Original beams are a highlight of this Oxfordshire barn conversion. Photo: Scott Fraser
Few features enhance a home more than exposed beams, making them highly desirable. “They showcase original craftsmanship and architectural history, adding instant character,” explains Nicky Quentel, director of Savills, Summertown.
“When retained, they allow period properties to be modernised while preserving their structural integrity and charm. The result is a warm, cosy, and homely atmosphere that many buyers associate with quintessential British houses,” she added.
From cottages to a converted barn, we’ve picked the best properties with timber beams intact.
The 17th century cottage is in immaculate condition. Photo: Galbraith
A spacious reception room with a beamed cathedral ceiling, log burner and spiral staircase leading up to a gallery is at the heart of Longford Cottage. The four bedroom stone-built property sits on the banks of the River Garnock and also has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen/diner, a two-acre garden and fishing rights. Find out more from Galbraith.
Two adjoining cottages were knocked through. Photo: HJ Burt
This timber-framed cottage is believed to date back to 1650 and previously comprised two adjoining cottages in a row of six overlooking the village common.
Inglenook fireplaces grace the kitchen and sitting room, and there’s a dining room and utility. Three double bedrooms and two bathrooms are on the first-floor, which is accessed by two separate staircases. Contact HJ Burt.
Read more: 10 quirky homes to grab before they’re gone
The cottage is bigger than it looks. Photo: Savills
Beautifully maintained and improved by the current owners, Garden Cottage is deceptively spacious. It’s located in a popular village and comprises four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a sitting room, study, kitchen and dining room and exposed beams throughout.
The south-facing walled garden contains fruit trees and flower and vegetable beds. Via Savills.
Over 500 years of history are within these walls. Photo: Sowerbys
Martyrs Cottage lies in a rural hamlet and exudes rustic charm, with inglenook fireplaces, flagstone and oak floors and an array of timber beams.
Entered through an ancient oak door, the ground floor includes a cosy sitting room, a country kitchen and a formal dining hall, and the four bedrooms are arranged over the first and second floors. A self-contained two-bedroom cottage could potentially be rented out. From Sowerbys.
Glimpse the sea from the top of this extended cottage. Photo: Marchand Petit
A modern two-storey extension has doubled the size of Sea View, an 18th-century cottage that successfully blends old and new.
There are exposed ceiling beams in the sitting room, dining room and two bedrooms, and the extension houses an open-plan kitchen and living space, two more bedrooms and two bathrooms. Further accommodation is provided in a detached studio annex. Get in touch with Marchand Petit.
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The former farmhouse is fully refurbished. Photo: Vladimir Melnic · VLADIMIR MELNIC
Exposed honey-coloured timbers have been retained in most rooms in Neaves Farmhouse, a sensitively refurbished 16th-century house which was extended in about 1850.
The sitting room, dining room and kitchen/breakfast room are all dual aspect, and three double bedroom and a bathroom occupy the first floor, with a fourth bedroom on the ground floor. Via John D Wood.
Ancient beams contrast with the modern interior. Photo: Scott Fraser
If you want a home with wow factor, check out this converted barn, incorporating three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a superb 55-foot long open plan kitchen, dining and entertaining space. Flooded with natural light, this room features a double-height vaulted ceiling with exposed timber beams and is fitted with top-end Bulthaup units and a central island. Through Scott Fraser.
Read more: 9 welcoming homes that are ideal for hosting guests
Keep your options open here. Photo: Morgan Aps
Even by the standards of Ledbury, a market town famed for its well-preserved timber-framed buildings, Rhea Court is something special.
This eight-bedroom country house comes with 30 acres of land plus an annex with a games room – currently an Airbnb – and a new barn that be used for a business, to house ponies or store classic cars. A second barn is being converted into a spa complex, though work isn’t yet complete. By Morgan Aps.
Bathrooms don’t get more atmospheric than this.. Photo: Knight Frank
With roots in the 13th century, New Place Manor is the town’s oldest recorded house and steeped in history. Includes seven bedrooms, a magnificent triple-height kitchen, elegant bathrooms and medieval features such as exposed beams galore and a 17-foot wide inglenook fireplace.
A stone archway in the grounds was built for Queen Elizabeth I’s visit in 1591, and a 16th-century dovecote is thought to be unique in Europe. Through Knight Frank.
The house sits on a historic site. Photo: Strutt & Parker
Boasting stained glass windows, over half an acre of grounds and a vaulted, beamed reception room, you’d expect to find Pepys House in the heart of a country town rather than within striking distance of the City of London and Borough Market. The four-bedroom townhouse dates from 1860 and was built on a site that was used for bear baiting pits during Elizabethan times and mentioned in Samuel Pepys’s diary. Contact Strutt & Parker.
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