Kirk House is a very rare conversion that has retained many of its original features.
Situated in the quiet hamlet of Dull, Kirk House is a former church in a peaceful and secluded setting that has great charm and character.
Kirk House provides impressive and airy accommodation that benefits from stained glass windows, stone and timber flooring, a wonderful timber panelled ceiling and many other original features. It is accessed by a practical vestibule area with a cloakroom and boot room supplying additional storage space.
The principle accommodation sits within the former nave and chancel and offers an exceptional living area and an extremely flexible space for entertaining. The kitchen and dining area is complimented by beautiful ornate panelling and the original organ has been retained and has become an integral part of the property.
At one end of Kirk House there is an area which has been set out as a study but could easily be incorporated into the main reception space or keep as a more private reading area. There are two further rooms on the ground floor, one is currently used as a bedroom with half-timber panelled walls whilst the other is a pretty bathroom with white fittings.
Upstairs on the mezzanine first floor there is another bedroom with a wonderful outlook down onto and over the full space of the house.
The popular town of Aberfeldy is 3.5 miles away and offers a selection of fantastic independent shops and cafes as well as a supermarket, bank, primary and secondary schooling. The bustling city of Perth is less than an hour’s drive from Kirk House and offers a huge choice of restaurants, high street shops and further amenities.
The guide price is £210,000. For further information please contact CKD Galbraith on 01738 451111.
HIghwell House sits in 13 acres of gorgeous gardens and grounds.
The sale of Highwell House, with 13 acres of gardens and grounds, at Crowborough, East Sussex, at a guide price of £3.75m through Knight Frank (01892 515035) represents a tour de force on the part of interior designer Paula Barnes and her husband, Matthew, who, having restored a totally derelict, 9,000sq ft Victorian mansion in just 18 months, are now seeking a new challenge.
Originally known as Higher Steep, the house was built in 1890 for Robert Halford, a London jeweller, and sold a number of times before being bought in 1959 by James Walford, the son of a London shipping magnate. When he died, aged 88, his wife lived on at the house, before eventually moving to a care home, and the house and its contents were left mouldering and in ruins before it was finally sold. ‘Luckily, the frame was built of cast iron and basically sound,’ says Mrs Barnes, who trained as an architect and knew what to look for, as she trawled salvage yards, antique furniture shops and the pages of eBay, while working with local craftsmen to create Highwell’s minimalist, easy-living layout of five reception rooms, seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms.
The guide price is £3.75m. For more information contact Knight Frank on 01892 515035.
A country house doesn't need to be huge to impress, as these properties show.
This week highlights the launch onto the market of two exceptionally pretty, compact country houses—the early-18th-century Casterne Hall at Ilam in the Staffordshire Peaks and the 16th-century Morley Old Hall, near Attleborough, Norfolk —which together encapsulate the most charming aspects of two of the greatest periods of English house-building.
‘The great delight of Casterne is its feeling of grandeur in miniature,’ wrote the late Gervaise Jackson-Stops in COUNTRY LIFE (February 1, 1979), following a visit to the manor, which sits high on an escarpment overlooking the picturesque Manifold Valley, yet easily ‘holds its own within the dramatic Peak District landscape’. Although Queen Anne in style, the house is Georgian in date, having been remodelled in the 1730s for Nicholas Hurt, a member of one of Derbyshire’s oldest landowning families, who bought Casterne in 1617 and built a Jacobean house on the site. This was later incorporated in the 18th-century building, since when Casterne Hall has remained almost unaltered.
Casterne Hall sits in 183 acres of grassland, elegant. £3.25m.
Casterne was tenanted from the late 18th century onwards and sold in 1919 to the White family, who were the tenant farmers. The rest of the main Hurt family estates at Alderwasley Hall, near Wirksworth, Derbyshire, were sold in 1928. In 1953, when the White family needed to sell, continuity was ensured when Michael Hurt, a nephew of the Maj Hurt who sold Casterne in 1919, bought the house and estate, along with a number of family heirlooms, paintings and important pieces of furniture, which helped to furnish the house ‘in a triumphant spirit of family revival’.
Mr and Mrs Hurt embarked on a ‘thorough but tactful’ renovation of the house and its grounds. Inside, Mrs Hurt opened up the main drawing room to help recapture the flavour of a family house. Other structural repairs included the installation of bathrooms and loos—the only running water having previously been in the kitchen.
Elegant Casterne Hall at Ilam in Staffordshire boasts a much-complimented oak staircase. £3.25m
In due course, the mantle passed to Michael’s son Charles, the present vendor, who has also carried out a lengthy programme of restoration and improvement. The roof has been completely renewed and almost every room refurbished, although, nowadays, the heart of the house is a smart kitchen/breakfast room with under-floor heating, marble worktops and a central island. Casterne Hall has some 5,600sq ft of living space on three floors, including a grand entrance hall with a much-admired oak staircase, two main reception rooms, nine bedrooms and three bathrooms.
A traditional courtyard of stone buildings houses stabling, garaging and a three-bedroom flat and completing the equestrian facilities are a paddock and a manège laid out on the site of a long-abandoned medieval village. The farming enterprise is housed in a range of modern farm
buildings to the east of the house.
Casterne Hall, listed Grade II*, stands at the end of a long, winding drive surrounded by its 183 acres of grassland and woodland, with more than 1,000m (3,280ft) of frontage on the River Manifold. Its wild, romantic setting within the Peak District National Park has made it a favoured venue among wedding organisers and film-makers alike. To date, it has been used in the filming of Jane Eyre, Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Far from the Madding Crowd and Jonathan Creek. It also figures in Simon Jenkins’s England’s Thousand Best Houses and, in 2011, was the runner-up in Country Life’s England’s Favourite House award for privately owned country properties of ‘exceptional beauty and impeccable lineage’.
And now, with the hillsides of the Manifold Valley awash with hawthorn blossom and gorse bloom, prospective purchasers of the spectacular Casterne Hall estate, for which Knight Frank (020–7861 1069) quote a guide price of £3.25 million, will surely never see it looking lovelier.
Morley Old Hall, near Attleborough in Norfolk has been carefully restored. £2.4m.
Unlike Casterne Hall, whose links with the Hurt family can be traced back to 1480, Grade I-listed Morley Old Hall, near Attleborough, south Norfolk, has a somewhat chequered ownership history. For sale at a guide price of £2.4m through Strutt & Parker (01603 617431), the exquisite, late-16th-century house was built by the Sedley family, who bought the manor in 1545, and owned it until about 1790. Owners since then have included Field Marshal the 1st Lord Ironside, who was Commander in Chief of the Home Forces during the Second World War. Others included Janet Shand Kydd, first wife of Peter Shand Kydd, the stepfather of Diana, Princess of Wales.
When Morley Hall came on the market in 2008, it was owned by the irrepressible Alison and Richard Warden, who had bought it in poor condition in 2001 and spent a small fortune repairing the moat, renovating the house and outbuildings and putting its 32 acres of overgrown gardens and paddocks back in order. As the recession had started to bite, the agents were happy to secure a sale in 2010 to country letting specialists Clarenco, the current vendor, reputedly at the same price as that quoted today. But, given the additional improvements it has made to the property, whoever buys this delightful house will surely be getting the bargain of a lifetime.
Morley Old Hall. £2.4m.
Like the setting from a period drama, Morley Old Hall stands in perfect symmetry on its garden island at the end of a long tree-lined drive, unseen and mostly unheard of, by the residents of nearby Attleborough. Built of red sand-faced brick under a tiled roof, it has accommodation on three storeys, including two grand Tudor reception rooms, a large, light-filled kitchen/breakfast room, seven bedrooms and five bathrooms. Other buildings include three cottages, traditional barns and stabling.
The great and the good are due to descend on the pretty Chalke Valley next week for the annual history festival. Arabella Youens finds out what the fuss is about.
