January 12, 2022

EVERY WEEK

JANUARY 12, 2022

Wonky and wonderful: 10 glorious English villages

ISSUE: 02

PRINTED IN THE UK

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THE VOICE OF THE COUNTRYSIDE JANUARY 12, 2022

Poetry in motion: our winner revealed Superb snowdrops and the best of Waugh CLI338.cover.indd 1

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ONE FAMILY SPECIALISING IN FINE FURNITURE SINCE 1866

A giltwood cheval mirror entirely hand carved in solid mahogany with dutch leaf applied over red gesso showing a distressed finish. This Baroque Revival style piece was directly based off an antique in our collection, and is attributed to designer Valentino Besarel.

£4,325

Width: 29 inches (75.5cm) | Height: 60 inches (152.5cm)

NATIONWIDE HOME APPROVAL SERVICE | BESPOKE COMMISSIONS UNDERTAKEN OVER 1,000 ITEMS OF EXCLUSIVE CLASSICAL FURNISHINGS IN STOCK CALL 01491 641115 | WWW.BRIGHTSOFNETTLEBED.CO.UK NETTLEBED

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OXFORDSHIRE

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RG9 5DD (OPEN TUES-SAT)

KING’S RD

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LONDON

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SW6 2DX (OPEN MON-FRI)

1 2 HORSHAM, WEST SUSSEX

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n outstanding and historical Grade II listed manor house of medieval origins with spectacular gardens and distant southerly views towards the South Downs.

The property benefits from excellent equestrian facilities including an Olympic-sized all-weather sand school.

5 B E D R O O M S | 4 B AT H R O O M S | 5 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | 2 A PA R T M E N T S | C O A C H H O U S E G A R A G I N G | T E N N I S C O U R T | S W I M M I N G P O O L & P O O L H O U S E | L A K E | A P P R O X I M AT E LY 1 4 . 2 5 A C R E S COWFOLD 1.5 MILE S | HENFIELD 2.5 MILES | HORSHAM 8 MILE S

Knight Frank London oliver.rodbourne@knightfrank.com 020 4502 7108 Ref: CHO012196937

knightfrank.co.uk Winner of six customer service experience awards in 2021

FLORE, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

Offers In The Region Of: £2,000,000

13 Bedrooms | 4 Reception Rooms | 11 Bathrooms | N/A EPC

An early 19th century country house on a plot of 0.54 acres with gated driveway parking, a heated indoor swimming pool and outbuildings including an annexe, a gym and home office. Built in 1805, the property was originally the wagon room and stables for the nearby 17th century Flore House. The property totals 9,216 sq. ft. and has two main buildings which surround a central courtyard garden. There are also detached outbuildings in the grounds which are mainly laid to lawn with mature trees, an ornamental pond and seating areas.

Michael Graham Northampton Ian Jepson 01604 611011 Michael Graham London Bob Bickersteth 0207 839 0888

michaelgraham.co.uk michaelgraham_living

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MUCH HADHAM, HERTFORDSHIRE

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n immaculately presented Victorian house situated on the edge of a sought-after village, which has a thriving community and a well-regarded primary school. Set in a private position of approximately 7.5 acres, the house offers stunning views of the garden and countryside beyond.

6 B E D R O O M S | 4 B AT H R O O M S | 4 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | 4 B AY G A R A G E SWIMMING P O OL | P OOL HOUSE WITH CHANGING RO OM & SHOWER | GYM | TENNIS COURT | EP C D B I S H O P ' S S T O R T F O R D 3 M I L E S | M 1 1 7. 4 M I L E S | H A R L O W 9 M I L E S

Guide price available upon request Knight Frank London & Bishop's Stortford edward.welton@knightfrank.com 020 4502 7216 paddy.pritchard-gordon@knightfrank.com 01279 888501 Ref: BST012114097

knightfrank.co.uk Winner of six customer service experience awards in 2021

Exceptional Grade II Listed Home Milland, West Sussex Liphook Station: 2.6 miles, Haslemere: 7 miles Magnificent interior designed house set within the South Downs National Park. Dating from 1651, The Old Manor House has been extensively but very sympathetically upgraded in recent years, providing for all the needs of 21st century living.

