Even the most committed city dweller might well concede that London, Bristol et al. receive their fair share of the limelight (“If a man is tired…” and so on). But what is Britain if not a patchwork of towns, each with their own character and community? The converted will say that life in these smaller settlements offers the best of city and country, with enough bustle to satisfy the restless, and plenty of green within easy grasp should nature beckon – and this one-two promise of greater space and a slower pace is persuading a new breed of post-urbanite, one who takes great delight in everything from old workers’ cottages to grand seaside townhouses. Here are five of our favourites on the market now.

Some historic buildings hold their secrets close; others wear their past lives proudly in old shop windows and signage. Saxmundham’s former post office does exactly that, though any buyer will be firmly off the hook when it comes to handing out letters – in more recent years the ground floor of this four-storey house has been arranged as an airy gallery, with a workshop and apartment above it. In all, there’s 3,000sq ft of space here and hardly a corner without a corbelled detail, original floorboard or exposed brick. Suffolk, of course, does market towns rather well, and Saxmundham has been the site of bustling trade for some 750 years.

What is it precisely that tells us a house has been well-loved? The care is plain to see in this Grade II-listed ragstone cottage in the north Lincolnshire town of Winterton, sensitively converted from shop to family home. Built in 1720 and still in happy possession of numerous period features, including an original Georgian fireplace and exposed beams in an upstairs bedroom, this home is surprisingly generous once you step through the entrance hall. Rooms are arranged one after another, enfilade-like, which means nothing feels separate or sealed-off, and there’s a deliciously secluded walled garden at the end that’s just coming into its very best months.

Only a mile and a half inland from Suffolk’s heritage coastline, Leiston is a lesser-known gem with rich industrial roots. This smart Georgian house once formed part of the offices for local manufacturers Richard Garrett & Sons – and you need only pop next door for the full debrief: the adjacent building has been turned into a museum of its agricultural machinery. The current owners of this home have made brilliant use of its generous Regency proportions, painting up to picture rails and turning the pitched top floor over to a beautifully restrained main bedroom. Epicureans, meanwhile, may find the substantial wine cellar sweetens the deal.

The Edwardians had precious little time to make their mark on Britain, but they did manage to build some rather lovely homes in that decade or so – such as this seven-bedroom house on the north Norfolk coast. The seaside town of Sheringham was just coming into its own at the turn of the century, thanks to the arrival of a railway line that could deliver residents (and seafood – this is crabbing country) to Norwich and on to London. Though the town has slowly transformed around the old fishing quarter, little has changed in this house; the wood-panelled fireplace surrounds are intact, as are the floorboards and simple coving. Glimpses of the sea beckon from the upper floors.

Another Edwardian house on another stretch of sublime British coastline, this double-fronted beauty was originally built as a school. Behind the handsome red-brick façade is a home that has spent a century shifting this way and that, though it’s lost none of its charm in the process. The current owners have unified the structure, leaning into inky hues and preserving the original ceiling roses and cornicing, meanwhile an orangery-style extension grants a greater sense of connection to the garden. And the main bathroom, with its freestanding tub and working fireplace, must be among the most inviting we’ve seen.

Toast of the Town: the best homes on high streets and beyond

We present five remarkable homes for sale in historic towns, from a converted post office to a perfectly preserved Edwardian gem