Grade II-listed Manor House in Coombe Bissett comes with five bedrooms and a garden of 1.4 acres. £1.325 million through Savills (01722 426800)
Anyone travelling in a hot-air balloon—and who wouldn’t be?—over the Cranborne Chase AONB to the south-west of Salisbury over the next 10 days will notice a large gathering of tents, tepees and musket-wielding men in uniform forming on the gentle downland that covers this unspoilt countryside on the Wiltshire/Dorset border. No, your eyes won’t be deceiving you—it’s not Glastonbury gone wrong, it’s the Chalke Valley History Festival, the largest gathering in Britain
dedicated to history. During the week-long event (June 22–28, 01722 781133; www.cvhf.org.uk), this normally sleepy valley, which is protected from the blight of any main roads, comes alive to the sound of Merlin engines, cannonfire and music and, ambling around the encampment is a cocktail of eminent historians and writers, including Antony Beevor, Lady Antonia Fraser, Sebastian Faulks and the clan Snow (Dan, Jon and Peter), as well as some more surprising history fans (David Beckham was spotted the year before last).
‘It’s fan-bloody-tastic,’ enthuses David Cross, head of Savills Salisbury office (01722 426800), which is sponsoring an event. ‘It’s a young festival— only four years old—and was co-founded by my friend and Chalke Valley cricketer Jamie Holland. It attracts some major names, it’s brilliant for children—there’s a whole section dedicated to schools—and just gets better and better each year.’
In addition, bookending the summer months are two music festivals, held at the Victorian pleasure gardens on the Rushmore estate (visit www. larmertreefestival.co.uk and www.endoftheroadfestival.com).
The success of these festivals has raised awareness of this spectacularly pretty area for would-be house hunters, too. The valley, which takes in the villages of Charlton in the west through Alvediston, Ebbesbourne Wake, Bowerchalke, Broad Chalke, Bishopstone and Coombe Bissett in the east, is formed, somewhat confusingly, by the River Ebble, one of the five rivers—the others being the Nadder, Wylye, Avon and Bourne— that converge in Salisbury.
However, this valley is blessed by being one of the least accessible due to its lack of main roads or railway line. ‘That means it hasn’t been on the radar of people who need to commute to London every day,’ explains Robin Gould of buying agents Prime Purchase (01962 795035), ‘but the history festival is rapidly putting it on the map of those buyers who are looking to commute on a weekly basis or those who can work from home a few days a week and I’m now getting clients who will specifically ask me to find something in the Chalke Valley’.
He adds: ‘Heading south into Dorset, there’s a lot of fresh air between the chimneypots, but the Chalke Valley has enough villages and settlements to mean it’s a nice compromise—a gateway to beautiful countryside with enough going on.’
Broad Chalke is probably the liveliest village: it has an excellent primary school and the community-run village store, which also acts as a cafe, post office, police station and working chapel, was named best village shop by the Countryside Alliance last year.
‘We’re about to exchange on Barn Orchard in Broad Chalke,’ explains Fred Cook from Strutt & Parker in Salisbury (01722 328741). ‘It’s a classic five-bedroom village house with a tennis court and a stream running through the garden—just the sort of house that appeals to families leaving London and looking to put their children into one of the many good schools in Salisbury and dotted around Dorset.’
He continues: ‘We’ve recently seen a resurgence of London buyers looking to make the move. To buy a family house with some land, possibly a cottage and a good garden, you’ll need to spend between £800,000 and £1.2 million in the Chalke Valley.’
The wider area isn’t short on amenities either. The ‘best butcher in the world’ (according to Mr Cross) is W. S. Clarke & Sons in Sixpenny Handley (01725 552328), what you can’t find in Broad Chalke’s shop, you might find in the Ludwell Stores—this year declared village shop Champion of Champions by the Countryside Alliance—and the artisan bakery in Long Crichel is ‘worth the drive’, according to Mr Gould.
Need to know
Pubs: The Talbot Inn, Berwick St John, The Crown Inn, Alvediston Shooting pubs: King John Inn, Tollard Royal, Museum Inn, Farnham Prep schools: Sandroyd, Port Regis, Clayesmore, Salisbury Cathedral School Public and independent schools: Goldolphin School, Bryanston, St Mary’s Shaftesbury Trains: Salisbury to Waterloo trains run every half an hour and take about 90 minutes
We reveal what you can you buy for £1 million or less.
Wiltshire, £939,950
Barnetta, Upper Castle Combe
This barn conversion has five bed- rooms (two of which are en-suite), a kitchen/breakfast room and a south-west-facing garden. It’s set in a hamlet that lies within an AONB. Humberts (01249 444557)
Leicestershire, £900,000
Wartnaby Hall, Wartnaby
This house once housed Italian prisoners of war and would benefit from a programme of alteration and modernisation to make the most of its attractive setting within a secluded and unspoilt village. Savills (0115–934 8020)
West Sussex, £700,000
Maudlin Farm Cottages, Steyning
This Grade II-listed three-bedroom cottage backs onto South Downs farmland. It has a traditional farm- house kitchen, some period features and a pretty garden. King & Chasemore (01403 264444)
Dumfriesshire, £975,000 Waterside House, Lockerbie
A beautiful country house with spectacular gardens and river frontage. It boasts seven bedrooms, a gate lodge, stables and an Aga kitchen. Knight Frank (0131 222 9600)
Flintshire, £525,000 Top-y-Fron, Kelsterton
A beautiful Grade II-listed seven bedroom property which dates from the 18th century. It benefits from outbuildings, stables and a 4 acre paddock.
Strutt & Parker (01244 354880)
Normandy, €949,000
Deauville airport: 15 minutes
9 bedrooms, pool, tennis court, outbuildings
With direct flights from London City to Deauville, you can easily decamp to this nine-bedroom property in the Calvados region for the weekends. There’s a three-bedroom main house, a four-bedroom guest house and a staff house. Outside, in the extensive gardens, are a tennis court, pool and stables. Leggett Immobilier (0870 011 5151)
Méribel, €1.029 million
Geneva airport: 2 hours
3 bedrooms, south-west-facing terrace, parking
This ski-in, ski-out duplex apartment is in the heart of Méribel Villages, with access to the extensive ski domain of the Three Valleys. There is a central, open-plan kitchen/living room with a fireplace, three double bedrooms and two bathrooms. Savills (00 33 4 79 06 22 65)
Provence, €995,000
Marseilles airport: 50 minutes
This former coaching inn is within a short distance of the pretty Alpilles village of Eygalières. It has been completely renovated, enjoys an idyllic rural position and has plenty of space for outdoor entertaining. Knight Frank (020–7629 8171)
Dordogne, €901,000
Bergerac airport: 30 minutes
This five-bedroom manoir sits at the end of a small country lane in a quiet, but not isolated, position. The guest house has its own access and garden and comes with two bedrooms. The nearest village is Sainte-Alvère. Leggett Immobilier (0870 011 5151)
Grimaud, €1.15 million
Nice airport: 80 minutes
Standing five minutes outside the village of Grimaud and within an easy distance of Saint-Tropez is this four-bedroom villa. It boasts under- floor heating, air conditioning and has a heated pool in the garden. Hutchinson Bell (00 33 6 03 23 28 48)
Fine & Country present a selection of country houses boasting enviable outdoor space.
From stylish and sleek city courtyards to lavish countryside retreats, in the summer months the garden becomes a charming extension of your home. With summer fast approaching and the beautiful English weather finally pulling through, Fine & Country would like to inspire the gardener within with a selection of the best gardens throughout the UK currently on the market.