4 reception rooms, 4 bedrooms (2 en suite), further bathroom, 2 bedroom annexe and landscaped gardens. EPC = E About 1.52 acres | Guide £3.95 million

Theo James-Wright Savills London Country Department 020 4502 3271 theo.jameswright @savills.com

James Machell Savills Petworth 01798 888 570 james.machell @savills.com

savills

savills.co.uk

Kent, Northbourne

Guide Price £2,000,000

A superb Grade II* listed country house, close to the coast and with potential to establish a vineyard Walmer station: 2.7 miles (Ashford International from 44 mins, London St Pancras from 82 mins), Deal: 3.2 miles, Sandwich: 4.6 miles, Dover: 8.4 miles, Canterbury: 16 miles Drawing room | Dining room | Study | Library | Cyclops room | Kitchen/breakfast room | Utility room | 7 Bedrooms Garaging | Gardens | Outbuildings | Lake | EPC Rating F About 7.41 acres (Further land available by separate negotiation) Edward Church

Jane Layfield

Canterbury Office 01227 806 892

Canterbury Office 01227 806 892

edward.church@struttandparker.com

jane.layfield@struttandparker.com

Over 50 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

Warwickshire, Nr Wootton Wawen

A comfortable Georgian farmhouse with excellent outbuildings and panoramic views Henley-in-Arden: 3 miles, Stratford-upon-Avon: 5 miles, Warwick: 7 miles Hall | 3 Reception rooms | Conservatory | Kitchen/breakfast room | 7 Bedrooms 5 Bathrooms (3 ensuite) | Cellar | Former bakehouse | 4-Car garage with large storage area above Modern storage building | Tennis court | Woodland | Gardens and grounds | EPC Rating C About 30 acres

/struttandparker

Simon Merton

George Evans

Moreton-in-Marsh Office 01608 638 731

Moreton-in-Marsh office 01608 638 731

simon.merton@struttandparker.com

george.evans@struttandparker.com

@struttandparker

struttandparker.com

The South West is calling In 2022, it's time to discover the delights of the South West. Famed for its beautiful towns, coastlines and countryside, the number of new prospective buyers in the South West rose by 45% in 2021 versus the five-year average whilst the number of offers accepted increased by 76%*.

Here is a selection of recently sold properties in this popular region.

Burton, Wiltshire A handsome Grade II listed detached family home, with character features.

5 B E D R O O M S | 4 B AT H R O O M S | 3 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | A P P R O X I M AT E LY 0 . 2 1 A C R E S

Guide price £1,150,000

francesca.leighton-scott@knightfrank.com 01225 685523

Stoke Hill, Devon A stunning, luxury detached property with magnificent countryside views.

4 B E D R O O M S | 4 B AT H R O O M S | 4 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | A P P R O X I M AT E LY 1 . 5 A C R E S | E P C D

Guide price available upon request

louise.glanville@knightfrank.com 01392 240978

Mere, Wiltshire An outstanding Grade I listed manor house set in an elevated position with far-reaching views over its own park and towards the Blackmore Vale.

1 0 B E D R O O M S | 6 B AT H R O O M S | 7 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | A P P R O X I M AT E LY 5 8 A C R E S

Guide price £5,500,000

luke.pender-cudlip@knightfrank.com 01935 805324 Source: Knight Frank data

Backwell, North Somerset A stunning contemporary barn conversion in a superb setting with expansive open views over the surrounding countryside.

4 - 5 B E D R O O M S | 4 B AT H R O O M S | 3 - 4 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | E P C T B C

Guide price £1,495,000

james.toogood@knightfrank.com 01174 054802

East Budleigh, Devon For sale for only the second time since 1810, a beautifully restored Georgian country house with views over the Otter Valley towards the Jurassic Coast.

9 B E D R O O M S | 7 B AT H R O O M S | 4 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | A P P R O X I M AT E LY 4 . 0 5 A C R E S | E P C C

Guide price £3,500,000

louise.glanville@knightfrank.com

Backwell, North Somerset A traditional farmhouse in a delightful setting with far-reaching views over the nearby countryside.

