Country Life: 6th July 2022 Early Property Pages

EVERY WEEK

JULY 6, 2022

Sea fever

Why island life is the ultimate dream

ISSUE: 27

PRINTED IN THE UK

£4.50

COASTAL & LONDON LIFE JULY 6, 2022

Cathedral thinking: the new man at the Trust Full steam ahead: how Mallard took fl ight Awesome wasps and kittiwake saviours

CLI363.cover.indd 1

30/06/2022 16:14

ONE FAMILY SPECIALISING IN FINE FURNITURE SINCE 1866

A family walk by crashing waves is an original acrylic painting on canvas by British artist Roger Hann. Roger is mostly known for his dramatic scenes of the East Devon coastline feauturing rich, swirling colours and has produced for us an exclusive series featuring people and boats, each painting unique. Two coats of satin varnish have been applied before a top coat of ageing varnish, then framed in Devon using a reverse profile gold leaf frame with deep rebate.

Roger Hann creating his artwork

£1,495

Width: 40 inches (103cm) | Depth: 1¾ inches (5cm) | Height: 40 inches (103cm)

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

l

OXFORDSHIRE

l

RG9 5DD (OPEN TUES-SAT)

KING’S RD

l

LONDON

l

SW6 2DX (OPEN MON-FRI)

1 REF: CHO012287941

Landmark estate in the South East 28 bedrooms | 21 bathrooms | 5 reception rooms | 3 staff apartments/cottages | Grade II*listed Dower House with indoor pool Georgian walled garden | Woodland | Lake | Approximately 73 acres | Freehold

A magical Grade II* listed mansion sitting at the head of a long drive, in an historic parkland setting, with extensive secondary accommodation and buildings.

Sevenoaks 9.1 miles | Tonbridge Station 6 miles (London Bridge from 31 minutes)

Offers in excess of £10,500,000 Knight Frank London & Sevenoaks edward.rook@knightfrank.com 020 3930 1379

matthew.hodder-williams@knightfrank.com 01732 807851

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

Your partners in property

LITTLE BRICKHILL, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Asking Price: £1,350,000

4 Bedrooms | 3 Reception Rooms | 3 Bathrooms | N/A EPC

A Grade II listed part 15th century Jacobean-style house which was the Buckinghamshire Assize Court from 1443 to 1638 during the reigns of Henry VI and Charles I. Living space of 3,206 sq. ft. includes a one bedroom studio flat on the ground floor. The property has a mature rear garden, a double carport and stables and is located two miles from the historic market town of Woburn.

Michael Graham Woburn Sands Richard Tyrrell 01908 586400 Michael Graham London Bob Bickersteth 0207 839 0888

michaelgraham.co.uk michaelgraham_living

1 2 3 4

REF: CHO012229526

Near Odiham, Hampshire

5 bedrooms | 2 bathrooms | 3 reception rooms | 3 bedroom coach house | Large single garage/storeroom Mature landscaped gardens | Approximately 0.63 acres | Freehold

A Grade II listed Georgian village house, beautifully presented and situated in this highly desirable location.

Odiham 0.8 mile | Hook 3.5 miles (London Waterloo from 56 minutes) | Winchfield 4.3 miles (London Waterloo from 49 minutes)

Offers in excess of £3,200,000 Knight Frank London & Basingstoke edward.cunningham@knightfrank.com 020 4502 7121

mark.potter@knightfrank.com 01256 806421

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

Your partners in property

Magnificent Country Residence Tonbridge, Kent Tonbridge: 1.7 miles, Tonbridge Station: 1.8 miles (London Bridge Station from 38 minutes) Superb Georgian country residence set in spectacular formal gardens, with ancillary accommodation. 4 reception rooms, principal bedroom suite, 8 further bedrooms (3 en suite), 1 further bathroom, study, wine cellar, swimming pool with pool house, tennis court, summer house, 3 bedroom Coach House, garaging, outbuildings, beautiful part-walled formal gardens with greenhouse and orchards. Freehold | Council Tax Band = H About 4.21 acres | Guide £5.5 million

William Peppitt Savills London Country Department 020 4579 8956 wpeppitt@savills.com

Richard Smith Savills Sevenoaks 01732 608 267 rsmith@savills.com

savills

savills.co.uk

Cornwall, Fowey

Offers in Excess of £2,000,000

A truly unique waterside property with an annexe and a world-famous recording studio, set in a secluded position surrounded by woodland Golant: 0.5 miles, Fowey: 1.25 miles, Cornwall Airport Newquay: 22 miles, Plymouth: 36 miles Conservatory | Raised terrace | Open plan kitchen/sitting room | Family bathroom | 7 Bedrooms (3 ensuite) | Recording studio Lodge with 2 bedrooms | 2 Private pontoons | Private creek and medieval quay | The right to a mooring on the Fowey Estuary Lawned gardens | Established woodland | Gazebo | Outbuildings | EPC Rating E About 32.08 acres Oliver Custance Baker

Richard Speedy

Country Department 020 7591 2207

Exeter Office 01392 248 207

oliver.custance.baker@struttandparker.com

richard.speedy@struttandparker.com

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

Gwynedd, Porthmadog

Guide Price £1,750,000

A unique south-facing coastal home with panoramic beach, sea and golf course views and direct access to Samson’s Bay Beach Porthmadog: 2 miles, Portmeirion: 5 miles, Criccieth: 7 miles, Abersoch: 22 miles, Chester: 73 miles Sitting room | Dining room | Music room | Kitchen | Utility room | 4 Bedrooms | Shower room | Bathroom Separate WC | Outbuildings | Glasshouse | Gardens and grounds | Beach access | EPC Rating G About 2.42 acres

/struttandparker

James Sibley

Oliver Custance Baker

Shrewsbury Office 01743 816 967

Country Department 020 7591 2207

james.sibley@struttandparker.com

oliver.custance.baker@struttandparker.com

@struttandparker

struttandparker.com

Unique Coastal Estate South Hams, Devon Dartmouth: 6 miles, Salcombe: 16 miles, Exeter Airport: 42 miles Outstanding coastal estate with rich history, diverse income streams, amenity and environmental opportunities.

Grade II* listed principal house, beach, 4 additional houses and cottages, 3 farmsteads including traditional and modern farm buildings, wild wooded valley with complete privacy and rich biodiversity, productive arable, pastureland, rough grazing, woodland and strategic land. Available as a whole or in lots. Freehold | Council Tax Band = D-G | EPC = B-F

About 920 acres | Guide £11.5 million (whole)

Alex Lawson Savills National Farms and Estates 020 4579 2945 alawson@savills.com

Penny Dart Savills Exeter 01392 914 799 pdart@savills.com

savills

savills.co.uk

Meet Our Experts

In over 16 years of selling houses in the South West, our Cornwall expert has handled a myriad of properties from Georgian rectories to coastal estates, contemporary new builds and even a former WW2 airbase.

Chris Clifford Director, Head of Cornwall

The magical thing about Cornwall is that a short drive can take you to an entirely different landscape. Its charm is magnetic: not only is the culture unique, but there’s a depth of history wherever you are, from Captain Bligh to King Arthur. To me, it feels like you’re never more than 10 minutes from an adventure.

In all my career, there’s never been anything like the market we are currently experiencing. The momentum that we have seen building from Easter 2020 has witnessed an unceasing appetite to buy. We’ve met with every type of buyer: first homes, second homes, downsizers, upsizers —and a number of internationals including the USA. I think I have the best job in the world; only last week, I was on the terrace of a property overlooking Carbis Bay, watching dolphins playing in the sea below — it really doesn’t get better than this, these are the things that make Cornwall so special to me.

To find out more about our Experts, please visit our website: http://sav.li/meetourexperts Instagram: @prime_cornwall

SOLD | Cabris Bay, St Ives | Guide £1.5 million With over 40 viewings and 14 bids at best offers, this sale highlights the scale of interest in the Cornish market right now.

Freehold | Council Tax Band = G | EPC = D

Chris Clifford Savills Truro 01872 438 238 cclifford@savills.com

FOR SALE | Launcells, Bude | Guide £1.25 million Possibly the prettiest vicarage that I’ve had the pleasure to market–the reaction has been staggering with interest from the US and Dubai.

Freehold | Council Tax Band = G

SOLD | St Mawes, Truro | Offers over £3.25 million Designed and built by an engineer who was passionate about boating, this waterside home provided water access at all stages of the tide to some of the finest sailing waters in the UK. With four bedrooms, it was the most heavenly setting.

Freehold | Council Tax Band = C | EPC = G

FOR SALE | St. Teath, North Cornwall | Offers in excess of £3.75 million This immaculate property is exquisite from start to finish; it’s one of the most versatile rural homes North Cornwall has to offer.

Freehold | Council Tax Band = C | EPC = B

SOLD | Mawgan-in-Meneage, Helston | Guide £2 million.

Attracting interest from across the globe on account of its beauty, we sold this house to buyers who moved to Cornwall from the US. Freehold | Council Tax Band = G

Characterful Country Home Castel, Guernsey St. Peter Port: 2.7 miles A striking double bay fronted manor house in an elevated and central location with extensive grounds and a detached cottage annexe. 6 reception rooms, 2 kitchens, 6 bedrooms (3 en suite), 2 further bathrooms, 2 cloakrooms, snug, laundry room, triple garage, stable block, mature grounds and paddock. Freehold | TRP = 1,169

About 6 acres | Guide £4.45 million Richard Fox Savills Guernsey 01481 713 463 richard.fox@savills.com

Nick Paluch Savills Guernsey 01481 713 463 nick.paluch@savills.com

savills

savills.gg

Outstanding Georgian Residence St. Peter Port, Guernsey One of Guernsey’s foremost town houses with views over St. Peter Port and out to sea. 6 reception rooms, 3 kitchens, breakfast room, 6 bedrooms (5 en suite), 1 further bathroom, 3 cloakrooms, dressing room, study, utility room, double garage, further parking, garden stores, manicured gardens and courtyard. Freehold | TRP = 947

Guide £7.95 million Richard Fox Savills Guernsey 01481 713 463 richard.fox@savills.com

Nick Paluch Savills Guernsey 01481 713 463 nick.paluch@savills.com

savills

savills.gg

Unrivalled Village Setting Winfrith Newburgh, Dorset

Lulworth Cove: 3.5 miles, Dorchester: 9.5 miles

An elegant Grade II* listed Georgian village house set in exceptional gardens, close to the Jurassic Coast. 5 reception rooms, 8 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, cellar, swimming pool, tennis court, double garage, outbuildings, greenhouse and kitchen garden, landscaped gardens, orchard and woodland.

Freehold | Council Tax Band = G

About 2 acres | Guide £2.5 million Camilla Elwell Savills London Country Department 020 4579 7573 camilla.elwell@savills.com

Ashley Rawlings Savills Wimborne 01202 139 502 ashley.rawlings@savills.com

savills

savills.co.uk

Characterful Charming Home Biddenden, Kent Headcorn Station: 3.6 miles (London Charing Cross from 66 minutes) Beautiful home set in idyllic gardens, conveniently located a short half an hour from the historic town of Rye. 4 reception rooms, 8 bedrooms (1 en suite), 2 further shower/bathrooms, study, tennis court, annexe, party barn, double garage, landscaped gardens and paddock.

Freehold | Council Tax Band = H

About 5.65 acres | Guide £2.7 million Sarah Hunt Savills Cranbrook 01580 428 008 sarah.hunt@savills.com

Phillippa Dalby-Welsh Savills London Country Department 07870 999 117 pdwelsh@savills.com

savills

savills.co.uk

Idyllic Village Setting Oakham, Rutland Oakham: 3 miles, Leicester: 17 miles, Peterborough: 28 miles Fabulous Grade II listed stone farmhouse set within lovingly landscaped gardens, on the edge of a conservation village. 4 reception rooms, 6 bedrooms (1 en suite), family bathroom, study, 4 stables, thatched double garage, workshop, landscaped gardens, woodland and paddock.

Freehold | Council Tax Band = H

About 3.5 acres | Guide £1.5 million James Abbott Savills Stamford 01780 510 103 jabbott@savills.com

savills

savills.co.uk

Delightful Village Home Wedmore, Somerset Wells: 8.3 miles, Bristol Airport: 14.4 miles A beautiful and elegant residence set within delightful landscaped grounds. 3 reception rooms, 6 bedrooms, 5 bathroom, study and sweeping in-out driveway with double garage.

Freehold | Council Tax Band = E | EPC = C

About 2 acres | Guide £1.695 million David Wild Savills Clifton 0117 453 6137 dwild@savills.com

savills

savills.co.uk

NO WAITING With an increase in off-market transactions, our Home Counties Valuers are not left waiting for databases. We have access to the very latest off-market deals which allows our Home Counties Valuers to provide informed opinions and the very best service.

Home Counties Valuation | valuationservices@savills.com | +44 (0) 1189 520 541

This is the life.

Is it Yours?

Luxury Portfolio International® has some of the most diverse luxury real estate listings in the world. Let our exclusive network of well-connected, locally tuned brokers and agents find your next home.

luxuryportfolio.com @LUXURYPORTFOLIO

2

1

3 Bosham, West Sussex 5 bedrooms | 3 bathrooms | 5 reception rooms | Double garage | Carport | Traditional barn Outdoor swimming pool | Direct harbour frontage of around 1,000 metres | In all about 90 acres EPC D | Freehold

A rare opportunity with unparalleled frontage to Chichester Harbour, one of the South Coast's most peaceful and undiscovered waterfront properties with good access to London. Available as a whole or in two lots.

Bosham 2 miles | Chichester 5 miles

Guide price Lot 1 £7,750,000, Lot 2 £2,250,000

Knight Frank London & Haslemere james.crawford@knightfrank.com 020 3930 2523

Jackson-Stops mark.astley@jackson-stops.co.uk 01243 786316

russell.grieve@knightfrank.com 01428 786268

knightfrank.co.uk

Your partners in property

4 REF: CHO012211593

1 4

5 Winner of six customer experience awards in 2021

2

1

3 Lechlade, Gloucestershire 6 bedrooms | 6 bathrooms | 3 reception rooms | Concierge service | Swimming pool | Boat dock EPC A | Freehold

This incredible lakeside house is, without doubt, the jewel in the crown of the renowned Lakes By Yoo gated freshwater estate in the Cotswolds. A stunning and unique house with its own pool and beach on the largest plot.

Lechlade 1.8 miles | Cirencester 11 miles | Oxford 26 miles (London Paddington from 40 minutes)

Guide price £8,000,000

Knight Frank London & Cirencester peter.edwards@knightfrank.com 020 4502 8544

The Lakes by YOO julie@thelakesbyyoo.com 01367 254260

james.walker@knightfrank.com 01285 895776

knightfrank.co.uk

Your partners in property

4 REF: CHO012289018

1 4

5 Winner of six customer experience awards in 2021

2

1

3 On the outskirts of Bristol 7 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 4 reception rooms | Indoor swimming pool | Gym & steam room Games & cinema room | The Lodge with office space, kitchenette & shower room Tennis court & stable block | Approximately 11.05 acres | EPC A | Freehold

A beautifully appointed country house within a parkland setting, enjoying distant views to the Severn Estuary, and located in one of the most sought-after addresses in the Bristol area.

Bristol City Centre 3 miles (London Paddington from 1 hour 40 minutes) | M5 (J19) 3 miles Bristol Airport 10 miles

Guide price £9,500,000 Knight Frank London & Bristol james.toogood@knightfrank.com 01174 054802 rose.stevens@knightfrank.com 020 4579 2724

knightfrank.co.uk

Your partners in property

4 REF: BRS012129411

1 4

5 Winner of six customer experience awards in 2021

2

1

3 Cumnor, Oxfordshire 10 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 5 reception rooms | Loggia | Office | 4 garages | Tack room | Loose box Formal lawned gardens | Swimming pool | Tennis court | Approximately 3.19 acres | EPC F | Freehold

An historically rich and charming house in the heart of Cumnor, close to Oxford. The property is available as a whole or in two separate lots.

4

Oxford City Centre 3.5 miles (London Paddington from 49 minutes) Oxford Parkway 3.5 miles (London Marylebone from 55 minutes) | Abingdon 6 miles

Guide price £3,500,000

Knight Frank London & Oxford will.collins@knightfrank.com 020 4579 2781 damian.gray@knightfrank.com 01865 987983

knightfrank.co.uk

Your partners in property

REF: OXF012118115

1 4

5 Winner of six customer experience awards in 2021

2 3

1

Glencarse, Perth 10 bedrooms | 6 bathrooms | 6 reception rooms | Conservatory | Wine cellar | Bio-mass heat system 2 bedroom gate lodge | 3 parkland fields | Approximately 18.5 acres | EPC F | Freehold

One of Perthshire's finest country properties, Glencarse House stands amongst splendid gardens and policies, including sweeping lawns, parkland, a tennis court, stream and pond. Situated in the attractive and accessible countryside of Southern Perthshire, this magnificent period home has been sensitively refurbished and maintained by the owners.

Perth 6 miles | Dundee 17 miles | Edinburgh 45 miles

Offers in excess of £2,150,000 Knight Frank Edinburgh tom.stewart-moore@knightfrank.com 0131 516 6328

knightfrank.co.uk

Rettie & Co chris.hall@rettie.co.uk 0131 222 4160

Your partners in property

REF: EDN012207723

1 Winner of six customer experience awards in 2021

1 2 3 4

REF: EDN012128492

West Linton, Near Edinburgh

6 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 4 reception rooms | Garage with workshop & attic | 2 driveways | 2 offices | Mature gardens Historic planning permission for building plot | Old grass tennis court | Approximately 4,395 sq ft | EPC F | C listed | Freehold

A fabulous period family house situated on the edge of the conservation village of West Linton positioned within over 2.3 acres of grounds offering rural views over the Moorfoot Hills.

Edinburgh City Centre 16 miles | Edinburgh Airport 20 miles | A74(M) (for M6/the South) 23 miles

Offers in excess of £1,150,000 Knight Frank Edinburgh tom.stewart-moore@knightfrank.com 0131 516 6328

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

Your partners in property

The Manor House and Vineyard Brixworth Northamptonshire Guide Price £2,250,000 Outstanding north Northamptonshire Tudor style house commanding spectacular countryside views and approached along tree lined avenue through its own vineyard and gardens extending to approximately 30 acres.

Reception hall, three reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast room, five bedrooms, 5600 square feet.

Richard Greener 22 Bridge Street Northampton NN1 1NW 01604 230222 email: sales@richardgreener.co.uk richardgreener.co.uk

Kent, Sandgate

Guide Price £1,750,000

A stunning Grade II Listed Georgian seaside villa with elegant and gracious accommodation and lovely Channel views Folkestone West station: 1.9 miles (London St Pancras 52 mins), M20 (J11): 2 miles, Hythe: 2 miles, Canterbury: 20 miles Reception hall | Drawing room | Library | Dining room | Kitchen | Breakfast room | Study/snug | Cinema room | Gym | 4 Store rooms Wine store | Laundry | Principal bedroom with ensuite bathroom | 5 Further bedrooms (4 ensuite) | 2 Further bathrooms Office | Garden | Garage | The Annexe with sitting room | Kitchen | Bedroom with ensuite bathroom Simon Backhouse

Alice Luxmoore Styles

Canterbury Office 01227 806 892

Country Department 020 7052 9666

simon.backhouse@struttandparker.com

alice.luxmoore-styles@struttandparker.com

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

Herefordshire, Lingen

Guide Price £2,250,000

An incredibly attractive North Herefordshire farm in an unrivalled position Lingen: 2 miles, Ludlow: 10 miles, Hereford: 21 miles, Worcester: 37 miles, M50: 30 miles, London: 150 miles Superb potential to create a true lifestyle property and small country estate | Historic farmhouse | 2 Reception rooms Kitchen/breakfast room | Pantry | Principal bedroom | 5 Further bedrooms | Family bathroom | Attached cider barn Range of traditional and modern farm buildings | Extensive grazing land | Frontage onto the River Lugg Woodland | Grade II Listed | Elevated position above the River Lugg with panoramic views over the valley About 225 acres

/struttandparker

Tom David

Joe Martin

Central Estates & Farm Agency 01244 354 877

Ludlow Office 01584 777 261

thomas.david@struttandparker.com

joe.martin@struttandparker.com

@struttandparker

struttandparker.com

Your indispensable guide to the capital STEP ABOARD

Alamy

Can you reach the crow’s nest?

If you’ve got a head for heights, go east and pay a visit to one of the greatest relics of Victorian innovation, Cutty Sark: It’s now possible to climb a portion of her 11 miles of rigging. The 1869 clipper ship, now balanced in a dry dock in Greenwich, earned her peculiar name from the Robert Burns poem Tam O’Shanter, in which a farmer is pursued by a scantily clad witch dressed in a ‘cutty sark’, a short nightdress.

The exploits of Cutty Sark would go down in legend, too, as she was once the fastest ship in the world. Her long, narrow hull (coated in copper and zinc alloy to prevent seaweed, barnacles and molluscs sticking to it) and sharp bow were designed to cut through the waves rather than riding atop, giving her top speeds of 17 knots.

Between 1870 and 1877, the ship ferried about 10 million lb of tea across oceans.

With hands on the shrouds and feet on the ratlines, you can scale the main mast to a platform at the top. If you’re feeling particularly bold, traverse the lower topsail. You’ll be rewarded with remarkable views of the Old Royal Naval College and London beyond. A zip line will whizz you down to the shore below, no plank required. Alice Loxton Tickets from £26 for children, £41 for adults (www.rmg.co.uk/cutty-sark/ attractions/cutty-sark-rig-climbexperience)

CLI363.ll_cover.indd 35

30/06/2022 08:59

LONDON LIFE

News

A toast to Wiltons

I

T has long been debated which London restaurant is the oldest. Some would have it that it’s Rules, in Covent Garden, WC2, and others Wiltons of St James’s, SW1.

Well, there’s a technicality: Rules got a liquor licence ahead of its gout-inducing competitor, in 1798, which back then was what defined ‘restaurant’ (not something we’d argue with), whereas Wiltons was the first on the scene in the form of a humble oyster barrow in 1742—making it longer in the tooth than America. It later earned a Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria and has spent much of the past century lulling florid, round and well-tailored City bigwigs and Tory ministers into soporific food comas.

It brings such gastronomic satisfaction that, in 1942, the banking scion Olaf Hambro asked for the price of the restaurant to be added to his bill.

This year, the Jermyn Street institution (www.wiltons.co.uk) celebrates its 280th birthday with a special seven-course dinner menu of timeless signatures. Served until August 31, it includes a classic oyster dish, smoked salmon with caviar, lobster bisque, and its famous Dover sole or rack of lamb, before a choice of pudding. The price of the menu, including wines and service, is £280.

I look forward to the 300th anniversary, which, adjusted for inflation, could be quite the bargain. Adam Hay-Nicholls

H

ISTORIC ENGLAND has announced the Grade II listing of a strikingly wellpreserved Moderne house in Herne Hill, built in 1935–36 to the designs of architects Leslie Kemp and Frederick Tasker, better known for their Art Deco cinemas.

The partnership had exhibited the design at the annual Ideal Home Exhibition at Olympia in 1934. That year’s show had featured a Village of Tomorrow section that, in contrast to the traditionalist styles featured

in earlier years of the show, showcased house-design examples ‘entirely novel to this country’. The exhibition brochure advertised the Kemp and Tasker house as a structure that could be built anywhere, giving clients of limited means an affordable slice of modern living, including a ‘sun-trap’ bay window, separate shower, and ground-floor rooms that could be opened up into a single large entertainment space. In fact, 10, Dorchester Drive was one of only two houses

built to the design. Relatively unchanged today, it was in the same family ownership for 60 years until its recent sale.

Historic England describes the house as ‘a remarkable survival which transports us back to the architectural ideals of the 1930s where “dignified simplicity” was favoured over excessive ornamentation’. Two other Kemp and Tasker Moderne buildings on the same street, Dorchester Court and Dorchester House, are also Grade II listed. Jack Watkins

38 | Country Life | July 6, 2022

CLI363.ll_news.indd 38

30/06/2022 14:27

Alamy; Historic England Archive; Tom Sullam Photography

Herne Hill Moderne

News

LONDON LIFE

442 Life on the line

Alamy; Historic England Archive; Tom Sullam Photography

T

HE newly launched Elizabeth Line is changing London’s life. In the first five days after it opened, it saw more than one million trips in its central trunk alone. But the service had already wrought changes long before its launch: anticipating its effect, property buyers flocked to neighbourhoods served by the new line, driving price growth.

One of the places that’s seeing a strong uplift is Fitzrovia, which adds the new line to the many transport links it already enjoys.

The area, says Alex Carr of property firm Jones Lang LaSalle, ‘has long been established as a highly desirable place to live among both international and domestic buyers’, who prize its array of amenities, coupled with a neighbourhood village feel. Now it has yet another draw, ‘as it benefits from being within walking distance to not one, but two station stops that are on the Elizabeth Line —Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road’.

Research by Jones Lang LaSalle found that property prices around Tottenham Court Road doubled in the 12 years since work on the then Crossrail began, with Bond Street up 121% —they outperformed the wider

region by 14% and 35% respectively, beaten only by Farringdon (up 125%). As the line’s opening became imminent, interest in Fitzrovia kept rising: ‘With the sum of prospective buyers registering up 25% in the past three months compared with the previous three and 62% higher than during the same period a year ago, it is evident that the connectivity of an area is affecting buyers’ decisions and driving demand,’ says Mr Carr.

Among the developments set to see strong demand is 101 on Cleveland, a new development in the heart of Fitzrovia, with great access not only to transport links old and new, but also to the area’s best shops, cafés and restaurants, as well as Regent’s Park. Designed by awardwinning architects and interior designers Assael, this collection of 103 one-, twoand three-bedroom apartments and four penthouses comes with 24-hour concierge services, private dining room, gym, sauna and steam room. CP Prices start from £1.39 million through Jones Lang LaSalle (020–3873 0365)

101 on Cleveland, in the heart of Fitzrovia, has excellent access to transport links

The number of publicly owned buildings lying empty across the capital. The statistic comes from a new report by Green Party London Assembly member and former London mayor candidate Siân Berry—who is urging the current mayor, Sadiq Khan, to ‘empower local people, councils and charities to take these spaces over’ through funding and new legislation The Art and Science of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs is out now in hardback (The Crowood Press, £30).

The book—by Mark P. Witton, a leading palaeontological artist, author and researcher at the University of Portsmouth, and Ellinor Michel, an evolutionary biologist, ecologist and taxonomist at the Natural History Museum, London SW7—is being hailed as the most complete history ever written of the 37 life-size sculptures

LONDON LIFE Editor Rosie Paterson Editor-in-chief Mark Hedges Sub-editors Octavia Pollock, James Fisher Art Heather Clark, Emma Earnshaw, Ben Harris, Dean Usher Pictures Lucy Ford, Emily Anderson Advertising Katie Ruocco 07929 364909 Email firstname.surname@futurenet.com

July 6, 2022 | Country Life | 39

CLI363.ll_news.indd 39

30/06/2022 14:27

Quintessential London Mews Beverston Mews, Marylebone, London W1H Baker Street Underground Station: 0.4 miles A charming five bedroom freehold house, quietly tucked away in a gated mews in the heart of Marylebone. Reception room, 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, garage, terrace and gated mews. Freehold | Service charge £950 per annum (reviewed every year) | Council Tax Band = H | EPC = C

1,908 sq ft | Guide £3.4 million Nick Poppe Savills Marylebone & Fitzrovia 020 4579 2925 npoppe@savills.com

Alex Ross Savills Marylebone & Fitzrovia 020 4579 6469 ahross@savills.com

savills

savills.co.uk

Superb Apartment Chiltern Street, Marylebone, London W1U Baker Street Underground Station: 0.4 miles Beautiful newly renovated and interior designed first floor apartment in the heart of Marylebone village. Reception, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and porter. Leasehold (Lease Expiry 2188) | Ground rent £1 per annum (reviewed every year) | Service charge £9,900 per annum (reviewed every year) | Council Tax Band = G | EPC = C

1,721 sq ft | Guide £4.05 million Nick Poppe Savills Marylebone & Fitzrovia 020 4579 7627 npoppe@savills.com

Alex Ross Savills Marylebone & Fitzrovia 020 4579 6305 ahross@savills.com

savills

savills.co.uk

LONDON LIFE

On foot

Hiding in plain sight There are about 1,500 memorials in London, from the well known to the obscure.

Carla Passino pays a visit to some of the latter on a route through central London Illustrated by Fred van Deelen

T

WO horses, a grey and a piebald, walk gracefully along Hyde Park’s Dorchester Ride. As they glide northward, another horse comes into view, framed by the park’s iron railings. But this one and the dog accompanying it have a touch of sadness about them, caught in the moment of leaving life behind. On the other side of a symbolic stone portal, two laden mules prepare to face the same destiny. The bronze group is a tribute to animals killed in war, one of London’s poignant, but often-overlooked memorials, which tell stories of heroism, duty, genius

and enduring love, occasionally sprinkled with a pinch of eccentricity.

Sacrifice of a different kind is etched into the plaques of the September 11 memorial garden, opposite the skeleton of the former American embassy in Grosvenor Square.

Bearing the names of the terrorist attack’s 67 British victims, they are sheltered in a pergola evocative of a Greek temple, to which wood confers a pensive dignity. An engraving on the stone at the centre of the rose-festooned garden, under which is buried a small relic of the World Trade Centre, reminds us that ‘for those who love, time is not’.

There’s no epitaph on the Soho cholera memorial in Broadwick Street—a humble, handle-less pump that looks like ordinary street furniture—but it should have been ‘determination saves lives’. Victorian physician John Snow mapped the cases and became convinced that the disease spread through polluted water dispensed by the pump. Other scientists dismissed his theory, but he eventually persuaded the parish council to remove the pump handle. The epidemic stopped and the seeds of modern epidemiology were sown.

Another tribute to genius stands in Leicester Square, but it’s zany and light-hearted,

42 | Country Life | July 6, 2022

CLI363.ll_walking.indd 42

30/06/2022 16:11

On foot

to suit the particular brand of human ingenuity it celebrates: film. Almost lost among the West End throngs, cinematic icons grace the square’s rooftops and garden: Harry Potter flying on broomstick, Mary Poppins landing on the grass and, just off the garden’s centre, stealing the scene from Shakespeare, a bronze of Charlie Chaplin. Commissioned shortly after his death, it is as much a commemoration of the man as of his art—thought to be only a little bigger than life size, it suggests how delightfully tiny Chaplin really was.

A second memorial to The Tramp star hides in a Covent Garden church, past the young oak outside Charing Cross station (a remembrance of the trees lost in the 1987 Great Storm) and Maggi Hambling’s controversial Oscar Wilde bench—the playwright’s almost melting features emerging from a granite coffin, cigarette in hand. Tucked at the end of two rows of roses, a quiet lull in the hubbub of Covent Garden, St Paul’s turns its back on the Piazza, but remains very much a slice of the West End’s theatrical

culture. Its walls are lined with tributes to everyone from Chaplin, Noël Coward and Vivien Leigh to Edna Best, who caused scandal when she remarried for the third time only minutes after having been granted a divorce from her second husband, and the most infamous performer of all—Irish comedian Charles Macklin.

‘The epidemic stopped and the seeds of modern epidemiology were sown’ A pioneer of natural acting, Macklin ditched the comic interpretation of Shylock in vogue at the time to return it to Shakespeare’s original. Unfortunately, he also had a vicious temper and, on an fateful day in 1735, shoved his cane in the eye of another actor, Thomas Hallam, in a row over a wig, killing him.

Macklin escaped relatively unscathed from

LONDON LIFE

this, with only a sentence for manslaughter, and his memorial, commissioned by his widow, Elizabeth, is surmounted by a theatre mask pierced in one eye by a dagger.

Far more stately is the cavalcade of statues along Victoria’s Embankment Gardens, which honours Britain’s great and good, from Thomas More and John Stuart Mill to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Michael Faraday and the man who made the gardens possible, Joseph Bazalgette. But a burst of colour stands out among the bronzes: Sandy, one of the 19 corgis that have taken over London as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations and will remain in place until the end of July. Created by artist Sophie Malpas, the sculpture— a triumph of bold pink, yellow, orange, green and blue chosen to create a sense of joy— celebrates one of The Queen’s latest corgis, its expression suggesting a hint of cheekiness.

The same devotion The Queen shows to her dogs, Samuel Johnson reserved for Hodge the cat. He fed it oysters, which he went out to buy himself ‘lest the servants having that trouble should take a dislike July 6, 2022 | Country Life | 43

CLI363.ll_walking.indd 43

30/06/2022 16:11

LONDON LIFE

On foot

to the poor creature,’ according to James Boswell. Appropriately, this prince of cats has a memorial of his own outside Dr Johnson’s house, at the end of an obscure alley, the entrance of which is disguised as a slender gap between two of Fleet Street’s monumental buildings. Finding the statue requires sleuthing skills worthy of Sherlock Holmes, but it is well worth the effort: a very dignified Hodge, perhaps looking a touch smug, sits by two oyster shells brightened by the odd penny thrown in by people for good luck.

London is full of these small treasures, sometimes concealed, like Hodge, but more often screened by cars and the inattention that comes from familiarity. One such rises, in a perfect contrast between the soulless and the soul-stirring, opposite the Stock Exchange building: the ruins of Wren’s Christ Church Greyfriars. Wrecked in the Blitz, it was never rebuilt and its former nave and aisles now burst with pink and white roses, purple geraniums and spikes of catmint, a memorial to mindless destruction and the sacrifice that so many endured then to secure our future now.

Almost opposite it, Postman’s Park is quieter, greener and perhaps more austere than Greyfriars, befitting a place that honours

heroism in everyday life. Artist George Frederick Watts originally came up with the idea as part of Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, but his suggestion found ‘little or no notice’, leading him to note bitterly: ‘If I had proposed a racecourse round Hyde Park, there would have been plenty of sympathisers.’

‘ It comes across as a tribute to art itself and how people interact with it ’ By the turn of the century, however, the plan had garnered enough support and the memorial was unveiled in 1900. Each of the park’s 54 tablets is harrowing and uplifting at the same time, restoring faith in human nature: there’s Alice Ayres, who died saving three children from a burning house in 1885; nine-year-old William Fisher, who lost his life to prevent his little brother being run over in 1886; and Leigh Pitt, who drowned in 2007 after rescuing a child that had fallen into a canal. The memorial is unfinished, allowing for more tablets to be added, although a decision was taken in 2010 to stop doing so to preserve its integrity.

Much more joyful is the Monument to the Unknown Artist in Bankside. Made

by Greyworld in 2007, it’s an animatronic bronze: cameras in the plinth allow it to ‘see’ what passers-by are doing and copy their poses. Although intended as a celebration of the unsung heroes of paints and canvas, it comes across as a tribute to art itself and how people interact with it.

A quick detour from this monument reaches the most obscure, yet most endearing memorial ever to grace the streets of London: it takes very good eyes to spot the tiny mice fighting over a chunk of cheese in Philpot Lane. Story has it that they were placed there by Victorian workmen to remember the little pests that had often munched their lunches, (or, in a darker take, two of their colleagues who had fallen to their death in a row over food that had instead been stolen by mice). Be as it may, the two critters have since become part of the Knowledge, the immense collection of information that London cab drivers must master to obtain their licence. It takes three to four years and a lot of work to pass the notoriously difficult test. Perhaps the mice of Philpot Lane are as much a monument to cabbies’ perseverance as they are to famished little rodents.