London, to let: £4,250 pw
A stunningly refurbished town house with a courtyard garden boasting 2,500 sq.ft. Located on a residential street close to Berkeley Square and Mount Street Gardens. The apartment has views onto the beautiful Farm Street Church and benefits from air conditioning. The house is arranged over five floors and has bespoke interior design throughout to include furniture and fittings. Fine & Country Mayfair (020 7079 1523)
Northamptonshire, £1,995,000
This property has delightful grounds of approximately 1½ acres with lawns to the front and west running down to a dry-stone wall over which lies open rolling countryside. High mature trees line the driveway and at the front of the house an attractive lime tree provides shade and is the ideal spot for a garden swing. Beyond this, the hard-surface Tennis Court is fully fenced with flood-lights and an equipment store. A hedge divides the south and west lawns, and screens a maintenance area which houses a range of garden sheds and a log store. A wide York stone-flagged patio runs around the west side of the house, laid out in wide terraces to create a wonderful elevated area overlooking the expanse of lawn and the views beyond. At the far side is a Hot Tub and an original well bordered by limestone walling. At the edge of the lawn is a pretty timber Summer House with a decked terrace and a charming beach-hut interior, also ideal for entertaining or as a quiet spot from which to soak up the views. Fine & Country Stamford (01780 750 200)
Warwickshire, £575,000 Beautifully presented throughout, this period home has four bedrooms, three reception rooms, a garden room and kitchen/breakfast room. The garden room and kitchen open out onto a lovely courtyard. From the courtyard, an archway leads to the walled garden beyond. Private and secluded, the garden is some eighty feet in length. Fine & Country Leamington Spa (01926 455 950)
Somerset, £595,000
Beyond the cottage, the garden is beautifully laid out and designed, largely enhanced by the current owners during their occupation. The garden contains a number of different areas along a theme with interconnecting lawns, a sunken Italianate style area with surrounding roses, shrubs and herbaceous perennials, a number of trees and further seating areas. Beyond this is a wider open lawned area with inset specimen trees and in turn, beyond this, a further lawn with fruit trees including apple, plum, damson and pear. The whole forms a stunning garden extending to just under one acre with a relaxed country feel providing wonderful opportunities for entertaining, growing or just relaxing. Webbers Fine & Country (01823 423 500)
Surrey, £3,999,000
Built to an extremely high standard in 2007 by renowned builders Octagon, the property has subsequently been improved still further to include wonderful landscaping of the almost two acre grounds which feature sweeping lit paths linking quiet seating areas to larger entertaining areas and patios – one of which has a super barbeque area with a large summerhouse and staff quarters tucked unobtrusively behind, and a Koi pond as well as a stunning Japanese themed area with meandering paths, bridges, streams and pagoda adding pleasant serenity. Fine & Country Englefield Green (01784 438 951)
You can view more Fine & Country homes with stunning gardens for sale at www.fineandcountry.com
The tranquillity and beauty of this region of France have long been a magnet for British buyers.
Dramatic Gordes, the ‘Parthenon of Provence’
The many picturesque hill-top villages of the Lubéron, in the foothills of the French Alps, have survived centuries of strife and Peter Mayle remarkably well. Much to the relief of diehards among the region’s more reclusive long-term residents—British, Belgian, Dutch and American and, of course, the French themselves—the years of recession have helped to restore tran- quillity to historic villages such as Ménerbes, Bonnieux, Gordes, Lacoste and Roussillon.
But now, much to the relief of international estate agents, the irresistible combination of a Conservative majority, a recovering economy, favourable exchange rates and more realistic pricing is tempting British buyers back into the market, reports Mark Harvey of Knight Frank.
‘Many have been coming to the Lubéron for years and know exactly where and what they want to buy, but were reluctant to decide until after the election. Now, they reckon, things are as good as they are likely to get and this is the time to make a move’, he says. Which is also good news for the British homeowners who represent 40% of Knight Frank’s current sellers in the area.
It has been said that if the Lubéron were a country, its capital would be the imposing stone village of Gordes, also known as ‘the Parthenon of Provence’, and officially one of the most beautiful villages in France. And it’s not just the view on the approach to the village along the departmental D15 from Cavaillon that’s spectacular; equally striking is the view looking outwards across the Lubéron valley. Neighbouring villages include Venasque and Murs to the north, Roussillon to the east, Oppède to the south and Cabrières-d’Avignon to the west.
Confidence in the future of upmarket tourism in the area is underlined by the recent €17 million investment by a French consortium in the expansion of the village’s leading hotel, the elegant, 18th-century, Bastide de Gordes, which will see it linked to Megève and Saint-Tropez as part of an exclusive international resort chain.
The charming golden-stone Bastide de la Source at Gordes. €2.85m
Knight Frank (020–7629 8171) quote a guide price of €2.85 million for the charming Bastide de la Source at Gordes, which stands in some 11⁄2 acres of private landscaped grounds overlooking the rugged landscape of the Lubéron. Beautifully crafted in cream-coloured Gordes stone and impeccably restored by its Belgian owners, the rustic, light-filled former farmstead boasts two main reception rooms, five bedrooms, five bathrooms and a swimming pool.
Roman armies conquered Provence as long ago as 125BC, but people here prefer to think that Provence conquered Roman hearts, such is the wealth of Roman architectural and engineering heritage that survives throughout the region. Another of the earliest villages perchés, neighbouring Bonnieux also dates from the Roman period and still casts a watchful eye over the Lubéron valley from its hilltop eyrie. Monuments dating from Roman times include the Pont Julien, built three miles north of the village in 3bc.
This substantial former farmhouse is set in 17 acres of grounds near Bonnieux. €2.5m
Here, Knight Frank are asking €2.5m for a substantial, carefully renovated, four-bedroom former farmhouse and guest house, once the heart of a thriving fruit farm, but now a mix of old and new, set in about 17 acres of landscaped gardens and farmland.
At the foot of the ‘golden triangle’ headed by Gordes, Oppède is, in fact, two villages: Oppède-le-Vieux, embed- ded halfway up the north face of the Petit Lubéron, with its ruined 16th- century castle and pretty Roman- esque church of Notre-Dame- d’Alydon, and, below it, the ‘new’ village of Oppède, which today sits at the heart of the heavily protected Lubéron regional nature park. In the 19th century, following centuries of exploitation, the inhabitants of the old village had had enough, and started to move down into the valley, dismantling the roofs of their houses to avoid paying property taxes.
By the early 1900s, Oppède-le-Vieux was a ghost village and a new farming community was officially established in the valley below.
Bastide d’Oppède, with its three houses, is near the village perché of Oppède. €2.65m
Savills (020–7016 3740) quote an asking price of €2.65m for one of Oppède’s most prestigious properties, the 18th-century Bastide d’Oppède, which has been carefully renovated and extended by its current owner, using reclaimed ancient tiles and stonework in the new part of the building.
Set in 3.45 acres of grounds a mile from the village centre, the pretty stone hamlet comprising three houses and three swimming pools—some 7,700sq ft of living space in all—has panoramic views of the Lubéron, Gordes and Mont Ventoux.
Unlike many of its more celebrated neighbours, the 12th-century, goldenstone village of Cabrières-d’Avignon isn’t perched on a hill nor is it close to Avignon, although it was once owned by it. This authentic Provençal village, five miles from Gordes, was literally built by hand, using stones dredged from surrounding fields in order to make them cultivable. There are even the remains of the 17-mile dry-stone wall of the mur de la peste, erected in a forlorn bid to repel the Great Plague of 1720.
Elegant Mas des Pasquiers at Cabrières d’Avignon. €1.895m
Knight Frank (020–7629 8171) are asking €1.895m for the intriguing Mas des Pasquiers in the heart of the village. Named after a well-known family of French bakers, the five/six bedroom house, once the village mill, has been lovingly restored by its Eng- lish owner, with interiors decorated by an English designer and 18,200sq ft of landscaped gardens laid out around a large heated swimming pool.
Described as ‘land’s end’ by the prolific French writer Henri Bosco, the pretty winding road leading to the tiny village of Sivergues, between Bonnieux and Apt, goes nowhere else: after Sivergues, there are just paths leading onto the Lubéron mountainside. No wonder the perse- cuted Vaudois chose it as a haven of peace and tranquillity during the endless wars fought in the region.
Dreamy Domaine de Bellevue near Apt. €3.9m
An asking price of €3.9m is quoted by Savills (020–7016 3740) for the ultimate Provençal dream: the early- 17th-century Domaine de Bellevue, which stands in a magical setting overlooking the Lubéron, six miles from Apt and nine miles from Bonnieux. Originally a farmhouse dating from 1604, the house has been impeccably renovated by its English owner, who bought it in the 1980s. It has about 7,000sq ft of living space, with separate guest and staff houses, and combines modern comfort with old-world charm in its three vaulted living rooms, nine bedrooms and five bathrooms, surrounded by 86 acres of magnificent gardens and grounds, partially laid out by an internation- ally renowned landscape designer.
A tiny fishing town near the border with Spain is a well-kept secret for Parisian families looking for a summer bolthole. Cathy Hawker pays a visit.
A newly built contemporary five-bedroom house on a half- acre plot that’s an easy walk from the centre of Guéthary,
a fishing town in between St-Jean-de-Luz and the surfing beaches of Biarritz. €2 million through Christie’s (00 33 5 59 26 82 60)
When the mercury starts to rise in the world’s most important capital cities, successful families tend to decamp to their summer weekend homes. New York has the Hamptons and Milan has Lake Como, but where do Parisians head?
The answer is St-Jean-de-Luz. The town lies at the foothills of the Pyrénées in the Pays Basque, a dozen or so miles south of Biarritz. Where the Hamptons and Lake Como have international fame and an illustrious line of second-home owners (and their paparazzi in tow), St-Jean-de-Luz is quite distinct: it’s an understated beach resort that the French keep to themselves.
With the Spanish border just 10 miles to the west, elements of Spanish, French and Basque culture, cuisine and architecture are threaded through the town. Just across the border lies northern Spain’s gourmand capital, San Sebastián, and the industrial might of Bilbao.
High-speed trains arrive from Bordeaux in two hours and Paris in 51⁄2 hours, a time set to improve by 2017. From the train station in the centre of St-Jean, car-free streets filled with boutique shops and intimate restaurants wind down to wide, sandy beaches.
Along with this geographical beauty, St-Jean has historical significance. In 1660, it was where Louis XIV sealed the Treaty of the Pyrénées by marrying Spain’s Infanta Maria Teresa. The magnificent galleried church where they wed is still there, although the door- way the couple used was immediately and permanently blocked up.
St-Jean-de-Luz’s current population of 14,000 is only 2,000 more than in those halcyon 17th-century days, when fishermen and corsairs—legal pirates— brought great wealth to the town. A fleet of fishing boats still head out to sea every day from the harbour, so it’s a working town year round, but, as a considerable number of the properties are second homes, it’s during the summer months, when affluent families and surfers descend, that the place comes alive.
‘St-Jean is known for its quiet rhythm and charming architecture and is an ideal holiday-home location, offering sandy beaches for summer and winter skiing in the Pyrénées,’ says Joachim Wrang-Widén of Christie’s International Real Estate, who sells in the area (00 33 5 59 26 82 60; www.christiesrealestate. com). ‘St-Jean attracts predominantly French buyers, although it’s also popular with affluent Spaniards.’
The resort recently featured in Christie’s Luxury Defined report, an annual overview of 80 global luxury locations, as a ‘weekender destination’ in the same category as the Hamptons on Long Island and Pebble Beach in California. Christie’s figures show that luxury-home sales, defined in St-Jean as those achieving more than $1 million, grew by 43% between 2013 and 2014, driven chiefly by local wealth.
Among the Parisian and Bordelaise owners, there are also British visitors who fly in through Biarritz or Bordeaux airport, says Caroline Laffontan of Laffontan Immobilier (00 33 6 60 29 45 65; www.laffontan-immobilier.com). ‘St-Jean is safe, friendly, smart, full of Basque character and traditions and popular with French expatriates,’ she explains.
Most homes are typically Basque in style, featuring colombage—half- timbering—and chunky wooden shutters painted in deep-red varnish. Strict planning rules mean there is little new build and demand for what exists is strong. Expect to pay about €500,000 for a central two-bedroom apartment, although these are difficult to find, and large detached family houses on the coast within a 10-minute drive of St-Jean start from €800,000.
Laffontan Immobilier are selling a two-bedroom apartment facing the bay with parking and easy beach access for €550,000, as well as a five-bedroom detached house in neighbouring Ciboure, a brief walk across the Pont Charles de Gaulle, for €620,000.
Christie’s are selling a four-bedroom Basque-style house with a swimming pool, garden and wonderful bay views for €1.3 million and a bright, modern apartment with three bedrooms, also in Ciboure, for €800,000.
‘Growing numbers of international buyers now appreciate St-Jean’s excellent quality of life,’ concludes Mr Wrang- Widén. ‘Leisure activities centre on the beach and golf, tennis, riding and cycling add to the appeal. Bordeaux is an easy day trip away and the growing expansion of the TGV rail network makes St-Jean feasible as a weekend destination for Parisians.’
St-Jean is delightfully Basque from its pintxos (tapas) to the traditional striped linens. This is the town that created the macaron and food plays an important role, from fresh seafood to gâteau Basque. Lunch in Spain, followed by dinner in France, perfectly possible in St-Jean, is something that not even the smartest Hamptons holiday home could provide.
Dungarthill enjoys the tranquillity of the Highlands.
Located near Dunkeld, Dungarthill is an enchanting Scottish estate nestled amongst some of the country’s most breathtakingly countryside. Situated at the estate’s heart is Dungarthill House, a fine example of late Victorian architecture.
Dungarthill House is thought to have been built as a wedding present in 1886 by a Mr Cox of the renowned jute manufacturers, Cox Brothers of Dundee. Today, the property has been fully refurbished and boasts two bedroom suites, eight further bedrooms, several delightful reception rooms and a billiard room.
The estate is renowned for its pheasant shoot with established drives. During the current ownership the shoot has been extended and developed to provide two consecutive days shooting with guests staying in the house. Dungarthill Estate also offers superb fallow stalking, roe shooting as well as trout fishing and duck flighting on the two hill lochs.
There are an extensive range of residential properties on the estate including a thriving holiday letting business with five recently refurbished letting cottages, two staff cottages and nine other properties currently let on tenancy agreements.
The farming enterprise on the estate is run under a contract farming arrangement and the productive land includes about 180 acres of arable land, 195 acres of permanent pasture as well as rough grazing and woodland grazing.
Dungarthill is very accessible with the main A9 road giving swift access both north and south. Edinburgh airport lies only some 55 miles away and offers regular flights to London and to other major European cites. The bustling city of Perth is around 15miles to the south and provides a range of amenities and facilities.
The guide price is £5,000,000. For further information please contact CKD Galbraith on 01786 434 600.
Scottish landowner Joe Gibbs assesses what’s in the newly published Land Reform Bill.
Endangered: Scotland's landowners and red deer could both be set to flight by the provisions in the new bill.
Trailed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as ‘radical reform’ to make Scotland’s land ‘an asset for the many, not the few’, at first sight, the first major Land Reform Bill produced by the SNP in government contained plenty to set lairds’ knees a-knocking.
At the heart of the Government’s intentions is the increase in community-owned land from 500,000 acres to one million acres. Since the restitution of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, more than 20% of its Acts have related to rural land reform. Never mind that 82% of Scots live in urban areas covering only 6% of the nation’s landmass; land is the issue of moment, or so politicians have decided. And how much easier it is to whack the well-upholstered landed posterior than to tackle issues afflicting education, health and social services, housing, law and order, local government and transport, all of which come under the Scottish Government’s purview.
As for upsetting those landowners, there are constant reminders that only 432 of them control half of the privately owned land in Scotland. That hardly amounts to electoral clout, even if you count the employees dependant on their bosses’ bankroll.
The SNP’s new Bill promises to keep the pilot light burning on this issue by establishing a Scottish Land Commission to support commissioners who will hold land reform constantly under review. The most radical proposal is the ability to compel landowners to sell communities ‘where the scale or decisions of landowners are acting as a barrier to the sustainable development of communities’. How on earth that will be interpreted in the real world is anyone’s guess.
It might mean the relinquishing of a few yards of cycle path or it may be a way of getting closer to that target of one million community-owned acres. Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead’s opponents have cried ‘land grab’, but he protests it’s ‘about sorting out those areas where, quite clearly, economic development… is being hampered by who owns the land and how it’s managed’.
Elsewhere, the abolition of sporting rates by John Major in 1994 to bring the country into line with the rest of the UK is reversed—not unexpected from a party that wants to make Scotland as different as possible from its neighbour. The successful character assassination of red deer by Scottish Natural Heritage and environmental groups, transforming them from monarchs of the glen into vermin on the ben, will apply to deer-forest owners by extension. Failure to comply with a deer-control scheme will leave an owner open to a fine of up to £40,000 or three months in clink—penalties that apparently ‘better reflect the damage that may be done to the environment where failure to comply with deer-control scheme leads to over-grazing and trampling’.
For all its rhetoric and ideology, this Bill is not a great threat to lairds, but it was well into gestation by the time the new, much more left-leaning First Minister stepped up to the plate. She may follow it up with something feistier.
The greater the misery poured on landowners, the more they must wonder whether it’s worth the candle. Stagnation in the upper reaches of the property market since before the referendum suggests that such doubts exist. One Inverness-shire estate that has been for sale for two years has had its price slashed from £15 million to £3 million. Land reformers, of course, will be cock-a-hoop if values decline. Communities looking to purchase will have to find fewer readies, owners too far in hock may be forced to divest and rich investors who prop up the market may be frightened off for good.
And, if current measures won’t bust up the big land holdings, let’s not forget other delights mooted by the Land Reform Review Group, such as changes to the law of succession to ensure division among heirs, capping the land that can be held in one ownership and land value tax. Then, it’ll be time to run for the hills—if you still own them.
Joe Gibbs runs the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival at his home in Scotland (August 6–8, www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk)
Devon, £1.25 million
Woodgate House, Culmstock
5 bedrooms, studio, tennis court, pool, 6.84 acres
The principal house of this attractive hamlet, which enjoys glorious views to the Blackdown Hills, Woodgate lies within an easy distance of both Tiverton Parkway station and all the shops in Wellington. It has a large kitchen, a conservatory and a pretty garden. Jackson-Stops & Staff (01823 325144)
Essex, £1.5 million Cutlers Forge, Tawney 6 bedrooms, 2 bedroom annexe, pool, 2.4 acres
This Grade II-listed detached home dates back to the 17th century (with later additions) and sits in mature gated grounds. It boasts many character features, including a grand reception hall with laid briquette floor, expansive fireplace with log burner, oak staircase, light wood panelling, traditional panel doors and exposed timberwork. Hetheringtons (01992 827 063)
Essex, £2.35 million The Clock House, Kelvedon
5 bedrooms, pool house, pool, Granary
An interesting late Georgian Grade II-listed property, situated within the grounds of the original Felix Hall Estate. The accommodation features large entertaining and reception rooms with high ceilings resulting in a lot of light with a great feeling of space. Knight Frank (01279 213 340)
Suffolk, £1.5 million
Moat Farmhouse, Hasketon
6 bedrooms, pool, pool house, studio annexe, 4.5 acres
A handsome and beautifully appointed moated house dating back to the Georgian era. In more recent times, the house has benefitted from an impressive extension by the well renowned Suffolk architect Roger Blamer. Jackson-Stops & Staff (01473 218 218)
Gloucestershire, £6.5 million Dowdeswell House, Andoversford
7 bedrooms, pool tennis court, 6.5 acres
Dating from the 17th century the interiors of this Grade II-listed property have been transformed by the current owners. The formal gardens are terraced and landscaped and the property benefits from beautiful views over the Cotswold Hills. Knight Frank (01285 659 771)
From classic manors on serene estates to seaside vistas, transform your fantasies into reality.
Fig 1: On the market for the first time in 145 years: Hall Place estate
at Leigh, Kent. £15m for the whole
What makes a classic British estate? For Will Whittaker of Strutt & Parker (020– 7629 7282), the majestic Hall Place estate (Fig 1), in the Medway Valley at Leigh, five miles west of Tonbridge, Kent, ‘ticks all the boxes’. For sale for the first time in 145 years, at a guide price of £15 million, its attributes include ‘a handsome principal house, with ancillary buildings including beautiful ornate gate lodges, surrounded on all sides by prestigious, Grade II*-listed 19th-century gardens designed by Lanning Roper, an impressive lake and a former deer park.’
He adds: ‘The main house overlooks the pretty village that, in its prime, would have accommodated all the estate staff. The setting is also exceptional, extending to more than 1,000 acres within a ring fence, and providing a remarkable degree of seclusion and privacy for a part of Kent that is so readily accessible, only 30 miles from London.’
The Hall Place estate was considerably smaller when textile industrialist Samuel Morley bought it for £42,000 in 1870. He judged the existing grand Elizabethan house to be poorly built and in need of substantial modernisation and commissioned the eminent country-house architect George Devey to design the present, romantic, Tudor-style Victorian mansion in 1871. On Morley’s death in 1886, the estate passed to his son, Samuel Hope-Morley (later Lord Hollenden), who expanded it with the purchase of Leigh Park Farm and Prices Farm from the nearby Penshurst estate.
In 1940, a serious chimney fire at Hall Place badly damaged part of the main house. This section was later demolished and turned into a ‘house garden’, but could be reintegrated into the main building, the agents suggest. Although little used by the family of late, rambling, 18,500sq ft Hall Place has some impressive rooms and spaces, although it now needs repair and modernisation.
Hall Place is being sold as a whole, or in five lots, with the main house and its ancillary buildings—including the cobbled stable courtyard, its two cottages, the estate office, the two gate lodges and 277 acres of gardens, lake, parkland and woods— being offered at £8m.
A guide price of £4.9m is quoted for Leigh Park Farm and Price’s Farm, a productive, 500-acre dairy operation let under a full repairing Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 tenancy. Two further parcels of farmland are on offer at £750,000 each, with £600,000 the asking price for The Kennels, an idyllic, two-bedroom, let cottage set in almost two acres of land in the centre of the estate.
In total contrast, Crispin Holborow of Savills (020–7409 3780) quotes a guide price of ‘excess £17m’ for the ultimate ‘all-singing, all-dancing’ eco-friendly Cotswold estate: the picturesque, 366-acre Alderley Farm (Fig 2) near Wotton-under-Edge, five miles from Tetbury, Gloucestershire, within the Cotswolds AONB. The focal point of the estate is an imposing, 14,912sq ft, Queen Anne-style main house designed around an existing courtyard by leading Cotswold architect Yiangou and completed in 2010.
Fig 2: The ultimate Cotswold estate: eco-friendly Alderley Farm near Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire. Excess £17m
Approached along a private driveway, which meanders through the unspoilt parkland, the house nestles in the centre of its own secluded valley. Built in the Classical style, it has four main reception rooms, a large family kitchen, seven bedrooms (five with en-suite bathrooms), an entertainment barn, a gym complex, an indoor swimming pool, stables and garaging. The splendid walled garden was part of the original Yiangou Architects vision; the striking waterfall and pond are a bespoke design by Cheltenham-based Aquapic.
Once a working dairy farm, Alderley Farm has been transformed in the last 13 years by successive owners, who have invested heavily in this Cotswold haven of harmony and utopia. With a ground-source heat pump serving the principal house and courtyard, solar panels on the farm buildings generating electricity, a private water supply from three boreholes and the estate’s own herd of beef cattle providing meat for the table, Alderley Farm is the very model of a self-sufficient, 21st-century estate.
If your dream is a Georgian manor in a tranquil historic setting, this week sees the launch onto the market of New Court (Fig 4) at Lugwardine, Herefordshire, three miles east of Hereford, at a guide price of £2.75m through Savills in Telford (01952 239500) and Hereford-based Jackson Property (01432 344779). For Tony Morris-Eyton of Savills, New Court, set in 27 acres of gardens and parkland overlooking the glorious Wye Valley, is ‘the quintessential English country home, a Grade II*-listed 18th-century house with three principal façades, set in its own private grounds at the end of a long drive on the edge of the village’.
Fig 4: Tranquil New Court, at Lugwardine in Herefordshire, overlooks the glorious Wye Valley. £2.75m
The manor of Lugwardine dates from the Norman Conquest. In the 13th century, it was gifted to the notorious Simon de Montfort and, following his death at the Battle of Evesham, passed to Lord Chandos and, by descent, through Lord Beauchamp to the Rede family. In a deed of 1572, William Rede refers to ‘my mansion at New Court’ and it was almost certainly he who built the magnificent East Wing.
According to its listing, the present house is 18th century, ‘possibly with an earlier core’ (although generally recognised as being of Tudor origin), remodelled in the Gothic style in 1809 by Henry Seward, a pupil of Sir John Soane. The present owners have retained New Court’s original Georgian interior, notably its fine principal rooms and grand entrance hall with its ornate Rococo plaster ceiling from about 1750. The house, which can sleep and seat 24 guests, has five reception rooms, three kitchens, extensive wine cellars, 11 bedrooms, nine bathrooms and five cottages arranged around a rear courtyard.
But, if the ultimate coastal retreat does it for you, then this week’s Country Life highlights the launch onto the market of one of the most spectacular coastal houses ever built in Britain. For sale through Knight Frank (01392 423111) at a guide price of £2.95m, idyllic Grade II- listed Chapel Point House (Fig 3) at Portmellon, near Mevagissey, Cornwall, was the first of a group of stone houses designed and built by the Arts- and-Crafts architect John Campbell for his own use in 1934–39.