4 - 5 B E D R O O M S | 3 B AT H R O O M S | 4 - 5 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | E P C T B C

Guide price £1,425,000

james.toogood@knightfrank.com 01174 054802

If you’re thinking of selling your home, or would simply like some advice on the market, get in touch today. We’d love to help you.

Your partners in property for 125 years Winner of six customer service experience awards in 2021

knightfrank.co.uk

Striking Queen Anne House Fairford, Gloucestershire Cirencester: 9 miles, Swindon Station: 13 miles A classic Queen Anne style country house in parkland grounds, rarely available in the Cotswolds.

5 reception rooms, 9 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, swimming pool, tennis court, staff cottage, leisure building, outbuildings and landscaped gardens.

About 16 acres | Guide £4.8 million

Lindsay Cuthill Savills London Country Department 020 3918 9456 lindsay.cuthill @savills.com

Anthony Coaker Savills Cirencester 01285 895 677 acoaker@savills.com

savills

savills.co.uk

Property market

Penny Churchill

Lands of plenty

From £2 million to £20 million properties, 2021 was a stellar year for sales of farms and estates

Blissamore Hall, Hampshire, home to the Clanville Stud, was launched in June 2020 at a guide of £9.5m and sold in June 2021

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GAINST all the odds, 2021 was a remarkably good year for sales of farms and estates, as well-funded buyers—farmers, entertainers, eco-warriors and families in search of a proper country lifestyle—sought to acquire one of the many fine landed properties that came to the market throughout the UK, at prices from £2 million to £20 million.

Five thousand years of history lie beneath the gently rolling landscape of the picturesque, 970-acre West Woodyates Manor estate, which sits in peaceful seclusion within the Cranborne Chase AONB, two miles from the east Dorset village of Sixpenny Handley and 11 miles south of Salisbury. Launched at a guide price of £18.5m in July 2020, the sale

Twyssenden Manor estate, Goudhurst, Kent Launched April 2021; sale agreed May 2021; guide £6.5m; Savills Set at the heart of a magical, 252-acre estate within the High Weald AONB, Grade II*-listed Twyssenden Manor is a 15th-century hall house. It was altered and extended in the 16th and 17th centuries, then restored in about 1870 by local landowner Alexander Beresford Hope, president of RIBA and MP for Maidstone, with advice from architects William Butterfield and George Edmund Street

of the diverse residential, farming, sporting and conservation estate was ‘a rich and rare event’ in this timeless part of Dorset, says selling agent Clive Hopkins of Knight Frank.

At its heart stands Grade II*-listed West Woodyates Manor, which dates from the 17th century or earlier and was remodelled in the early 18th century by Thomas Pitt,

North Rye House, near Donnington, Gloucestershire Launched September 2020; sold April 2021; guide £6.5m; Knight Frank For 30 golden years, from 1986 until his death in 2019, North Rye House was the much-cherished home of popular Heythrop jointmaster Peter Stoddart and his wife, Joanna. The handsome Cotswold-stone house, built in 1960 in an idyllic corner of the Little Barrow estate, stands in 148 acres of gardens, pasture, parkland and woodland, 1½ miles from Stow-on-the-Wold

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Find the best properties at countrylife.co.uk 1st Lord Londonderry. With some 750 acres under cultivation and 37 acres of permanent pasture, farming is still the lifeblood of the estate, with sporting and wildlife conservation of special interest; some 50 species of birds and 30 species of butterflies, including the elusive purple emperor, inhabit its ancient woodland.

The sale of the diverse conservation estate was a “rich and rare event” Commenting on the sale of West Woodyates, which is on the market for the first time since 1929, Mr Hopkins reveals: ‘As expected, we saw steady interest in the run-up to Christmas 2020, until, suddenly, an influx of resolute, UK-based buyers entered the fray in February 2021, which led to competitive bidding from four interested parties. A sale concluded in June 2021.’

A similar outcome was achieved in the case of the scenic 1,011-acre Roundtown farming estate, described by Mr Hopkins as ‘a truly spectacular block of rolling Hampshire countryside’, three miles from Upton Grey village and four miles from Basingstoke.

Once part of the historic Hackwood Park estate, Roundtown was launched onto the market in March 2021 and was sold, following spirited bidding, in October.

