$4 million - English mansion or Otahuhu demo?

With $4m to spend one of these properties would leave you with $500,000 left over to pay for a fancy ride-on lawnmower. Photo / Trade Me

An historic British mansion where Oliver Cromwell once stayed or a run-down Otahuhu property with a house requiring demolition - what would cost the most?

A seven-bedroom picturesque Grade II-listed Cambridgeshire house where the famous Roundhead once stayed during the English Civil War is for sale for only the second time in 300 years for £1.8 million.

That is around $3.4 million at today's exchange rates.

Meanwhile, here in New Zealand's overheated market, the two-address 102 Princes St and adjoining 19 Albert St are being marketed as 'gold mine in the middle of Otahuhu' with an asking price of $4 million.

"Attention all developers and speculators, a prime investment opportunity for an astute buyer to acquire one of the last few large land banks left in Otahuhu with a total land size of 4590sq m," says advertising - noting its proximity to Sylvia Park and major motorway and train routes.

Over in Britain at Offord Cluny, the mansion is being marketed as having been owned for more than 300 years by the Sisney-Deane family before being sold in 1995.

Now, it is on the market with real estate firm Fine & Country.

A grand staircase, open fires and large sash windows with shutters, visitors greeted by brick-pillared cast iron gates that lead on to a large gravel drive surrounded by a coach house, garage and stables, an elegant hall leading on to landings that offer access to the seven spacious bedrooms and five attic rooms - aristocratic luxury is on offer at Cambridgeshire.

An aerial photograph of the Otahuhu land:

The Otahuhu propery is selling for $4 million due to a large adjoining property behind the house. Photo / Trade Me

At Otahuhu, it's the land that seems to be the gold mine: "102 Princes St has large vacant chocolate factory & two self contained out dwellings - total building/floor area approx 579m2 on a freehold title of 3561sq m;19 Albert St has a 3 bedroom house that needs to be demolished on a freehold title of 1029m2."

The British estate is on 6ha of land.

See a Google Map of the Otahuhu site here: