The pastime of gawping at huge houses way out of our reach has been made more challenging recently, when many of us are struggling to afford the heating bill.

But if you want to see how the other half live then feast your eyes on this selection - Kent's most expensive houses on sale in December. The list includes the former homes of the stars and one where you have to spend millions more to actually build the house itself.

1. Hunton Court - £10,000,000

If you want to impress your guests - and not just by the scale of your bank balance - then look no further than this sprawling mansion in Hunton, near Yalding.

Hunton Court, a Grade II-listed property, is set in 132 acres of 18th century parkland, featuring lakes and ancient stone bridges and was once owned by Liberal Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman - Prime Minister, no less, between 1905 to 1908.

If you're a fan of Downton Abbey or Bridgerton then this would allow you to live out all your fantasies.

What's more, apart from the eight-bedrooms, there's a tennis court and swimming pool, in addition to a range of outbuildings, a cottage and walled garden.

In short, it's got plenty of things to do.

It comes at a cost though. If you put down a 10% deposit, the monthly mortgage costs would set you back well in excess of £50,000 every month for 25 years. Yikes. And let's not even begin to entertain how much your gas and electric bills will set you back.

Strutt & Parker is the agent if you're feeling flush.

2. Oxon Hoath - £9,250,000

What, you might ask, do you get for a shade under eight figures these days? Well, quite a lot if this grand property in Hadlow, near Tonbridge, is anything to go by.

At Oxon Hoath, not only do you get the Georgian Grade II*-listed Mansion House, boasting 28 (yes, 28) bedrooms and 21 bathrooms, but you also get the 16th century Dower House which comes with a further five bedrooms and bathrooms plus its very own indoor swimming pool. It too lays claim to Grade-II* status.

But that's not all, because there's also the small matter of 74 acres of parkland overlooking the Weald, walled gardens, gravelled terraces and as much privacy as you can wish for.

Currently being used as a retreat and events venue, there are even three flats for staff or owners in the main building which offer yet more bedrooms.

All of which you reach via a long drive that whisks you through parkland and past some Grade II-listed stone gate piers. Whatever they are.

Knight Frank is the one to contact if that sounds like your cup of tea.

3. Sussex House Farm - £6,500,000

You'd certainly be Mr (or Little Miss) Happy if you snapped up this palatial estate in Cowden, near Edenbridge. Primarily because this home was once the property of Roger Hargreaves - the man who created the Mr Men books.

And if that's not enough star power for you, the actor Sir John Mills was also a former owner.

In fact, the estate up for sale is so huge it can either be purchased as a whole, or split into five different lots.

At the heart is Sussex House Farm set in more than 77 acres. Grade II*-listed and dating back to the 16th century, you can try to create your own series of classic children's characters while having a splash in the swimming pool or quick set on the tennis court. It also comes with its own equestrian centre and 12 stables.

Two other buildings and two plots of farmland are also included - or can be sold separately.

Savills is the agent handling the sale.

4. Dairy Lane - £5,000,000

A restored Grade II-listed country house dating back to the 15th century in Crockham Hill, near Edenbridge, was never going to be cheap. But for £5 million you get five bedrooms - including a master with one of those swanky walk-in wardrobes - and plenty of modern touches to be the envy of your chums.

The five acres of gardens, according to the marketing blurb, "rival those usually found at a National Trust stately home" - with some parts designed by the award-winning garden designer Roger Platt.

What's more, if you like the look of how it's decorated from the pictures in the brochure, you can negotiate with the current owner to buy all the furniture, fixtures and fittings too.

There's even a cinema room, off which is lurking a wine store. What's not to like?

Fancy it? Then head over to John D Wood & Co.

5. Oxney Court - £4,500,000

Dover isn't renowned for its palatial mansions - assuming you don't count the town's famous castle of course.

But just up the road at St Margarets-at-Cliffe looms the imposing Oxney Court - a late 17th century house in gothic style.

Requisitioned during the First World War, it burnt down and fell into ruin for many years until the late 1990s when renovation work began to restore it to its former glory.

Today, it is Grade II-listed, offers five-bedrooms in the main house and more in two cottages set within its grounds.

There is also the obligatory tennis court and swimming pool.

If it floats your boat, then get in touch with Strutt & Parker.

6. Lake House - £4,000,000

We asked earlier what you get for your millions... well, in this case, you simply get the land. Yes, that's right, you acquire the plot with planning permission to build the Grand Designs-style property pictured here. Yes, that's right, you have to build it (and pay for it) yourself.

Granted, the land, on the edge of Penshurst, you get would see your house set within over six acres of land and next to a lake. But still.

Once built - and assuming you stick to the plans permitted - you'll have a five-bedroom home and swimming pool. And the grounds are not to be sniffed at - the gardens themselves feature Grade II-listed terraces plus parkland to boot.

But, we can't quite get over the £4m price tag and there's still the small matter of building the house itself.

If that sounds like your thing, then Savills is the agent handling the sale.

7. Bayham Hall - £3,950,000

Eight bedrooms, gardens which stretch for more than eight acres and a marbled barbecue area; plus you get to live in what looks like a castle. Bayham Hall, in Lamberhurst is certainly a looker.

Grade II-listed, natch, this sprawling country mansion is set within 1,000 acres of parkland so it even comes with views about as impressive as the price tag.

The drive way to access the property itself is one mile long, so taking a stroll to the local shops may be no quick trip, but why leave when you are occupying such splendour, eh?

Designed and constructed in the 1870s for the Marquess of Camden to create his country home, the estate is close to the protected ruins of Bayham Abbey, while the architecture was commissioned to replicate the Jacobean manorial houses of the 16th and 17th centuries, apparently.

Anyway, it's all very nice and if you want it, well, head to agents Hamptons.

8. Petham House - £3,700,000

You can't deny that Petham House, near Canterbury, certainly looks the part. With five-bedrooms, it even comes with a gym on the ground floor - probably so you can get your arm muscles tuned up for lifting all the cash you'll need to buy it.

There's a long private driveway and "sweeping lawns" too to keep you entertained, along with a walled garden full of fruit and vegetables.

Meanwhile, the property itself is set within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. For the deep-pocketed lovers of the countryside and grand entertaining, it's probably spot on.

Interested? Then get in touch with Strutt & Parker.

9. The Old Palace - £3,695,000

"The Old Palace" sounds like a joke many of us have made as we return to our pokey terraced abode. But this property - dating back to 1340 - actually has the name in its address.

It is, aren't they all, Grade II*-listed, and combines the old and the new within its splendid walls.

Most eye-catching is an inside swimming pool which nestles alongside a steam room. Surely the ultimate sign of success (or, at least, excess).

Set in more than six acres, it has seven bedrooms and has some decent history attached too. The oldest part of the house was once part of the Archbishop's Palace - a rest spot for Archbishops of Canterbury as they headed into London. Praise be.

If it tickles your fancy, then Savills will be your agent of choice.

10. Charlton Place - £3,600,000

Rounding off our top 10 is a home which looks like it belongs in a Jane Austen novel. In fact, it is claimed she "might have" visited it.

Set in Bishopsbourne, near Canterbury, the property dates back 800 years. In more recent history, it was requisitioned during the Second World War and then spent 20 years as a Barnardo's home.

Of course, if you can afford a £3.6m house, then you can probably afford to fill the "extensive" wine cellars too.

The land is extensive, too - 98 acres of grassland and 25 of woodland. It's even got a cricket pitch, in addition to the obligatory swimming pool.

Strutt & Parker are handling the sale if this if it ticks all your house-hunting boxes.