
Which home would you buy for £850,000? Vote for your favourite
EPC D (potential C) — on a scale of A (best) to G (worst)
Upside Suitable for multigenerational living.
Downside Oil-fired central heating.
Price £850,000
Contact morganaps.co.uk
In the market town of Wigton, this barn conversion in 3.36 acres combines country living with modern design. The large open-plan living/dining/kitchen space on the ground floor is flooded with natural light. A boot room, utility and plant room make up the rest of the ground floor. Bespoke oak stairs lead to the first floor, which has five bedrooms (four with en suite) and a cinema room. There is also a self-contained two-bedroom annexe, ideal for multigenerational living or a holiday let.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Guardian
19 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australia's house of the year goes to a prefab beach shack trio on Stradbroke Island
Split it, sell it, or find a way of keeping it in the family? That's the question three sisters asked themselves when they inherited a property, built by their parents in the 1970s, on a plot of land near Home beach on Minjerribah/North Stradbroke Island. The sisters had been holidaying at the house since they were children, and the site was 'almost impossible to replicate', says one sibling, who asked to remain anonymous. 'We decided quite quickly we didn't want to get rid of it,' she says. As the older building had been eaten by mycelium, the hard part was deciding what to do with it next. When the architect Daniel Burnett from Brisbane's Blok Modular viewed the house to discuss the owners' vision for three units, the sisters took him to the beach, where they all got in their bathers and 'sat around in the water for about two hours', he says. Along with sharing memories, they made one request: equitable access to the beach – 'or we're going to have fights'. 'No matter how old you get, the sibling dynamic is still present,' he says. 'They were quite unapologetic about that.' Forming a committee of sorts, the sisters (who are in their 60s) assessed every design decision as one. 'It was a unified force,' says Burnett. The result is a trio of two-storey terraces identical by design, from the hardwood floors to the light fixtures. Each three-bedroom, two-bathroom unit was designed so the occupants would feel immersed in nature, says Burnett. 'You can sit anywhere in that building – even though it's a long skinny house – and feel like you're on the beach,' he says. Sign up for our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning 'It's magic,' says one sister. 'Right now I'm looking out over the sea watching the whales go by.' Awareness of the natural environment extended to the home's disaster-preparedness. Windows had to be triple glazed to fit fire zone safety requirements, for example, which the sisters say adds to the sense of privacy in each individual house. 'Inside with the windows closed, you can't hear anyone else,' says the sister. Blok Three Sisters was named house of the year in 2025's Houses awards. It's an example of 'stealth density', says the architect John Ellway, one of the jurors. 'You can see how the ideas in this [project] could be replicated and rolled out in a lot of different places.' It could be used for 'three families, three generations, or three friends. That's what stood out for us,' Ellway says. Designing each unit the same way, down to the furnishings, was a practical choice. 'The more you customise, the higher the price gets,' says the sister. To decide which sibling got which property, they 'went out to dinner and drew lots'. They knew they wanted a prefabricated modular build because they'd seen how quick and efficient it could be. 'Doing everything you can possibly do in a controlled environment reduces the disruption for delicate ecosystems,' like Stradbroke Island's, says Burnett, who partnered with architect Stuart Vokes from Brisbane's Vokes and Peters and builders Pagewood Projects to create modules that would be delivered and assembled on location. 'You can be a bit more ambitious about what you're building because you're not hanging off a ladder in the afternoon sun, and you can utilise the cranes and sophisticated machinery that's installed in the factory rather than available on the back of a ute,' he says. Local plumbers and electricians were employed to connect the building to services, and a small team was sent to complete cosmetic joins between the modules. But otherwise the homes are fully finished in the factory: 'Every window, door, tile, joinery, tap, all the flooring.' Built to budget and with readily available materials, it shows 'a good project doesn't necessarily have to be this luxurious flashy thing', says Ellway. 'Given that it's prefab and modular, the other thing [the jury] acknowledged is that if the need came to move it, they could lift it up and take it somewhere else,' or raise the properties a metre off the ground. 'The modular build gave us timing certainty,' says the sister, as they first engaged with the architects shortly after Covid. The buildings were completed within a year. 'I think this project is exciting because it demonstrates a model for housing density,' says Burnett. 'It shows it's possible to make multi-storey, multi-residential housing in a factory at a very high standard that could be applied to other models, like social housing,' he says. The architectural design 'helps us maximise the magic', says the sister. 'Sitting on that double-height deck, looking toward the beach, laying on the couch reading a book, is really very beautiful.' At Christmas and Easter, all three siblings and their families come together on the big lawn on the beach side of the property. 'When we live in it, we face the beach, that lawn,' she says. 'That's our face to the world.'


Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Picturesque island property on sale for £625,000 with sea views of the Jurassic Coast - just don't mention the neighbours!
Most people look for nice additions like a conservatory or a balcony in their search for a new home. But one listing on Rightmove is grabbing attention for its historic island defences - and very interesting neighbours. The four bed semi-detached in Portland Island, just off the Dorset coast, features a cannon, three layers of vaults and grounds in a 'commanding position'. The £625,000 house is situated on top of land that was once part of Portland's old fort, which was a 19th century Verne Citadel built in the middle of the island and is surrounded by a huge moat. Listing images show inspiring sea views of the Jurassic Coast, double bedrooms with high ceilings and windows, a modern kitchen, a cannon nonetheless, and layers of historic tunnels sprawling out beneath the house. But what the ad fails to mention is that the lovely coastal home is adjacent to HMP The Verne - a prison housing roughly 600 male sex offenders. Residents will have to walk or drive past the prison to get to their home every day and will be a mere 400 metres away from the Category C prison. The property's underground tunnels are also connected to the prison, although they are safely sealed off today. Indeed, if you were to look just down the road from the garden, you would get a glimpse of barbed wire and what looks like an imposing control tower. Estate agents encourage homebuyers to enjoy the 'substantial rear conservatory' which they say provides a 'delightful space for entertaining while enjoying the garden views'. But the sight of inmates getting their daily exercise in the prison yard next door might kill any sophisticated dinner party vibe. The 19th century Citadel was built in the mid 1800s to defend Portland Harbour, strategically located between steep cliffs and deep ditches. At one point the steep fort was even protected by eight cannon guns - one of which remains in this property. Rightmove property records show the house was first sold in 1995 for £15,000, then in 1999 for £787,000, in 2018 for £480,000, and was last sold in 2022 for £600,000. Having been reduced on the market last month, homeowners who don't mind convicted neighbours could find their dream house with its spacious layout and modern interior. You just have to 'follow the signs for the Jailhouse cafe'.


BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Concern over rats at County Hall in Worcester
Pest control experts have been called in over concerns about rats outside County Hall in Worcester - just over a year since the site was at Worcestershire County Council's old headquarters have started to climb into some back gardens, and hang around a pond where children residents have spotted the rodents running across footpaths during daylight hours or scurrying into bushes. The county council said measures were being put in place to help prevent further activity. City councillor Elaine Willmore said she spotted rats for herself after visiting County Hall when she became concerned by the volume of residents who had informed her of a problem."I heard some rustling, and as soon as I heard a noise, I knew it was going to be a rat because of all the complaints I've had," she said. "I just looked up and saw it sitting there, as happy as Larry - it took a look at me and belted it into the pond."Willmore, Labour, added: "This really is a problem - people are concerned about the state of the County Hall generally. I said to someone recently 'it's like a scene from some zombie apocalypse film'. But having all these rats here takes it to another level." The county council vacated the site last year after two major problems with the building - the discovery of Raac, and evidence of Legionella bacteria in the water supply. Most of the land is expected to be put up for sale, with the Reform cabinet also exploring the possibility of using some of it to expand secondary school provision in Worcester. Several residents living near County Hall told the BBC the rats had only become a regular sight in recent weeks. In a statement, the county council said: "A small number of rats have been observed in the lake area outside County Hall, which is not uncommon in urban green spaces, particularly where there is water and regular footfall from people eating or gathering."A pest control team attended and are putting in place measures around the lake to help prevent further activity."Routine maintenance of the site is ongoing, and our contracted caretaking and groundskeeping teams continue to operate as normal." Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.