If you’re after a home packed to the rafters with heritage charm and character, you’d be hard-pressed to do better than a barn conversion. Plenty of space, rustic charm, characterful design quirks, exposed beams, vaulted ceilings, thatched roofs and a rural setting: what’s not to like?

Here are five fully converted, utterly charming barn conversions that are on the market right now.

Castle Lane, Amberley, West Sussex

Jackson-Stops
£2,500,000
AMBERLEY Barn Conversions - Castle Lane, Amberley, Jackson-Stops

Often barn conversions are located in places where today’s planners would never allow a brand new development to slip through their net. Such a property is this exceptional Grade II-listed barn conversion, just a stone’s throw from the 12th-century Amberley Castle at the foot of the beautiful South Downs National Park in Sussex. The barn, which is believed to date back to the 17th-century, was lovingly converted by the current owner sixteen years ago. It offers just under 9,000 sq ft of accommodation, including two separate one-bedroom cart cottages. With six bedrooms, six bathrooms, four reception rooms and old beams in abundance, this substantial property makes for an utterly charming, spacious family home.


Chiddingstone, Sevenoaks

Platform Property
£2,300,000
CHIDDINGSTONE Barn Conversion - Chiddingstone, Credit Platform Property

Craving the good life but still need to commute to London? This converted oast house and barn is surrounded by fields on all sides and is situated in An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, just 2.6miles from the popular commuter train station Hildenborough. The house has five bedrooms and a fully fitted outbuilding which could double up as a contemporary granny or nanny flat. A sucker for picture perfect charm? It even has a white picket fence to enclose part of the garden, which contains both a duck pond and duck houses.


Dunton Manor Barn, Buckinghamshire

Jackson-Stops
£1,500,000
DUNTON MANOR BARN Barn Conversion - Dunton Manor Barn, Jackson-Stops

Thatched roof, a full-height vaulted ceiling, exposed beams aplenty and good schools nearby: this iconic barn conversion in Buckinghamshire has got the lot. What’s more, it is enviably positioned within commuter distance of London. Such timeless properties that tick all the boxes don’t come up for grabs often. The original barn, which the current owners painstakingly converted using a Master Craftsman, was once part of the Manor House which ran with The Carrington Estate. No expense has been spared in the renovations of this six-bedroom house. Appropriate reclaimed materials have been used at all times to preserve the original character while allowing for modern living. Each door, fireplace and oak staircase is individual, allowing for a period charm. Simple country living at its finest.


Ullswater Barrock Park, Southwaite, Cumbria

Cumbrian Properties Sales
£175,000
ULLSWATER Barn Conversion - Barrock Park - Cumbrian Properties Sales

A barn conversion needn’t set you back a couple of million. This delightful two-bedroom bolthole, located between Penrith and Carlisle, would make an ideal home or holiday house. It is within a pretty courtyard setting, and the end-terrace cottage has reverse style accommodation, meaning the master bedroom and open plan living with kitchen/diner are on the first floor. The ground floor has a shower room, second bedroom and snug. The communal gardens have excellent views across the countryside and steps lead down to lower gardens and the River Petteril.


White Owl Barn, Brandon Parva, Norfolk

Strutt & Parker
£1,475,000
WHITE OWL BARN - White Owl Barn - Strutt & Parker

Barn conversions tend to have a natural grandeur with their high ceilings, and White Owl Barn, situated in beautiful Norfolk, is a case in point. Like to throw a party? The main body of this property, a vast grand exhibition hall, is just made for hosting the masses. In fact, it’s so spacious, it could even be used a wedding venue. Yet this versatile four-bedroom house, that sits in 14.6 acres, is designed for family living (and sociable entertaining). White Owl Barn enjoys all the ease of modern living with the charm of a historic building. You certainly won’t complain of the cold. There is underfloor heating everywhere, including the first floor, and double glazing throughout. Within the walled garden is a bespoke labyrinth which is a replica of the labyrinth in the Chartres Cathedral in France which dates from the 13th-century. Need more convincing? Above the front door are owl boxes which provide shelter and breeding space for the barn owns. One can but dream.

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March 2020
By Annabel Jack