Would-be-owners of this picturesque Costwold Cottage will inherit an unusual ward with their purchase: a 94-year-old tortoise called Hercules.

Hercules has outlasted at least two sets of owners of the Grade II-listed Wiltshire property, which is for sale for £825,000 via Hunter French. And while the Old Dairy has four bedrooms, a large landscaped garden and an outbuilding that used to be the village cafe, it’s the tortoise that is the key selling point for the Box home, as she’s something of a local celebrity.

The nonagenarian hibernates through October to April, and is relatively low maintenance, wandering through the cottage’s walled garden in warmer months, chomping on cucumbers and salad leaves.

She’ll stay put once the Cotswold property – which spans three floors and has period fireplaces, a formal dining room and a reception-cum-office – is sold. The old cafe outbuilding could potentially be revived too.

[Via Country Life]

Postcard-worthy Cotswold cottage asks for £975,000