At home in Obscure London

The Strand, £899,995 Set opposite Wren’s St Clement Danes Church, this studio flat with balcony is a convenient pied-à-terre for easy access to the West End, the Stock Exchange and the Royal Courts of Justice. Residents have access to a communal pool, gym and 24-hour concierge Dexters (020–7833 4466)

Davies Street, £9 million This 2,163sq ft apartment is situated in an elegant Mayfair development with 24-hour porterage. It has a striking living and dining area with balcony, a contemporary fitted kitchen with marble-topped breakfast bar and three bedrooms, including a master suite with walk-in wardrobe.

Knight Frank (020–4502 9293)

Sumner Street, £825,000 Situated in the celebrated NeoBankside development, by Tate Modern, this apartment takes in views of the London skyline both from the sitting and dining area and from the double bedroom. The building comes with a 24-hour concierge, gym and landscaped gardens.

Savills (020–7456 6800)

44 | Country Life | July 6, 2022

CLI363.ll_walking.indd 44

30/06/2022 16:11

MORTLAKE HIGH STREET, SW14 GUIDE PRICE

£2,999,999

LEASEHOLD

[3-4 bedrooms] [3 bathrooms] [2 reception rooms] [c. 600sq ft basement storage] A truly special opportunity to acquire this wonderful Grade II listed property, measuring approximately 2,800 sq ft. Modernised extensively over the past three years by the current owner, the property now functions as an immaculate modern family home with plentiful living space and an idyllic private 89 ft long walled garden facing directly onto the River Thames.

HAMPTONS EAST SHEEN 020 3411 1894

HAMPTONS.CO.UK

LONDON LIFE

The great and the good

Seasonal suggestions If you missed out on RHS Chelsea or fancy another floral kick, head on down to RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, July 4–9 (www.rhs.org.uk/ shows-events/rhshampton-courtpalace-gardenfestival). After a sparse start, Superbloom at The Tower of London is now in full swing (www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whatson/superbloom-at-the-tower-of-london).

The floral attraction inside the Tower’s moat (above), created as part of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, has a fully accessible visitor entrance and four-lane slide for the wilder at heart. The very royal summer continues at Buckingham Palace, open for self-guided tours, July 22– October 2 (www.rct.uk/visit/buckinghampalace). This year, there’s a special, oneoff display, Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Accession, which features early portraits of the monarch and some of Her Majesty’s personal jewellery. Children (and no doubt plenty of grown-ups) will be delighted to hear that there’s a new attraction at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour—The Making of Harry Potter: Professor Sprout’s Greenhouse (www.wbstudiotour.co.uk).

Here’s looking at the Gin Craze

• In the early 18th century, consumption of gin in London boomed with ruinous consequences—this period of time was nicknamed the Gin Craze • By 1730, there were an estimated 7,000 gin shops in the capital and 10 million gallons of the spirit distilled every year. By 1743, England as a whole was drinking on average 2.2 gallons, or 10 litres, of the stuff per person, per year—including children • The Dutch first distilled the juniper-accented spirit, calling it genever. The British referred to it as Madam Geneva and eventually gin. Its rising popularity on these shores came with the crowning of the Dutch King William of Orange, heavy tariffs on imported French goods, such as wine and brandy, and the 1690 Act for the Encouraging the Distilling of Brandy and Spirits from Corn. Perhaps most importantly, it coincided with a huge influx of people into London looking for work—and often rarely finding it—with little social and financial security • Mark Forsyth, the author of A Short History of Drunkenness, points out that the gin in 18th-century England was hardly comparable to the gin we drink today. It was unregulated, up to two times as strong and full of dangerous additives, such as sulphuric acid • Parliament passed the Gin Act in 1729, but things didn’t come to head until 1734, when Judith Dufour was executed for abandoning or strangling her young daughter so she could sell her clothing for gin money. More restrictive acts were passed in 1736, 1743 and 1751

Shop of the month

Poilâne Bakery

I

Open Monday to Friday, 7am–5pm, and Saturday, 7am–3pm (020–7808 4910; www.poilane.com)

N 1932 in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Pierre Poilâne—the grandfather of the current CEO—began selling an unusually dark sourdough round that was big enough to feed a family for a week. The longevity of the loaf was a gesture of economy to the penny-pinching neighbourhood, but the flavour, richer and maltier than most sourdough, attracted customers across Paris. More bakeries opened and, in 2000, the first Poilâne shop outside of France lit its wood-burning oven in Belgravia. ‘It’s partially powered by off-cuts from cricket bats and other recycled wood,’ says Mike Butters, the UK sales manager.

Upstairs, there’s a coffee machine and minute deli (pots of French yoghurt; truffle salami; glass litres of milk from The Estate Dairy), a wide basket of granola that gets scooped into paper bags, a window of pastries, and of course, the bread—not only the famous sourdough, which comes in whole rounds, halves, or quarters, but also walnut, rye and a squashy, sticky ginger loaf that tastes best toasted with butter. Jo Rodgers

Illustration by Polly Crossman; Alamy; Getty Images

4 6 , E L I Z A B E T H S T R E E T, S W 1

46 | Country Life | July 6, 2022

CLI363.ll_notebook.indd 46

30/06/2022 09:25

The great and the good

LONDON LIFE

M Y P L AT E O F V I E W

The Pem, 22–28 Broadway, SW1

A green space THE CHARTERHOUSE GARDENS, CHARTERHOUSE SQUARE, EC1

O

NLY a bone’s throw from the hustle of Smithfield Market are some of the most tranquil gardens in the city. Charterhouse Square, once a plague pit, is now a wildflowerfringed oasis open to the public six days a week; the beautiful gardens within Charterhouse itself (a monastery-turned-mansion-turnedschool-turned-museum) are principally for

London curiosities BRANCH OUT

Illustration by Polly Crossman; Alamy; Getty Images

T

HE Totteridge Yew, which stands proud in St Andrew’s churchyard, N20, is the oldest tree in the capital (at an age of between 1,000 and 2,000 years old). Although its inside is hollowed out, this gnarled old monster, with its flat, flowing, Gauguinesque strips of orangebrown bark, still looks remarkably vigorous, with much new growth. Who could doubt it being good for another 1,000 years? Jack Watkins

the benefit of the residents of its almshouses, founded in 1611, but they can be toured by the public as part of a group of a rare open garden evening (the next one is on July 14).

Sip on wine and look out for the hydrangeas in Preachers Court, the clematissmothered obelisks in Norfolk Cloister and the wild Master’s Garden—with its hollyhocks and fledgling orchard.

Natasha Goodfellow is the author of ‘A London Floral’ and ‘A Cotswold Garden Companion’, both out now (www.finch publishing.co.uk)

Psst... pass it on

S

TRAWBERRIES & SCREEN is returning to the Duke of York Square, off Chelsea’s King’s Road, SW3, for the men’s semi-finals and men’s and women’s finals of the Wimbledon Championships, on July 8, 9 and 10. Access is complimentary, but you can pre-book VIP seating. Partridges will be selling picnic hampers and a pop-up strawberries and cream stall will be open all weekend (www.dukeofyorksquare.com)

Westminster, in Parliamentary terms, has never been less male dominated.

Right now, there are 225 female MPs in the House of Commons: 35%, the most there have ever been. Westminster the borough, however, remains stubbornly blokeish, particularly with regards to its dining culture. But then there’s The Pem. Without wanting to get into the whys and hows of what a former Prime Minister might have called ‘boy restaurants and girl restaurants’, this new opening in the Conrad Hotel is resolutely feminine in that it is a champion of female talent—the fact it was christened after Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison’s family nickname is no accident.

Chef Sally Abé launched The Pem after a long and lauded stretch at The Harwood Arms in Fulham, purveyor of venison Scotch eggs and famously the only pub in London with a Michelin star.

Her move to a hotel restaurant came as a surprise, but once you visit it makes sense. At The Pem, she has been given free rein to take her cooking to the next level in a way she never could have done in a pub (even a Michelin-starred one).

The asparagus is the succulent white variety, roasted and served with rich Vin Jaune hollandaise, fines herbes—and caviar. ‘Knife and fork bacon’, so called because it’s far too good simply to be sandwiched between slices of Warburtons, is garlanded with perfect little pickled pearl onions and soured cream.

Sirloin and rib of Cumbrian beef, which might have been a belt-buster in a W1A steakhouse, comes with oyster, Tokyo turnips and horseradish, composed like an especially sustaining symphony.

The front-of-house team is headed up by award-winning general manager Emma Underwood and the wine list has been curated by top-flight sommelier Emily Harman. We place ourselves in their hands, and our booth—deep red and warm pink, clubland shapes in soothing shades—feels like an oasis of refinement in the middle of London’s shoutiest postcode. The Pem is a special place and the Blue Plaque commemorating Stella Isaacs, the first woman to sit in the House of Lords, feels most appropriate. Emma Hughes

July 6, 2022 | Country Life | 47

CLI363.ll_notebook.indd 47

30/06/2022 09:25

LONDON LIFE

Kenwood: the battle for the northern heights It’s almost inconceivable nowadays to think that one of London’s most famous landmarks was once destined for redevelopment. A century on from the fight to save it, Jack Watkins finds out what happened

48 | Country Life | July 6, 2022

CLI363.ll_kenwood_house.indd 48

30/06/2022 16:55

LONDON LIFE

K

ENWOOD HOUSE’s already sizeable collection of miniatures grew in size again earlier this year, thanks to a donation from one Lady Cohen, of 65 18th- and 19th-century small-scale artworks. The donation included a later work by German-born miniaturist and enamellist Jeremiah Meyer, who enjoyed the patronage of George III and Queen Charlotte, and a double portrait by Andrew Robertson, one of the leading miniaturists of the early 19th century.

