Wreck of the Week

It's just started to snow as I type this. Flimsy flakes drifting down, replacing the morning's ice-cold drizzle. Let's go to Scotland. This handsome manse is one of two I've picked out from the Church of Scotland's property listing . They may be on the pricier side to my usual renovation picks, but the size of the properties and their west coast locations make them beautiful bargains. The Manse at Appin, above and below, is on the Argyll coast between Oban and Fort William. It's Grade C listed, with lovely big rooms and lots of period details. Four bedrooms plus bathroom upstairs; two reception rooms, kitchen and utility downstairs, plus a third room and shower room as potential granny flat or guest suite. There are gardens on all sides, plus garage and parking - and those gorgeous open views. On the market at offers over £320k. Details and more pictures here and here and pdf here . My second manse pick is in an equally lovely loca...

Bit of a treat for my Midlander, or would-be Midland, readers today with three handsome homes worth renovating. First this very lovely village home in Lincolnshire . The three/four-bedroom home has had some work done, the pictures show bits of plastering, electrics and some aspirational room naming (below, for example, is the "bathroom"). Built in the 1830s, it's in Woolsthorpe by Colsterworth (home of Woolsthorpe Manor , Isaac Newton's birthplace) - a couple of  miles from Colsterworth village and around eight miles from both Grantham and Stamford. Downstairs there are three halls (!), a sitting room, dining room, kitchen, utility and snug. Upstairs are three bedrooms, a described as an en-suite shower room (but without a shower, or plumbing as far as I can tell...), and that bathroom. I suspect the room designations will come down to you. Outside is a large garden, gated drive and good-size brick workshop. On the market through Murray...

You know that New Year lottery win you didn't quite manage? Well, if you had won a few £million, this is exactly the sort of wreck to spend it on. Wetley Abbey is a beautiful Grade II-listed property, with an extra wing, four acres (possibility of buying more) and a posh bungalow to live in while you work on the main house. Despite the period details and look, it's comparatively youthful - built in the 1820s  and home to the Mason family of Staffordshire's master potters, with a large wing extension added in the 1900s. The current owners have done some remedial works, in particular to make the building watertight, and acquired a bunch of planning permissions, but there's clearly masses more to do.   There are lots of rooms, including half-a-dozen or so bedrooms and a similar number of reception rooms. No bathrooms yet and a kitchen space rather than a kitchen (no mention of utilities or drainage either, although it does look like ...