Two stunning homes for the discerning Rugbeian with a modest budget of around £2m

The inhabitants of this Dunchurch home don't have far to walk when they fancy a dip.

It has come to the Advertiser's attention that people enjoy what the trade calls 'aspirational property content' - so we, ever in your service, have decided to wade in and have a go.

Many will remember the old days where a cup of tea and a look at the property pages in your local paper made for a pleasant 15 minutes of nosiness.

But with the rise of the internet, estate agents seldom pay to advertise in local papers - so now it's up to us.

The front of the Dunchurch home is complemented by perfectly-pruned gardens.

We decided to start with a realistic and modest budget of around £2m - but if you cannot stretch to that, never fear, we found an absolute bargain for just over £1m.

Our first property is a stunning seven-bedroom Victorian home surrounded by landscape gardens.

The modest shack sits off the A426 between Dunchurch and Draycote Water.

It boasts huge and brilliantly manicured gardens, complete with swimming pool and paved barbeque area.

Preparing advanced dishes like beans on toast would be effortless in the Dunchurch home's kitchen.

Electric gates stand sentinel over the entrance to the serpentine drive, while walls and fences enclose the rest of the grounds.

Those who wish to re-enact the Dickensian conditions in which the house was built will be reassured that the servant bell system is still in place and operable.

The present owners have renovated the property in a brilliant-white, loosely modernist style while retaining many of the home's original features, including fireplaces and windows with working shutters.

Those on a budget might be put off by the asking price of £2.25m - but this home could be had for a £10,000 deposit and just 7,680 monthly payments of £500.

A tasteful combination of old and new in one of the Dunchurch home's bedrooms.

This, of course, assumes that interest rates do not change over the 640-year course of the mortgage - we would recommend keeping a few pennies around just in case that should happen.

It is also worth noting that the home comes with its own gym and a mature fruit orchard - cutting gym memberships and fruit expenditures off your monthly bill may just make this home affordable.

This home is marketed by Savills, see www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/73849278#/ for the full listing.

Our second home is a striking Victorian townhouse on Bilton Road, complete with seven bedrooms , and dressing room and a library.

The front of this Bilton Road townhouse stands sober and sensible - giving the onlooker little hint of the treasures that lie within.

The property also boasts a separate two-bedroom cottage - providing a perfect place to confine any particularly annoying relatives who visit.

Sober and understated nods to Gothic styling on the outside give way to rooms which look as if Oscar Wilde, William Morris and Picasso met up and decided to have a go at interior décor.

The decoration works incredibly well, using striking colours, original features and heaps of antique furniture to create an effect that was clearly inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement - a reaction to lowering standards of decoration and taste brought about by Victorian mass manufacture.

The asking price of £1.2m makes this a more budget-friendly choice and, for those who think the Advertiser an authority on such things - we think this is a fine abode for a distinguished Rugbeian with unique taste.

This home is marketed by Fine & Country, see www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/102019313#/ for the full listing.

Credit for all photographs used in this story goes to the estate agents.