Fig 3: Water, water everywhere: Chapel Point House at Portmellon, Cornwall, has spectacular views and enviable seclusion. £2.95m
Writing in Country Life (October 19 and 26, 1945), Christopher Hussey applauds Mr Campbell’s successful bid to show that building smaller houses in traditional materials was still economically viable, and remarks ‘how attractive seaside buildings in Cornwall can be’.
The message may have resonated with the current owners of Chapel Point, who bought it some 25 years ago, and have lovingly maintained and improved it, buying in surrounding land to secure its privacy. ‘This house is going to knock people’s socks off,’ predicts an exuberant James Killop of Knight Frank, pointing out the unique selling points of this ‘exceptionally special and rare waterfront property occupying a true coastal location with panoramic views from east to west, and a 4,000sq ft, five-bedroom house with its own sandy beach and boathouse, a second slipway and boathouse and about nine acres of permanent pasture, less than two miles from the popular fishing village of Mevagissey’.
Hurrah—it’s July and the summer holidays are in sight, but, given Britain’s unpredictable weather, what’s the appetite these days for swimming pools? Arabella Youens finds out.
The jury may well still be out on whether an indoor pool is more sensible than an outdoor pool, but one thing remains abundantly clear: buyers in 2015 are, more than ever, conscious of the expense of country houses and all their associated accoutrements, including pool maintenance.
‘In all my years of working in this market, I’ve never been asked so many times about running costs,’ says Philip Harvey of Property Vision, whose buying patch stretches across the Home Counties to East Anglia (01344 651702). ‘When clients are considering purchasing a house, they don’t want unexpected costs or any lumped on top, so, if they want a swimming pool, they’re more inclined to gravitate towards a house that has one already, to save themselves the expense of installing one.’
Edward Sugden of Savills (020– 7409 8885) agrees: ‘Country-house buyers at the top end expect the full package and that means staff accommodation, a tennis court, a swimming pool and—in extremis—a spa. But if the pool was installed in the 1980s or 1990s, and doesn’t have a sophisticated heating or security system, then it’ll probably act as a negative and put buyers off.’
Simply put, that means the heating system can no longer be oil-based. ‘The best solution is to use an air- source heat pump to heat the pool and, if you’re especially conscious of using Green energy—or your energy bill—you can use solar panels to generate the electricity required to operate the pump,’ explains Mr Harvey.
If you’re going to install an outdoor pool, make sure you think carefully about the setting, cautions Atty Beor-Roberts of Knight Frank in Cirencester (01285 659771), who is currently selling Dowdeswell House, which comes with an infinity-edge pool worthy of a house in Tuscany. ‘I’ve seen a number of pools that were built—particularly in the 1960s and 1970s—just outside the drawing-room window so that the adults can keep an eye on the children swimming, but that’s a major mistake when you consider that, for nine months of the year, it’ll be covered up and have leaves all over it.’
He continues: ‘It’s far better to create a complex, ideally in a walled garden with a pool house and a small kitchen, that can become the centrepiece for summer entertaining.’
Having it set slightly away from the house will make it easier to market, when the time comes, during the winter months. ‘When you’re trying to sell a house with a very obvious pool covered in 5in of leaves in the middle of winter, it can leave a chilly feeling with prospective buyers,’ adds Brian Bishop of Jackson-Stops & Staff in Taunton (01823 325144).
The market for indoor pools tends to lean more towards those who want to swim every day for fitness purposes and, in this instance, says Mr Beor- Roberts, you need to ensure that the access to the pool is direct from the house. ‘Don’t put it on the other side of the courtyard. In order to make sure you’ll get the best use of it, you need to ensure you can walk to it with your dressing gown still on.’
Cirencester-based Yiangou Architects (01285 888150) has won two RIBA awards in the past four years for designing contemporary pool wings annexed to traditional or listed houses. ‘In one scenario, we set a minimal and elegant glass structure within a listed walled garden and, with the other, we converted a traditional barn-like building into a pool complex,’ says Neil Quinn. ‘Much like the way the kitchen has become the heart of the home, the indoor pool becomes an integral and fundamental part of the country house.’
Although an indoor pool is easy to secure, another benefit of setting an outdoor pool within a walled garden, with a lockable gate, is security. ‘It’s definitely worth installing a hard cover—preferably one that’s substantial enough you can drive your Land Rover across it,’ says Mr Sugden.
‘Remember that you’re not only going to be concerned about your own children’s safety, but that of your friends’ children, too, so it’s worthwhile having the peace of mind that nothing can happen.’
Whether indoor or outdoor, the golden rule, according to Mr Harvey is to make the most of it. ‘A pool costs upwards of £30,000 to install. A few times, I’ve been surprised and particularly good examples can add value, but my stock answer is to say don’t expect to get your money back, but just enjoy it.’
Everyone loves an idyllic country cottage. We select our favourite properties currently on the market.
Hampshire, £850,000
The Olde Cottage, Nether Wallop
This pretty cottage in a popular and lively village comes with five bedrooms, a modern kitchen and a bright, south-westerly aspect. Outside is a large garden, including a two-tier tree house and a garage/workshop. Savills Smiths Gore (01264 774 900)
Gloucestershire, £780,000
Endicott, Great Rissington
This delightful four-bedroom cottage sits in the popular north Cotswold village of Great Rissington. Kingham station is eight miles away and the cottage comes with a farmhouse kitchen (with an Aga) and a separate annexe, which serves as an office. Butler Sherborn (01451 830 731)
Suffolk, £650,000
Cowslip Cottage, Bedfield
Set in three acres of gardens and at the end of a long drive, this cottage has four bedrooms, a kitchen/ breakfast room and two reception rooms. Outside are a vegetable garden, pond and meadow. Savills (01473 234 800)
Devon, £675,000 Dunstone Cottage, Chillington
A detached three-bedroom cottage with a sudio offering sympathetically restored and beautifully presented accommodation and lovely gardens, situated in a quiet rural hamlet close to the popular village of South Pool just 2 miles from the coast. Marchand Petit (01548 857 588)
Worcestershire, £795,000 The Thatch, Westmancote
A three-bedroom Grade II Listed thatched cottage situated in an area of ‘Outstanding Natural Beauty’. The gardens are exceptional: a large lawn interspersed with many mature trees, flowering shrubs, a productive vegetable patch and many colourful flower beds. RA Bennett & Partners (01386 825 456)
Dorset, £499,450 Old Penny Cottage, East Coyle This Grade II listed dressed limestone cottage boasts four bedrooms and a wealth of period features including stone mullioned windows, window seats, exposed beams and a bread oven in the kitchen. The garden has areas of gently terraced lawn with mature trees, herbaceous and flower borders. Jackson-Stops & Staff (01747 850 858)
The holiday-home market on the Cornish coast looks set for a lively summer. Arabella Youens finds out how to make the running costs bearable.
The Dell in Whitsand Bay is available to rent through www. bluechipholidays.co.uk
According to Jonathan Cunliffe of Savills in Truro (01872 243200), the market for top-notch holiday homes in and around Cornwall’s most popular villages and estuaries—Helford, St Mawes, Rock and Fowey—is ‘the best for many years’. This is evidenced by the recent sale of Lanarth, a large waterfront house in Rock, which has steps down to Porthilly Beach and had a guide price of £4.5 million. ‘During 2011 and 2012, the market for these sorts of houses—which are, after all, a lux- ury to own—went quiet, but, since the end of 2013, momentum has gathered and we’ve had good interest in the £3 million-plus market all year.’
Buy in one of these established markets and it’s a pretty safe bet investment-wise, believes Tom Hudson of Middleton Advisors (01235 436270). ‘There will always be a market for good houses in places such as Rock and Trebetherick; they’re old-school, destinations and their appeal seeps down from generation to generation.’
Jonathan agrees that buying something the children will enjoy is the number-one priority for buyers at this end of the market. ‘If you’ve got toddlers, you’ll head to the beaches on the south coast to St Mawes, Fowey or Helford; to appeal to teenagers, you’re better off on the north coast.’
When they’re not beng used by you, the very best houses will achieve £10,000 a week in high season. ‘It’s that dreadful adage of location, location, location, so, as long as you get that right, you can make it work,’ explains Tom.’
The first time Jonathan Cunliffe sold Gradna, near Looe, in south Cornwall, the buyer exchanged contracts before viewing it after spotting an ad in COUNTRY LIFE. £3 million through Savills (01872 243200)
Renting: top tips
Hobby farmer Matt Dodds, who breeds Zwartbles sheep, moved to Cornwall from the Cotswolds eight years ago with his partner, Marc Leon, a dressage trainer. ‘To find a farm on the coast in Cornwall needed a few more millions than we had at the time, so we settled inland. We’ve got planning permission to convert two barns here into holiday lets, but, in order to maximise the rental season in Cornwall, you have to be on the coast.’
After four years of searching, they bought one of the series of little huts overlooking Whitsand Bay on Tregonhawke Cliff that were built by Plymouth evacuees during the war. ‘It needed to be completely gutted, but has the most incredible view down to the Lizard peninsula, so we knew that, with a little reconfiguring, it’d work.’
Stay connected
‘The internal layout is very open plan by design, so that you can lie in bed and look out to the sea, but the kitchen area is very compact, meaning that I had to choose between a dishwasher and a washing machine. The letting agent was adamant that we’d need a washing machine, but, in the end, no one has ever asked about it,’ explains Matt.
‘However, one thing is abundantly clear: although everyone says they want to come to Cornwall to get away, they won’t want to be away from Wi-Fi. I had to have a 100ft channel dug as BT refused to connect us, but it’s been worth it.’
Invest in the best
‘My ethos is that, if you’ve had a good holiday, you’ve enjoyed being there more than being at home and, although the scenery will be a factor, it’s also important to crank up the quality of the kit, from sheets with a high thread count to sound systems and Dualit toasters.’
The agent
For the first couple of years, it’s useful to get an agent and accept that you’ll be sacrificing between 20% and 30% of the letting fee. ‘Choose an agency that’s pro-active and will call you when they see there are gaps in the calendar and suggest ways of attracting rentals.’
He adds: ‘On the Cornish coast, if you’re really serious, you can expect the season to start at Easter and go on towards November.’
Changeovers
‘In my opinion, avoid Saturday as a changeover—the entirety of Cornwall will be on the road. Also, once you’ve found someone to do the changeover clean for you, it’s worth paying them over the odds to ensure they’re constant and committed and won’t mind going the extra mile when needed.’
Matt also recommends doing regular ‘spot checks’ to make sure all is up to scratch.
Stay close to the coast with these beautiful houses.
Cornwall, £2.5 million
Castle Keep, Fowey
5 bedrooms, water frontage, 0.5 acre
This house enjoys a fantastic south-facing position overlooking Fowey’s harbour, the open sea and the surrounding coastline. Designed and built by the current owners, this house has a large kitchen/ breakfast room and a spacious sitting room. Private steps lead down to the rocky foreshore and beach. Lillicrap Chilcott (01872 273 473) Devon, £2.25 million
Vine Cottage, Newton Ferrers
4 bedrooms, studio, summer house, mooring
This Grade II-listed house comes with a private quay and mooring for a yacht with a draft of 2.5m. The interiors have been immaculately designed and, right on the water’s edge, is a summer house that’s a perfect space for entertaining. The studio could act as a fifth bedroom if required. Knight Frank (020–7861 1098)
Isle of Wight, £1.95 million
Luccombe Chine House, Ventnor
This Arts-and-Crafts house overlooking the Channel stands in 6½ acres with a path that leads to
a privately owned beach. There are six bedrooms in the main house and two further cottages. Biles & Co (01983 872 335)
Cornwall, £1.25 million
Chy An Carrack, St Ives
With uninterrupted views over St Ives, this four-bedroom period house has been given a contemporary interior. Outside, there are two terraced gardens behind the house plus a side garden. Country & Waterside (01872 470 256)
Devon, £785,000
Old Park Hall, Axminster
This property forms the principal part of this country house, which lies within easy distance of the Devon coast. It has a cinema room, a large family kitchen, four bedrooms, a two-bedroom flat (on protected tenancy) and 0.82 acres of grounds. Jackson-Stops & Staff (01308 423 133)
Now that pre-election fears have proved unfounded, it’s time to put down new roots.
Buckland Newton House at Buckland Newton, Dorset.
After seven years of a recession that has affected the property market all around the world, with the sole exception of London, everyone involved at the upper end of the English country-house market was anticipating a swift return to ‘business as usual’ following the unexpected result of the General Election.
But, as James Mackenzie of Strutt & Parker’s country-house department admits, ‘despite the hype, the truth is that the post-election boom simply hasn’t happened. The combination of the new Stamp Duty rates and rigorous mortgage testing has had a greater impact than expected and demand at the top end of the market has slowed down, with properties over £3 million to £4 million struggling to secure offers’.
He adds: ‘Having said that, it’s not all gloom and doom. The perennial attraction of good commuter towns such as Guildford, Winchester, Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Bristol and their surrounding villages is still very strong, and getting stronger. Properties that stand out architecturally or historically, and are realistically priced, will still attract a lot of interest. We recently sold such a property in Dorset for more than the £3.95 million guide price within three days.’
Lindsay Cuthill of Savills is philosophical about the slow rate of recovery at the upper end of the English country market: ‘On May 8, I spoke to a client who revealed that, metaphorically at least, his bags were packed before the election. I now believe that both buyers and sellers were so taken by surprise at the result that, mentally, they have still not unpacked their bags. Let’s not forget that it can take a long time to unpack a big suitcase.’
He continues: ‘Before the election, everyone was utterly obsessed by the “mansion tax”, but that now appears to perhaps have been the excuse behind which reluctant buyers hid. Now that the threat has gone, buyers at the upper end of the market are coming to terms with the enormous costs involved in moving and they will only look at houses that appear to represent exceptional value for money. The recovery may be happening at a pace that doesn’t necessarily suit everyone, but it is happening. And when you think what might have been, had the election result gone the other way, things suddenly begin to look a whole lot better.’
Lovely Buckland Newton House at Buckland Newton, Dorset, is the perfect property for families drawn by the county’s leading schools. Many original features in its rooms have been carefully preserved. £3.25m.
Fortunately for wealthy would-be escapees who have now decided to stay, several newcomers to the country-house market are worth unpacking even the biggest suitcase for. Top of the list comes the gorgeous, Grade II-listed Buckland Newton Place at Buckland Newton, Dorset, which is being launched on the market by Savills (020–7016 3870) at a guide price of £3.25m. The classic, brick-built, Queen Anne house, with a south-west wing added in the mid 1800s, stands on the edge of the village, next to the parish church of the Holy Rood, to which it was once the vicarage.
Set in some four acres of secluded formal gardens and grounds protected by woodland, the house—described by Pevsner as ‘characterful’—stands on high ground overlooking a small, river-fed lake, beyond which is a five-acre paddock and, beyond that, the peaceful rolling Dorset countryside. The main façade of the house is covered by a magnificent single wisteria that stretches almost its entire length; the sweeping front lawn is dominated by a stately cedar.
The previous owner of Buckland Newton Place was the late Sir William Aykroyd, an aesthete with a passion for art and architecture, who, when once asked why he’d bought a Rolls-Royce, replied simply: ‘I would feel so foolish without one.’ Having bought the house in the early 1970s, he set about bringing it back to life, filling it with furniture and objets d’art acquired from leading British antique dealers and galleries, along with pieces from his ancestral seat, Grantley Hall in North Yorkshire. Another artistic friend, Tom Parr of Colefax and Fowler, was commissioned to decorate the house in the firm’s inimitable style.
Georgian Lathbury Park at Lathbury in Buckinghamshire.
The present owners of The Place, as it was previously known, bought the house following Sir William’s death in July 2007 and embarked on a substantial programme of renovation, reconfiguring the interior to make it more suitable for family occupation. As selling agent Ed Sugden points out, the main driving force in the country since 2008 has been the schools market, and the proximity of Buckland Newton Place to the leading Dorset schools was a major factor in their decision to buy. Now, however, their daughters have finished their schooling and, with life again focused on London, they find that they can no longer spend as much time in Dorset as they would like, hence the decision to sell.
Its refurbishment complete, Buckland Newton Place offers six well-proportioned reception rooms, a light and airy kitchen/breakfast room and seven bedrooms with five bathrooms on the two upper floors—all equally well arranged for family living and formal entertaining. Sir William’s famous art collection may be gone, but the house is still awash with elegant period features, including some fine panelling, sash windows with original working shutters, ornate cornicing, original fireplaces and flagstone floors. Ancillary buildings include a three-bedroom coach house with stabling and garaging.