There would have been miniatures at Kenwood, the great house that sits up in the so-called northern heights of Hampstead, at the peak of its cultural and artistic patronage period. This ran from the years of William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, who employed Robert Adam to enlarge the property in a neo-Classical style, in the 1760s, through to those of the 2nd and 3rd Earls in the late 1830s. At about that time, John Claudius Loudon described Kenwood as ‘beyond all question, the finest country residence in the suburbs of London, in point of natural beauty of the ground and wood, as in point also of the main features of art’.

‘The property remains revered for its setting and views across London, as well as for its collection of Old Master paintings’ The property, now in the care of English Heritage, remains revered for its setting and views across London, as well as for its collection of Old Master paintings, left to the nation in the Iveagh Bequest of Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, in 1927.

It’s remarkable to think, therefore, that, at an auction a century ago, with a question mark hanging over its future, many of the house’s finest furnishings, including Adam’s specially designed furniture, were sold. The house spent the next couple of years falling into a state of disrepair.

Concerns about the future of Kenwood— its ravishing views and the wildlife that populated the wooded acres around it—had abounded since 1908, when The Times carried a notice of a possible sale by Alan David Murray, 6th Earl of Mansfield. The Earl preferred to concentrate his resources on his more profitable Scottish estates.

Rather than being sold, however, Kenwood House was let to the Grand Duke Michael

The staircase hall (bottom) and the library (above) were decorated by Robert Adam in the neo-Classical style in the 1760s. Inset: A miniature of the Hon Mrs Bethell

Mikhailovich of Russia and COUNTRY L IFE ran a nine-page feature on the estate as part of a series titled ‘Country Home Gardens Old & New’ (November 22, 1913). In his book The Saving of Kenwood and the Northern Heights (1992), author John Carswell points out that the article’s photographs are the last evidence of the Adam-era furnishings and ornaments in their proper and precise arrangements, dating back to the time of the 1st Earl of Mansfield.

The impact of the Russian Revolution in 1917 on the Romanov fortune meant the Grand Duke had to end his lease, at which point plans were drawn up by a building syndicate to introduce streets of terraced houses across the estate. These plans were stayed by the First World War and then, in 1919, fought against in earnest in one of London’s greatest conservation campaigns of the early 20th century—serious enough for Lord Curzon, a major mover in the drive to buff up protection of national heritage, to raise the matter in parliament. He asked Prime Minister David Lloyd George if steps could ‘be taken to acquire the property for the country and prevent the woods being cut down’.

The campaign was led by Sir Arthur Crosfield, a former Liberal MP and wealthy businessman, who formed the Kenwood Preservation Council the same year.

Overtures were made to the 6th Earl, but his determination to sell for the highest possible price meant an early offer was July 6, 2022 | Country Life | 49

CLI363.ll_kenwood_house.indd 49

30/06/2022 16:55

LONDON LIFE

Above: Kenwood House and its grounds were saved, then later gifted to the nation by the 1st Earl of Iveagh in 1927.

Left: A detail of Adam’s plasterwork

Saved!

St Mary Woolnoth, 1, King William St, EC4 Nicholas Hawksmoor’s City gem was threatened by the building of the London Underground’s Bank station in the early 20th century. Ultimately, only the crypt was lost to development St Pancras Station & former Midland Grand Hotel, Euston Rd, N1 Earmarked for demolition in 1966, before stiff opposition from the Victorian Society prevailed and it was awarded Grade I-listed status

to about half the estate, in 1922, followed by the prized ancient woodland of the South Wood, in 1924. The house itself, with a further 74 acres remained, for some time, in the hands of the Earl, but was eventually bought by the 1st Earl of Iveagh, who promised that none of it would ever be built on. ‘The Great green tract,’ said Carswell, ‘with a character which no other great city in the world can boast within five miles of its very centre’, had been saved.

Smithfield Market, Grand Ave, EC1 SAVE headed a successful campaign against plans to replace the impressive Victorian site with an office and retail complex, after a long battle between 2008 and 2014 Albert Bridge, SW11 Sir John Betjeman fought to save this delightful, rather delicate-looking Thames bridge, nicknamed the Trembling Lady for its tendency to vibrate when under heavy use, in the 1950s

Alamy; Paul Highnam/Country Life Picture Library; Historic England

rejected. Undeterred, Crosfield, advised by Lawrence Chubb, instrumental in the saving of Box Hill and the Surrey Commons, and with support from the Royal Society, the RSPB and the Commons Preservation Society, launched a public appeal. This stressed that, if Kenwood and its surrounds were lost to housing development, the work would spoil the views from Hampstead Heath itself, which had been protected from the threat of development and designated a public space in the 1870s. Crosfield also made it known that, if the campaign was successful, the estate would be presented to London County Council, although at that stage the latter had not actually acknowledged it would accept it as a public gift.

Crosfield was also adept at keeping the press on side, particularly The Times, which urged the Earl to show some public spirit.

Posters were plastered across the London Underground, including a highly emotive one by the cartoonist Percy Fearon (known as Poy), featuring a figure with the words ‘Jerry Builder’ on his back taking an axe to a veteran tree, its branches bearing straplines such as ‘shady dells’, ‘woodland joys’ and ‘leafy delights’.

For a time, Crosfield struggled to raise funds. Many wealthy figures pledged support, yet failed to step forward with substantial contributions. Eventually, enough money was raised to buy 95 acres, amounting 50 | Country Life | July 6, 2022

CLI363.ll_kenwood_house.indd 50

30/06/2022 16:55

JUNCTION MEWS, W2 £2,950,000

FREEHOLD

[open plan kitchen] [2-3 bedrooms] [2 bathrooms] [c. 2021 sq ft] An architecturally stunning period mews house set within a converted hayloft located down a cobbled cul de sac. The property features a distinctive bridge terrace linked the two sides of the mews which, along with clever sky lights provides natural light and a feeling on space. EPC D HAMPTONS HYDE PARK & BAYSWATER 020 3918 4964

HAMPTONS.CO.UK

LONDON LIFE

How do you divide your time between London and Burghley?

I work in London five days a week and usually spend three nights there; the great joy of Lincolnshire is that it’s very accessible. I’m a bit of a homing pigeon; I grew up on Holland Park Avenue and have moved precisely 500 yards. I’ve always loved the white stucco of Notting Hill and the romantic names such as Hippodrome Mews, harking back to the time when there was a racecourse there.

My flat is just off Ladbroke Square, which is lovely because I’m slightly up on the hill, so there are green trees and a fantastic sense of light and it’s walking distance to Portobello Road and Golborne Road markets (Notting Hill, W11; www.shopportobello.co.uk), where I happily spend time tinkering around looking for treasures. It’s more ‘gifty’ and less of the proper antique-ing than it was in the good old days, but I love the Golborne Road mentality of everything laid out on the street.

‘A Wong in Victoria serves undoubtedly the best Chinese food I’ve ever eaten’ How do you get around town?

From the flat, I actually rollerblade to work.

I took it up when I lived in New York. My route offers the ultimate view of London: past Kensington Palace, through Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, past No 1 London, Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace then into Crussh—there’s one opposite the office (10, Crown Passage, St James’s, SW1) to get my breakfast smoothie and a large shot of coffee. I get this amazing sense of horizons,

T H E C A P I TA L A C C O R D I N G T O ...

Orlando Rock

The chairman of Christie’s and co-custodian of Burghley talks to Flora Watkins about rollerblading to work and raves about dim sum

light and history and it takes the same time as going on the Tube: 25 minutes.

What are your favourite haunts around St James’s?

Because lunch meetings are often time sensitive, it’s usually places such as 45 Jermyn St, the restaurant under Fortnum & Mason and Maison François (34, Duke Street, St James’s, SW1), which are both absolute hubs of the art world and great fun. Every now and then I disappear into White’s (37, St James’s Street, SW1) to have a break from certain things— I love that sense of tradition there. A Wong in Victoria (70, Wilton Road, SW1) serves undoubtedly the best Chinese food I’ve ever eaten in my life. The dim sum—my God it’s good! But it’s just got another Michelin star, so you’ll probably never get a table again.

Do you ever enjoy art in other locations?

Trafalgar Square is incredibly close to here, so if I’m having a bad day I’ll potter over to the National Gallery (WC2). They’ve started doing these wonderful little exhibitions, such as ‘Bellotto: The Königstein Views Reunited’.

