Properties for around £500,000

Almeida Street, London N1. A basement flat in a Victorian house close to the main shopping area and transport hub of Angel, Islington.It has wood floors, an open-planliving area and good storage. 1 bed,bath, share of freehold. £494,950 Savills 020-7226 1313.

Beach Retreat, Marina Esplanade, Ramsgate, Kent. A contemporary apartment in a prime beach-front location with views over the Royal Harbour and Sandwich Bay.It has floor-to-ceiling windows and a balcony. 2 beds, 2 baths, open-plan living room/kitchen, garage parking space. £495,000 Strutt & Parker 01227-451123.

British School House, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire. An 1840s former headmaster's house with exposed stonework, beamed ceilings and a drawing room with a double-height vaulted ceiling. 2 beds, bath, 2 receps, galleried library, garden. £500,000 Strutt & Parker 01608-650502.

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up

Castle, Cantal, Salers, France. A restored castle in a valley, surrounded by parkland gardens. It has large fireplaces, access to the 15th-century rampart walk and restored outbuildings in the grounds, including a heated swimming pool. 5 beds, 2 baths, 3 receps, library, 49.4 acres. £500,000 Groupe Mercure +33 (0)666 792 653.

Glebe Cottage, Woolfardisworthy, Crediton, Devon. A 17th-century, Grade II-listed thatched cottage with country views. It has a stone newel staircase, beamed ceilings, oak-framed leaded windows and an inglenook fireplace with a wood-burning stove. 4 beds, 2 baths, 3 receps, gardens, paddock, orchard, 1.4 acres. £525,000 Savills 01392-455755.

Lintzford House East, Lintzford, Tyne & Wear. This Grade II-listed, semi-detached Georgian house is part of a conversion of a former paper mill and is set on the riverside at the edge a village. It has wood floors and a traditional marble feature fireplace. 4 beds, 3 baths, 3 receps, garage, gardens. £495,000 Sanderson Young 0191-213 0033.

Nithbank House, Thornhill, Dumfriesshire. A Grade C-listed house dating from the 1800s on the banks of the River Nith. It has a large kitchen, landscaped gardens and a stone barn with planning permission for conversion into a three-bed cottage. 6 beds, 4 baths, 3 receps, tennis court, 4.4 acres. £525,000+ Knight Frank 0131-222 9600.

West Scholes, Queensbury, West Yorkshire. A 17th-century, Grade II-listed former farmhouse and brewery with country views. It has stone inglenook fireplaces and a largekitchen with an Aga. 5 beds, 3 baths, 2 receps, library, outbuildings including a workshop, former stables, dairy, gardens. £499,950 Hunters 01422-385137.