Entire English village for sale - complete with 43 houses and a pub

An entire English village is up for sale. For the asking price of £20 million, you don't just get the huge manor house, you also get the 43 houses, garage, playing fields, sports club and pub that make up West Heslerton near Malton in North Yorkshire - plus 2,000 acres of countryside and woodland.

However, there's a bit of a catch.

Cundalls, the estate agents managing the sale, point out that the manor house, although enormous, beautiful, and having bags of potential, has been empty for the past 30 years. To get West Heslerton Hall back into habitable condition is going to take quite an investment of both time and money.

There is also real potential for further investment, with buildings that could be converted, plots that could be developed, and plenty of commercial opportunities. Someone with deep pockets could end up with a vibrant money-making enterprise.

Are you right for the village?

However, the sellers aren't just hoping to sell to the highest bidder - regardless of their plans for the area.

The village has been owned by the same family for the past 150 years, and they have chosen to keep rents manageable, so they can build a strong community - as well as supporting the local primary school, football, cricket and bowling teams.

The last member of the family was Eve Dawnay, who inherited the village in 1964. She died at the age of 84 in 2010 and left the village to a number of people. They have finally decided to sell up, but ideally want a buyer who will continue to build on this legacy.

Cundalls said it is looking for a community-minded buyer. But what do you think? Would you buy this lovely village?

Villages for sale

If £20 million is a bit rich for your blood, as we reported at the end of last year, you could look a little further afield and snap up a Spanish village for as little as €280,000. Admittedly, these Spanish villages require more investment, because they are completely abandoned, and every building needs considerable work. They also need a bit of a vision, whether that's building a community or starting a business. However, given the price, it's an intriguing proposition.

For a smidge less than £20 million, you could also snap up Johnny Depp's holiday home in France - which covers 37 acres and comes with its own small, private village - of a dozen buildings, a main house, guest cottages, a chapel, a bar and restaurant, a workshop and a staff house. There's also a distinct 'Pirates of the Caribbean' feel to the place.

And if you're after a whole town of your own in the UK, but can't stretch to £20 million, you could always hang on for another unusual sale. In 2014, the Devon seaside town of Bantham sold for £11 million - and included the beach, estuary and 20 cottages. It was eventually sold to landowner Nicholas Johnston, who had visited regularly on holiday and wanted to preserve the character of the area.

In a bizarre twist, the town had previously been owned by Gillian Goddard, who initially decided to leave the village to the locals when she died. However, she fell out with them in a spat over a snack bus, and decided to sell up on her death instead.