Twenty minutes in and you feel totally restored. I’m a big fan of seeing things in situ and love museums that reflect people, so Soane is a fundamental thing for me (Sir John Soane’s Museum, 13, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2). I’ve become involved with a modern-day Soane: I’m a trustee of the Cosmic House in Notting Hill (19, Lansdowne Walk, W11). Charles Jencks, the architect and post-Modernist champion, left his house as a museum.

Are there any sales or exhibitions coming up that you’re particularly excited about?

I’m currently working on London Now, a Christie’s Festival of Art and Culture taking place at King Street. One element will be The Art of Literature. There is a charity sale for English PEN, writers who campaign for free speech, including first editions and manuscripts annotated by these living authors.

In light of what is happening in Ukraine, we are reminded yet again that free speech is incredibly important.

The London Now sale is available to view online, until July 15 (www.christies.com/ exhibitions/london-now)

Christie’s Images

Is the art world returning to normal?

We’ve just had an incredibly busy auction week [March 2022]; our 20th- and 21st-century sale was the biggest London’s ever had, with extraordinary interest and enthusiasm. Of course, the wonderful thing about Christie’s (8, King Street, St James’s, SW1) is that it’s also a free museum. Having worked remotely for so long, it was wonderful to see everyone there. There was an incredibly beautiful Franz Marc picture of foxes that made £42 million [a new auction record for the artist], and a triptych (right) by Francis Bacon of Trotsky’s study, Woodrow Wilson and Bacon’s lover, took £38 million; quite a political thing, all against the backdrop of the awful events in Ukraine.

52 | Country Life | July 6, 2022

CLI363.ll_interview.indd 52

30/06/2022 08:59

1 REF: CHQ012168867

Cheyne Walk, Chelsea SW10 3 bedrooms | 2 bathrooms | Reception room | Houseboat | Private deck | Available furnished

This recently renovated houseboat offers wonderful entertaining spaces and views of the River Thames. Moored within walking distance of the King's Road, Chelsea Harbour and Battersea Park.

1.1 miles to Fulham Broadway station | 1.4 miles to Sloane Square station

Guide price £1,375 per week Knight Frank Chelsea ellie.white@knightfrank.com 020 7349 4314

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

Your partners in property

1 REF: RVR110181

Smugglers Way, Wandsworth SW18 3 bedrooms | 3 bathrooms | Reception room | Concierge | Approximately 1,643 sq ft | EPC F | Leasehold: approximately 955 years

This impressive, bright and spacious penthouse apartment has fantastic far-reaching views over the River Thames. The large terrace and living spaces mean the apartment is perfect for entertaining.

0.2 miles to Wandsworth Town station

Guide price £2,100,000 Knight Frank Battersea & Riverside andrew.fisher@knightfrank.com 020 3889 1548

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

Your partners in property

and artist colonies by the sea Exhibition continues online Fifty years on from our groundbreaking retrospective exhibition of Newlyn School artists, David Messum Fine Art presents this new exhibition in which we continue to be a leading voice on British Impressionism.

Study of Two Girls Feeding a Grey Pony

oil on canvas

LUC Y E L I Z A BE T H K E M P-W E L CH

111 x 142 cms

43 3⁄4 x 55 7⁄8 ins

R I RO I R B A 18 6 9 –19 5 8

This delightful oil study is one of several produced by the artist during her stay in Simonsbath, a little village high up on Exmoor. From her bright studio she could paint in all weather conditions, however it was when working outdoors that Lucy Kemp-Welch truly excelled, particularly in her study of horses. Lucy had had an idyllic childhood, growing up around animals, always drawing and painting them, and she could not remember a time when she had not held a paintbrush or a pencil in her hand. As she later remarked, ‘Painting horses is, to me, the breath of life.’ By the time of this painting she was the Fully illustrated catalogue £15 best known, most highly regarded painter of horses in Great Britain.

DAVID ME SSUM FINE ART

12 Bury Street, St. James’s, London SW1Y 6AB Tel: +44 (0)20 7287 4448

www.messums.com

Property market

Penny Churchill

Bodior estate boasts 639 acres of residential and agricultural land on Anglesey. £7.75m

Worlds apart Getting away from the ‘hustle and bustle’ is not a new phenomenon, as these three remote estates show

I

N the 19th century, rich Victorians built solid country houses on their estates in remote and scenic areas where their families could enjoy peace and tranquillity away from the hustle and bustle of booming industrial Britain. Today, the launch onto the market of three historic country properties, located in some of the UK’s most unspoilt and picturesque landscapes, is proof positive that the Arcadian dream is still very much alive.

The sale, for the first time in 75 years, of the 639-acre Bodior estate near Rhoscolyn, on the wild south-west corner of Holy Island in the Isle of Anglesey AONB, is ‘a rare opportunity to acquire an outstanding coastal estate with a diverse income stream from residential, farming and commercial lets’, says

Louise Harrison of selling agents Savills (020–7016 3715), who quotes a guide price of £7.75 million for the whole.

Alternatively, the estate is being offered in three lots, with £3.575m the guide price for Grade II-listed Bodior House, its beaches, beach hut, farmhouse, farm buildings and garden cottages set in 315 acres of wonderfully diverse terrain, such as sand dunes, beaches, woodland and pasture. £2.5m is the price quoted for 319-acre Bryn Bela Farm, with its farmhouse, cottages and farm buildings; a portfolio of let houses and holiday cottages is for sale at £1.675m.

The Bodior estate dates from the 16th century, when it was created by descendants of a Welsh clan leader, Llywelyn Aurdorchog of

Ial in Denbighshire. In the early 19th century, it passed to John Hampton of Henllys, who substantially rebuilt the original early-16thcentury house. On his death in 1843, the estate passed to his son, John Lewis Hampton-Lewis, who had the house further remodelled in 1848.

The estate remained with the Hampton-Lewis family until 1946, after which it was bought

by Bertram Bulmer. With conservation and sustainability very much in mind, the Bulmer family, the current vendors, have added further land and property over the years. For more than 30 years, the farmland, a diverse mix of pasture, gorse, marsh, dunes and rough grazing well-suited to native species, has been run in hand, the pasture grazed by the estate’s pedigree beef shorthorns and a flock of 300 ewes.

118 | Country Life | July 6, 2022

CLI363.prop_market.indd 118

30/06/2022 15:23

Find the best properties at countrylife.co.uk

Bodior House, the name of which means ‘dwelling’ in Welsh, is a handsome, stone-built country house with accommodation on three floors, including three main reception rooms, 13 bedrooms, three bathrooms and an integral, two-bedroom, first-floor flat. Major roofing work was carried out some 10 years ago and, in 2015, dormer windows were replaced, insulation was fitted and a new biomass boiler was installed. However, much of the house has remained untouched for many years, and it remains for a new owner to bring Bodior into the 21st century.

The estate has also been home to a challenging, mainly wild-bird shoot, with the shoreline, native woodland, ponds, gorse, heather and wet pasture providing a splendid habitat for

Above and left: Once a hotel, Cumbria’s The Nunnery sits in 52 acres of private park and woodland and has been renovated, remodelled and extended by its current owners. £3.5m

July 6, 2022 | Country Life | 119

CLI363.prop_market.indd 119

30/06/2022 15:23

Property market

On the market for the first time in its history, Broadgate House in the Lake District provides panoramic views of the Duddon Estuary. £2.25m

a truly varied quarry. Birdlife on the estate includes nesting herons, egrets, cormorants and ducks, with a variety of raptors such as peregrine falcons, sparrowhawks, hen harriers, merlin and several species of owl.

Cumbria’s glorious Eden Valley has been well-named and the setting for imposing, Grade I-listed The Nunnery at Staffield, 10 miles from Penrith, on the fringes of the Lake District National Park, is typical of the area, with traditional livestock farms and rolling grassland falling away to the River Eden, against a backdrop of dark, moody fells.

Currently for sale through Savills in York (07714 307987) at a guide price of £3.5m for the whole, the former country-house hotel, set in almost 52 acres of wonderfully private park and woodland close to the village of Kirkoswald, has been beautifully renovated, remodelled and extended by its present owners who acquired it in a fairly run-down state in the early 2000s.

Although the origins of The Nunnery can be traced to a mid-13th-century Benedictine nunnery, according to COUNTRY L IFE (November 23, 2000), the present ‘plain but imposing red sandstone house’ was built by Henry Aglionby in 1718. It was Henry’s grandson, Christopher, who, having inherited the estate in 1770, created The Nunnery’s extraordinary secret landscape of pools and

waterfalls ‘of fearful grandeur, where the tumultuous Croglin Beck rushes downwards between sandstone cliffs to its confluence with the Eden’.

The 11,000sq ft main house, which offers stylish accommodation on three floors, including seven first-floor bedrooms with en-suite facilities, has been extended into the nearby courtyard via a cleverly-designed glass staircase that frames the billiard room and leads

Birdlife on the estate includes herons, egrets and a variety of raptors to the dining hall and three further en-suite bedrooms. Staff accommodation is available in the three-bedroom Corner House in the north-west corner of the courtyard, whereas to the west of the main house a sun terrace is framed by the castellated southern courtyard wall, also fully restored by the vendors.

