THERE’S no such thing as a free lunch, a footballer’s wife with class or a bargain manor — or so you might think. Fat bonuses in the City and families cashing in on their London homes and moving somewhere prettier have largely put paid to the concept of a country house at a more than reasonable price.

But there are good deals to be had, especially if you don’t need to commute or are prepared to commute for another 20 minutes each way. The far reaches of east Kent are just such a property pocket — especially the little-known triangle between Canterbury, Dover and Ramsgate. Here you will find country mansions with large and well-established gardens tucked away down leafy lanes where the only noise is birdsong or the occasional hum of farm machinery. They may not stay bargains after 2009, when the new Channel Tunnel Rail Link will cut train times to London by up to an hour.

“It’s a fairly unknown part of Kent, which means it’s good value,” says Edward Church, of Strutt & Parker in Canterbury. “It’s very beautiful, very green and far less populated than a lot of places, but most people simply don’t know about it. The architecture has also been left pretty much alone, so you can snap up fine Georgian houses with all their period details for far less than you would pay elsewhere.”

David Kincaid, of Cluttons in Canterbury, agrees. “The farther east you go the more reasonable the prices, because the train services are dreadful. If you don’t need to commute, can work from home or are retired, you can find some excellent houses.

“The area is jolly handy for the Shuttle to France and the Eurostar at Ashford. The coast is glorious and the countryside is spectacular — it’s a great spot to live. Similar properties in Sevenoaks, for instance, would cost a lot more.”

Malmains Manor is just such a bargain. It sits prettily behind wrought-iron gates in the lovely village of Alkham, four miles from Dover and only five miles from the M20. It’s tucked away down a tiny lane, over which trees form a dense canopy, so that you would never come across it by chance. The gates are topped with fat stone pineapples, the Georgian symbol of hospitality and affluence (only the very rich could afford the recently discovered fruit back then). Malmains was once owned by a butterfly collector, who planted insect-friendly shrubs; the grounds, with their ponds, waterfalls, swimming pool and neat topiary, are a delight, especially on a summer’s day.

But it is the house which is the star of the show — a house perfect for the picture on a biscuit tin or a jigsaw puzzle. The owners, Sam and Nicholas Hodges, who are downsizing, have managed to combine a historic atmosphere with everything needed in a modern home. When they bought Malmains two years ago they releaded the roof, put in damp-proofing, new bathrooms and a kitchen and turned the cellar into a large room for parties and as a snug TV den for their three small daughters, Verity, Tilly and Daisy, and Jasper, their adorable dachshund.

“Alkham is a quintessential English village,” says Sam. “They play cricket on the green and there are lovely summer fêtes. As soon as we moved in we got in a swimming instructor to teach the girls, and now they all swim like little mermaids. This has been a great place to raise a family.” Malmains comes with a delightful two-bedroom guest cottage, making it even more appealing in terms of value.

It’s a similar story with the Manor House at Sholden, near Deal. This is an excellent family home and, like Malmains, has biscuit-tin appeal, sitting in grand symmetry in its immaculate gardens, laid out in the style of Gertrude Jekyll. This is where Rosalind and Geoffrey Cave-Wood have lived for 13 years and where they raised their two daughters, who have now flown the nest but whose bedrooms, touchingly, are as they left them. The house has an impeccable pedigree. It was built in the early 18th century but really came into its own in the 1920s, when it became a kind of Who’s Who of the flapper era. The Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, stayed there in the Thirties when he was captain of the nearby Royal St George’s Golf Club; he was a guest at weekend parties which included Tallulah Bankhead and Gloria Vanderbilt. “We have had some excellent parties here too,” says Geoffrey, “but not quite on that scale.”

As you might expect from a country squire, Geoffrey is something of an eccentric. “You see that over there? It’s a walnut tree and you know what they say about those, don’t you? It’s an old rhyme : ‘A woman, a dog and a walnut tree, the more you beat them, the better they be’ .”

This house also ticks all the boxes of what a manor house should have — an extravagant folly in the garden, a dovecote, extensive cellars, a grand fireplace, panelling. The drawing room is enormous, as is the master bedroom, which has delicate hand-painted panels of flowers and comes with a very large en suite bathroom. The dining room is splendid, panelled in pine, and it has a magnificent fireplace inset with Delft tiles. The kitchen is on the small side, but that is reflected in the price. If this house were in the Cotswolds, it would cost three times as much. If I had a million quid to spare, I might be tempted — but the walnut tree would have to go.

Malmains Manor is for sale for £1.09 million and the Manor House at Sholden is for sale for £1.195 million, both via Strutt & Parker,01227 451123, www.struttandparker.com


COUNTRY CODE

Every self-respecting manor house should ideally have:

A visitors’ book of famous people.

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