From an artist's studio with views of Chelsea in London to a 12th-century castle in more than 300 acres of grounds in the Limousin-Perigord National Park in France, eight of the best properties for salewith libraries.
Castle Limoges, Limousin-Perigord Regional Park, France. A castle dating from the 12th century surrounded by parkland gardens. One of the turrets is lined with bookcases and the stairs lead up to a library. 40 rooms including 16 beds, banquet room and a chapel. The 395-acre grounds include gardens, woods and moors with five lakes. €16.8m Groupe Mercure +33 (0)636-82110.
The Chanters House, Ottery St Mary, Devon. A Grade II*-listed mansion that was once the home of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It has views over the parkland and surrounding woodland and inside there are oak floors, panelled rooms, and a 70ft library with a 30ft ceiling that houses the Coleridge family's 22,000-book collection. 12 en suite beds, 3 receps, 21.4 acres. £7m Strutt & Parker 01392-215631.
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Enever House, Little Rissington, Gloucestershire. A renovated Grade II-listed house. It has exposed ceiling beams, large inglenook fireplaces, flagstone floors and a first-floor library. 5 beds, 3 baths,5 receps, breakfast kitchen, utility, cloakroom, parking, gardens. £895,000 Butler Sherborn 01451-833141.
Library House, Apley Park, Bridgnorth, Shropshire. A substantial portion of a Grade II*-listed mansion designed by John Webb in 1811 and set in the parkland of Apley Estate. The library has intricate plasterwork and fan-vaulted bay windows. 6 beds, 6 baths, 3 receps, library, larder, summer kitchen, wine cellar, studio room, private garden, garage, parking, shared access to 15 acres of communal gardens. £850,000 Savills 01952-239500.
Mallord Street, Chelsea, London SW3. A late 19th-century artist's studio with a wood-panelled library. It has open fireplaces with period surrounds, and the original artist's studio on the top floor has views of London. 2/3 beds, 3 baths, 2 receps, garage, cloakroom. £5.95m Savills 020-7578 9000.
Plaish Hall, Plaish, Church Stretton, Shropshire. A Grade I-listed Tudor mansion with formal gardens and countryside views. It has panelled rooms, large period fireplaces, oak floors and there is a bookshelf-lined study on the ground floor and an upper library. 9 beds, 9 baths, 4 receps, 12.75 acres. £1.65m Strutt & Parker 01743-284200.
Wybournes, Kemsing, Sevenoaks, Kent. A grand country house built in 1906 in landscaped gardens, in need of some modernisation. Period features include panelled rooms, oak floors, sash windows, fireplaces and a library. 10 beds, 6 baths, 5 receps, domestic offices, cellar, 1 bed first-floor flat, 2-bed second-floor flat, garaging, outbuildings, greenhouse, tennis court, 4.9 acres. £2m Knight Frank 01732-744477.
Yew Corner, Laleham, Surrey. A mid-19th-century, Grade II-listed property in a Thames-side village. It has a panelled library with a fireplace, plaster mouldings to the ceiling and a central skylight with the original etched glass and gilt detailing. 5 beds, 4 baths, dressing rooms, 2 receps, pool. £2.45m Jackson-Stops 01932-821160.
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