The little village of Peakirk is only six miles north of Peterborough, from where fast trains to London take 46 minutes. Fine & Country (01780 750200)

Gloucestershire, £3.75 million