Milton Keynes, MK17 0BH

Every so often, Diane and Danny spot a passerby taking a picture of their chocolate-box home at Newton Longville. They are never surprised, they admit, because, quite simply, Moor End Farm is as gorgeous today as it was over 400 years ago. “It is such a pretty cottage, and as soon as we saw it, we wanted to buy it,” Diane recalls. “It was sold as requiring renovation, but we knew exactly what we would do with it and it has become everything we knew it could be.” It has been 27 years now since the couple bought the Grade II-listed property, which includes a three-bedroom main house, an adjoining annexe and grounds of around half an acre. “We have been very happy here,” she agrees. “It has been a very flexible, multi-generational home to us – a place that is easy to live in and easy to love.” Danny adds: “It is a home that gives you a hug as soon as you step inside it.”