Grade II*-listed, 17th-century West Woodyates Manor, Dorset, came to the market in July 2020, for the first time since 1929, at a guide of £18.5m, and sold in June 2021

The sale of a large country estate or farming enterprise can be a complex and timeconsuming operation, often involving multiple owners, multiple properties, or even an entire village, says Matthew Sudlow, head of estates and farm agency at Strutt & Parker. Fortunately, having been involved in an earlier sale of the 1,306-acre Beckerings Park farming estate in Bedfordshire, he knew his way around when it came back to the market at a guide price of £17m in June 2021.

Little Haugh Hall, Norton, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk Launched September 2020; sold March 2021; guide £6.35m; Strutt & Parker Built in the 1700s and remodelled in Georgian style, Grade II*-listed Little Haugh Hall stands in 60 acres of formal gardens, parkland and woodland within a 162-acre estate. It boasts splendid interiors, an airstrip and hangers, cottages, outbuildings, swimming pool and tennis court.

The hall was sold to London buyers who plan to re-wild the estate

‘The estate offered great scope for diversification and attracted interest from landowning farmers and investors alike; it sold in November to a farming family who were looking to expand,’ he adds.

The Thoroughbred background of Knight Frank’s Rupert Sweeting translates well to the sale of equestrian estates. Having found a buyer for North Rye House in Heythrop country in April 2021 ( facing page), he launched Lady Macdonald-Buchanan’s prestigious

Crosby Court, Northallerton, North Yorkshire Launched May 2021; sold December 2021; guide £4.95m; Knight Frank The late Charles Barker always dreamed of owning Grade II-listed Georgian Crosby Court, set in 117 acres of rolling grassland, three miles from Northallerton, at the northern end of the Vale of York.

His dream came true in 1998, when he and his wife, Melanie, bought the by then run-down house, buildings and land and transformed them into the model farming estate the property is today 65

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Property market

Historic Trafalgar Park, Wiltshire, granted to the family of the naval hero, launched in June 2021 at a guide of £11m and sold in August

340-acre Lavington Stud near Petworth, West Sussex, in the South Downs National Park, that same month with a guide price of £9.5m.

A deal was done and dusted by May, the buyer a farmer from north Hampshire.

Crispin Holborow of Savills riposted with the sale of Blissamore Hall at Clanville, near Andover, north Hampshire, home to the Clanville Stud run there by Lady Bland, whose husband, the late Sir Christopher Bland, bought

the estate in 1995. Launched in June 2020, also at a guide of £9.5m, the 150-acre estate, centred on the handsome early-Georgian Blissamore Hall, saw contracts exchanged in March last year, with completion in June.

One of the highlights of Mr Holborow’s year was the sale of the historic Trafalgar Park estate near Salisbury, Wiltshire, which was launched on the market in June 2021 with a guide of £11m, and had an offer accepted

Leighon estate, Manaton, Devon Launched February 2021; sold July 2021; guide £4.5m; Knight Frank The picturesque 727-acre Leighon estate at Manaton, five miles from Bovey Tracey, sits in a peaceful valley in the lee of Hound Tor, on the eastern edge of Dartmoor National Park. The original moorland farm was bought in the late 1800s by the Revd R. R. Wolfe, who built the present main house around an existing Devon longhouse; he sold the estate to the Singer family in 1902

in August 2021. Previously known as Standlynch, the estate was bought by the Crown for the Nelson family in memory of the Admiral who was killed at Trafalgar in 1805. It was rescued from dereliction in 1995

by Michael Wade, a passionate supporter of the Arts, who gradually restored the Grade Ilisted Georgian house set in formal gardens and parkland on the edge of the New Forest National Park and Cranborne Chase.

