Those gorgeous Georgians

From waterside idylls to the abodes of masquerade impresarios, these are houses to beat

- Annunciata Elwes

Somerset, £2.95 million

The owners of classically Georgian, Grade II-listed Haygrass House, in the village of Shoreditch, near Taunton, must have been thrilled to hunker down last year. Beyond the grand, but not too grand, portico’s double doors lie a wine cellar, study, two kitchens, a library, ballroom, cinema room and six reception rooms, some with floor-to-ceiling sash windows and open fires. The south-facing drawing room’s bay window looks out over extensive formal gardens in grounds that extend to almost 30 acres and contain a tennis court, swimming pool, American-style barn, stables and paddock. The main house has nine bedrooms and there’s a lodge and stable flat with two bedrooms apiece. Jackson-Stops (01823 325144)

Lincolnshire, £1.65 million

Commanding a gentle hillside with far-reaching views in the hamlet of Creeton, 10 miles north of Stamford, The Old Rectory was built in about 1750. It now has a Victorian front created in 1850 and further 20th-century additions. Lovely original features include fireplaces, window seats, tall sash windows and shutters, plus stone and timber flooring, and the seven-bedroom house’s two acres include a swimming pond, vegetable garden, orchard and former grass tennis court, plus three double-storey stone barns with development potential. The annexe with studio and home office boasts the all-important fibreoptic broadband and there’s even a wine cellar. Fine & Country (01780 750200)