Within the Lake District National Park proper, James Denne of Knight Frank in Melrose (01896 807010) seeks ‘offers in excess of £2.25m’ for another Georgian gem, the Grade II-listed Broadgate House, which stands

in 7½ acres of private gardens and pasture surrounded by the scenic wooded landscape of the surrounding Broadgate estate, three miles from the pretty village of Broughtonin-Furness and 10 miles from Coniston.

Broadgate House is a classic example of the handsome houses built in the Lake District during the first quarter of the 19th century, this one on the occasion of the marriage of John Lewthwaite and Nancy Birkbank in 1820. The house has been in Lewthwaite family ownership ever since and is now on the market for the first time in its history.

Its position to the east of Black Combe Fell provides panoramic views of the Duddon Estuary, described by Wordsworth as: ‘Majestic Duddon, over smooth flat sands/ Gliding in silence with unfettered sweep.’

Built of rendered stone under a slate roof, Broadgate House is full of charm and character, with a wealth of original interior features, including an elegant staircase, large doorways, fine cornicing, working shutters and generous proportions throughout. Now in need of what Mr Denne calls ‘a generational face-lift’, the 8,443sq ft house has four reception rooms, a kitchen, cellar, 10 bedrooms and five bathrooms, plus outbuildings and an old laundry and apple store with potential for conversion to self-contained secondary accommodation.

120 | Country Life | July 6, 2022

CLI363.prop_market.indd 120

30/06/2022 15:24

Advertisement

Often feel fatigued?

Try magnesium Feeling tired and don’t know why? You’re not alone. According to a recent study, less than half of us consume our recommended daily amount of magnesium, a mineral that helps turn the food we eat into energy.

Best known for helping to reduce tiredness and fatigue, magnesium is also vital for our health.

of magnesium is by taking a daily supplement – but not all supplements are equal.

If you have low magnesium levels, you are also less likely to get a good night’s sleep.

Magnesium is present in foods such as black beans, bananas and pumpkin seeds, but to get the benefits we need to absorb it into our bodies.

‘Most supplements use magnesium oxide – it is the most common form, as it has a high concentration of magnesium but it’s not easily released into the body,’ explains Dr Miriam Ferrer PhD, head of product development at FutureYou Cambridge.

One way to ensure we consume a consistent level

‘Taking more magnesium to try and make up for the problem

Your body’s ability to absorb the magnesium depends on Deficiency can cause mood swings, migraines, eye twitches the way that the supplement is made. and muscle cramps.

isn’t the best ‘Since I’ve been on this supplement I approach, have more go in me than I had before.’ as too much can cause an upset stomach so supplement I have more go in we created Magnesium+ using me than I had before,’ writes magnesium lactate which Stephen. is twice as absorbable as a standard magnesium oxide And Nicole, 57, says: ‘I supplement. This means you genuinely started to feel need much less per capsule different within a couple of to deliver the same amount, weeks. I started to feel much making it a much more more perky – that’s the best efficient way to take this word to describe it. essential mineral.’

Reviews gathered on independent website Trustpilot speak of its effectiveness.

‘Since I’ve been on this

Free MAGNESIUM for the over 50s

HOW TO CLAIM YOUR FREE PACK

Leading Cambridge company to offer scientifically proven energy range supplements for free. *Just pay £1.50 postage FutureYou Cambridge, a nutraceutical company known for its well-researched nutritional supplements, is giving away packs of its flagship energy product to new customers.

The offer is aimed at helping the over 50s, who commonly suffer with low energy and fatigue, but is open to people of all ages. It comes after the Cambridge firm received a flurry of positive reviews for its best-selling energy product on Trustpilot, the independent

Developed in Cambridge

Science you can trust

‘I feel like I’ve got more energy and more desire to do stuff.

I’ve taken them religiously ever since.’

To claim your free 28 day Magnesium+ subscription trial pack worth £10.40, visit

online review platform.

with energy to spare,’ says Anne.

‘I am a woman of 74, and a few months ago I realised that I had

“Within two weeks I was a different woman, with energy to spare”

Adam Cleevely, FutureYou Cambridge’s CEO, explains the thinking behind the offer: ‘After receiving so much positive feedback on Magnesium+, our team is confident that people will love it within their first pack.

0800 808 5740

no energy at all. I put it down to my age, but it was really impacting on my life in so many ways. My husband read an ad for Magnesium+ and I thought I would give it a try. Within two weeks I was a different woman,

‘So we’ve decided to offer that first pack for free, because our team is excited to spread the word about Magnesium+ with as many people as possible – as excited as our customers, who have been leaving such amazing reviews.’

Your first box is free (just pay £1.50 postage) and you will be enrolled into a flexible subscription costing £10.40 every 28 days, which you can cancel at any time, without obligation.

Letterbox Friendly

100% satisfaction, guaranteed

Award-winning Customer Care

FutureYouOffers.co.uk

or freephone

quoting code

MGF726

EXCELLENT Over 5,000 reviews

*Magnesium contributes to: a reduction of tiredness and fatigue, a normal energy-yielding metabolism, normal functioning of the nervous system, normal muscle function and normal psychological function. Introductory offer valid for new UK customers only. Offer expires 30th September 2022. See FutureYouHealth.com/MGF726 for full terms and conditions.

Properties of the week

Annunciata Elwes

The lure of the sea Dramatic vistas, azure waters and salty breezes are just what the doctor ordered Shetlands, offers over £1.75 million ‘I can think of few nicer places in the world,’ wrote Sir John Betjeman of the Isle of Vaila; indeed, you don’t have to be a poet to be hooked. This private island at the northernmost part of the UK, where the North Sea swirls around with the Atlantic, has been inhabited since at least 1450.

The main house, Vaila Hall, is a 17th-century castellated structure, well restored, with six bedrooms, a Great Hall centred on a gargantuan stone fireplace, full-height stained-glass window opposite a Minstrels’ Gallery and a bell tower. Outside the hall are three walled gardens that take advantage of the rare micro-climate, including one by Ham pier (one of two piers), and further accommodation can be had at three-bedroom Cloudin Farmhouse and two-bedroom Caretaker’s Cottage.

In all, the land extends to 757 acres enclosed by 6½ miles of coastline and including 581 acres of heathland. Vaila was the first farm in Shetland to gain organic status, in 1994, and is currently grazed by a flock of 200 pure-bred Shetland ewes. A few ruined cottages could be redeveloped and there’s also a folly, 18th-century Mucklaberry Tower, at the head of a peninsula, which was once used to watch over tenants’ fishing operations. Savills (0131–247 3761)

Dorset, £950,000 Close to the clifftops and beaches of Highcliffe-on-Sea and on the fringes of the New Forest, 17th-century Little Meggs is supposedly the oldest building in the Chewton Common conservation area and has certainly come a long way since it was used as a school for Victorian waifs and strays. Grade II listed and recently re-thatched, the main house has five bedrooms and there’s also a cosy onebedroom Cobb Cottage. Yachting paradise Lymington lies to the east, Christchurch Harbour and Bournemouth to the west and fast trains to London Waterloo run from nearby Hinton Admiral. Winkworth (01425 270055)

122 | Country Life | July 6, 2022

CLI363.props_week.indd 122

30/06/2022 14:27

Devon, £2 million The panoramic views from every room at clifftop Bar Lodge at Sharpitor are a massive draw, as is its proximity to the glorious South West Coast Path and South Sands beach (a five-minute walk), from which ferries run to popular Salcombe, with its watersports and yachts. All the main rooms in this Edwardian villa have access to a sun terrace or balcony, with four bedrooms upstairs and a onebedroom annexe on the lower ground floor with separate kitchen, shower room and sitting room. Well-established gardens lead to a footpath and private beach and the Georgian market town of Kingsbridge is six miles away.

Marchand Petit (01548 844473)

9000

West Sussex, £3.5 million About 100 yards from the shoreline at Snow Hill Creek and the footpath to West Wittering Beach, white-rose-clad South Nore seems set for happy summers with all the family, with eight bedrooms, views towards East Head and Chichester Harbour and a well-stocked, colourful garden that wraps around the house on three sides.

‘The Creek offers a real Swallows and Amazons feel and the opportunity to be on the water, messing about in boats,’ enthuses agent James Machell. The house also ‘represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to acquire what is considered an important home and position.’ Savills (01798 345980)

CLI363.props_week.indd 123

Devon, £1.5 million ‘On the sea-facing side of Warberry Hill, the villa preserves the essence of Victorian style with 21st-century living, presented with a meticulous eye to detail,’ say agents of Middle Warberry Court, which sits handsome, gleaming white and in fine fettle both inside and out on the ‘Torquay Riviera’ and was once one of the town’s most imposing homes. Marble fireplaces feature throughout and the elegant drawing room has two bay windows that look out over the gardens towards the sea—views that are also enjoyed by two of the four bedrooms upstairs (the master is en suite), not to mention a beautifully restored Art Deco marble bathroom. John Couch (01803 296500) July 6, 2022 | Country Life | 123

30/06/2022 14:27