Mandinam estate, Llangadog, Carmarthenshire Launched August 2020; sold April 2021; guide £2.75m; Knight Frank, Llewellyn and Tustins The Mandinam estate near Llandovery was first mentioned in records in 1660. Owned by the Lloyds from 1710 until the 20th century and farmed by the vendors from 1977, the estate, the name of which means ‘place without blemish’, includes the Grade II-listed hall, in need of modernisation, a coach house and an untouched longhouse, listed Grade II*

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Property comment

Edited by Annunciata Elwes

Something old, something new Unusual architectural features are having a revival, finds Lucy Denton, from medieval moats to ice houses

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HELL-ENCRUSTED follies, minstrels’ galleries, observatories and private Victorian art galleries: these days, architects may be more likely to add a cinema room, sauna or living roof, but British country houses are still appreciated for their quirks, generated by fashion, the peculiarities of whimsy, by historic divisions of household labour and even dodgy ‘cures’ for ailments.

In the late 18th century at Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire, for example —the pile built on the grandest scale that was sold via Savills for £7 million in 2016—there were rooms devoted to keeping candles, for prayers, for visiting sculptors and one for

Mr Harper, the family barber. However, not all relics of an earlier age, whether ballrooms or ice houses, suit the modern taste and they could come with important conservation commitments.

Towers, for example, with their vertical floor plans and access issues, are often left empty. ‘Their original purpose is gone,’ explains Crispin Holborow, country director of Savills Private Office (07967 555511). Today, ‘they could be used for play rooms, studios, perhaps music rooms’, but conversion requires a certain inventiveness. Lofty, Grade I-listed Hadlow Tower near Tonbridge in Kent, built over eight floors, exceeding the height of Nelson’s

Column, was sold as a private residence in 2020 by Sotheby’s International Realty. ‘It’s an engineering work of art,’ enthuses John Fisher, of country-house and estate sales (01932 860537), and it had been exquisitely restored after years of post-war dereliction, the work overseen by English Heritage.

Luckily, the buyer was not deterred by its aesthetic imitation of Fonthill Abbey’s tower —which collapsed in 1825 as a result of illadvised building methods. Lighthouses, however, can be difficult to sell, as only ‘a rare breed wants them,’ says Mr Fisher.

Sometimes, curiosities bolster appeal, especially when we find familiar echoes in

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Alamy

Grade I-listed Hadlow Tower in Kent boasts eight floors and was sold as a private residence in 2020 after extensive restoration

ancient habits. ‘I simply wasn’t expecting it,’ says Andrew Cronan, senior associate director in Strutt & Parker’s country department (07458 087293). ‘I hadn’t come across a Georgian plunge pool before and certainly not one in its own dedicated space. It had been sculpted out of Bath stone and surrounded by Classical statues in niches, so, obviously, no expense had been spared.’ Hidden under a carpet and boards at the soberly Palladian Ston Easton in Somerset, currently back on the market following its recent closure as a hotel— guide price £6 million—this is ‘where healthy, bracing dips would be taken during the 18th century. Features such as this give the property character, and are integral to a house’s distinctiveness,’ he says.

The aviary could be lit up for dinner parties–or you could keep a parrot

Alamy

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Top: The interior of Hadlow Tower. Above: The Chanters House in Devon offers an indoor aviary. Below: Ston Easton in Somerset hides a Georgian plunge pool under its floors

The Chanters House at Ottery St Mary in Devon, a Grade II*-listed, bright red-brick house by William Butterfield with older fabric concealed inside (from where Cromwell is said to have started the Civil War), has a formidable literary provenance. This was the ancestral seat of the Coleridge family for more than 200 years, housing a vast library—one of the longest ever at more than 70ft—with the Victorian equivalent of a lap pool formed out of a loop in the river in the grounds. But it’s the indoor aviary that makes it especially rare.

‘I had never seen one of these,’ confirms James Crawford, partner in the country department at Knight Frank (020–7861 1065), ‘but this house represents the perfect fusion of old and new and people are not put off— this is all part of its history. The aviary could be lit up for dinner parties—or you could keep a parrot.’ It is currently on the market with a guide price of £5.95 million.

As to moats, ‘they used to be a disadvantage in selling a property,’ concludes Mr Holborow, ‘but that is no longer the case.

Modern trends have seen them used for wild swimming.’ In the pursuit of up-to-date convenience and everything that is now fashionable in homes, whether access to broadband, secondary accommodation, equestrian facilities, extensive garaging, gyms or larders, historic trends can resurface in strange ways and architectural quirks are either revived or cleverly repurposed. Like a medieval moat, what goes around really does come around.

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