Damian Gray of Knight Frank in Oxford (01865 790077) is not entirely convinced that Stamp Duty is a major issue for serious buyers at the top end of the country-house market, especially in areas within easy reach of the Oxford schools and the commuter rail stations of Thame, Didcot and Charlbury. A shortage of good stock is a far bigger problem, he finds, with vendors unwilling to accept offers until they themselves have found a house to buy.
Georgian Lathbury Park at Lathbury in Buckinghamshire is set in 31 acres of park-like grounds Its light and airy rooms have recently been refurbished. £3.25m.
Another house that could tick those extra boxes for prospective buyers, he suggests, is Grade II-listed, Georgian Lathbury Park, on the banks of the River Ouse at Lathbury, Buckinghamshire, not far from the commuter hub of Milton Keynes. One of three important houses on the outskirts of the Cromwellian stronghold of Newport Pagnell—the others being Gayhurst and Tyringham Hall—Lathbury Park was held in the 13th century by the monks of Lavendon Abbey and, from 1599 by the Andrewes family, before passing to Mansel Dawkins Mansel, who built the present house over the original Jacobean cellars in 1801.
The current owners of Lathbury Park—who bought the house in 2011 —set in 31 acres of wooded park-like grounds, have completely refurbished it, adding or improving kitchens and bathrooms and creating a cinema room within the guest wing. Knight Frank quote a guide price of £3.25m for this Georgian gem, which boasts four main reception rooms, a gym, a conservatory, a kitchen/breakfast room, eight bedrooms and five bathrooms, with room for four further bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Outside, a large courtyard with a range of timber buildings incorporates garaging, stabling and a former granary.
From family homes to houses with spectacular views, the island has plenty to offer, finds Arabella Youens.
St Brelade, £2.95 million
The Knoll, St Brelade’s Bay
5 bedrooms, outdoor pool, bay access
Within walking distances of all the amenities of St Brelade—including restaurants, doctors, banks and spas —lies this unusual property, which has been thoroughly modernised by the current owners. The heart of the home lies in the large kitchen/break- fast room, which is fitted with top-of- the-range appliances. Benest Estates (01534 747 777)
St Saviour, £3.95 million
Rouen House
5 bedrooms, orangery, staff/guest wing
This neo-Classical house has been designed with tremendous attention to detail. The interiors span 6,000sq ft and it comes with a number of bespoke elements, including bedroom furniture and an orangery. Nearby are the Longueville Manor hotel and St Michael’s School. Gaudin & Co (01534 730 341)
St Saviour, £12 million
Beaufield House, Mont de la Rosiere
5 bedrooms, three further houses, tennis court, pool, 14.6 acres
This house, which dates from 1640 with later additions, is designed for entertaining on a large scale. It comes with a spectacular pool complex and an extensive terrace as well as a central kitchen/breakfast room. In addition, it offers a four-bedroom house and two further cottages. Choice Properties (01534 620 620)
St Peter, £3.8 million
Colony House, La Ruette du Coin Varin
6 bedrooms, Aga, conservatory, Lutron lighting system
According to the selling agents, this house is ‘one of the finest homes in Jersey’. The newly built property, which is in the style of a Victorian cod house, stands on a south-facing plot with countryside views. The kitchen, with its sinuous central island, is a work of art. Thompson Estates (01534 707 903)
St Lawrence, £7.5 million
Domaine de St Laurent
6 bedrooms, guest house, tennis court, pool, 10 acres
Set at the end of a long drive, this large property stands protected by mature woodland and is surrounded by paddocks and landscaped gardens. It enjoys an elevated position in the valley, which offers total privacy. Gaudin & Co (01534 730 341)
St Martins, £4.25 million
Flicquet Bay
7 bedrooms, tennis court, indoor pool, studio cottage, 1 acre
Boasting uninterrupted views towards the Normandy coastline, this large stone-built house comes with more than an acre of gardens and a cottage for staff. As well as the distant French coast, you can look out past St Catherine’s breakwater to the Écréhous (the group of islands and rocks to the north-east of the island) from the main rooms. Voisin Hunter (01534 507 777)
St Ouen, £1.695 million
Les Pallieres Farm, La Rue des Pallieres
5 bedrooms, outdoor pool, home office
With its granite façade and beautiful rural setting, this classic Jersey farmhouse has all the charm of a period building while meeting the requirements of modern family living. The airport is 10 minutes’ drive away and close by are the surfing bay of St Ouen and the racecourse at Grosnez. Savills (01534 722 227)
St Brelade, £1.95 million
Brook Farm, Mont Nicolle
6 bedrooms, two-bedroom cottage, studios, 1.3 acres
This house dates from 1764 and has been carefully renovated and updated by the current owners. You can walk to St Aubin and the property also lies on the edge of the lovely railway walk. It comes with three vergées (about 6¾ acres).
Benest Estates (01534 747777)
Grouville, £2.35 million
Sans Souci, La Grande Route des Sablons
4 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, beachfront
Located on the beach near La Rocque, this modern house is designed to make the most of the views. The bedrooms have the advantage of facing the sea and there is direct beach access from the garden. Choice Properties (01534 620 620)
St Ouen, £4.65 million
Grève de Lecq Bay
7 bedrooms, staff flat, pool, beach access
On the market for the first time in more than 20 years, this property has a commanding position above the picturesque bay of Grève de Lecq. The house is spread over 8,000sq ft of accommodation and enjoys total privacy. There is a gate leading directly to the beach. Le Gallais (01534 766 689)
From 'non-doms' to downsizers, how does the Budget affect you as a property owner in the UK? Carla Passino investigates.
Inheritance Tax George Osborne lightened the burden of Inheritance Tax (IHT) in the first all-Conservative Budget since November 1996. Fulfilling a key electoral pledge, the Chancellor said that, starting from April 2017, he will phase in a new £175,000 family-home allowance on top of the current IHT threshold, which stands at £325,000. This will bring the total IHT-free allowance to £500,000 per person by 2020–21.
Spouses and civil partners will be able to transfer both allowances to each other. As a result, they will be able to leave estates worth up to £1 million to their children or grandchildren. IHT will continue to be levied at 40% on assets in excess of the threshold and the tax allowance will be tapered away for estates worth more than £2 million.
Downsizers The Chancellor also announced that, under the new rules, downsizers will keep the IHT allowance they would have been entitled to when living at their original property even after they move to a lower-value one. ‘The wish to pass something on to your children is about the most basic, human and natural aspiration there is,’ Mr Osborne explained when presenting the measure to the Commons.
The change, explains Gráinne Gilmore of Knight Frank, allows wealth to flow down from older to younger generations rather than to the Treasury. The provision for downsizers in particular ensures larger houses will continue to come onto the market, although Miss Gilmore cautions that, with the relief being introduced gradually over the course of the next four years, people may decide to stay put for longer than they would have otherwise done.
Lucian Cook of Savills believes the IHT changes will bring the greatest benefit to older homeowners in London and the South-East. Insurer NFU Mutual also identifies Dorset, Gloucestershire, Yorkshire, Cheshire and Somerset as some of the counties that will gain from the move because they have a very high concentration of properties worth £1 million.
However, NFU Mutual’s chartered financial planner, Sean McCann, points out that inflation and future house-price increases will quickly eat into the new IHT allowance, especially when considering that the basic £325,000 threshold, which has been in place since 2009, will be frozen until 2021. To avoid missing out on the maximum allowance possible, the company urges homeowners to have their properties revalued.
‘Non-doms’ The Budget focused as much on making taxation fairer as on reducing it. In particular, the Chancellor overhauled non-domiciled status. From April 2017, people who are born in the UK to parents who are domiciled here will no longer be able to claim ‘non-dom’ status and those who own a home in the UK and would normally pay IHT on it will no longer be able to avoid it by holding the property in an offshore structure.
Most significantly, the Government will abolish permanent non-dom status: from April 2017, people who have been UK residents for more than 15 of the past 20 years will pay full taxes on all their worldwide income and gains. The Chancellor expects these changes to raise £1.5 billion in tax revenue.
Buy-to-let landlords
Similarly, the government is ‘levelling the playing field’ between buy-to-let owners and those who buy a new home. ‘Buy-to-let landlords have a huge advantage in the market as they can offset their mortgage interest payments against their income, whereas homebuyers can- not,’ explained Mr Osborne.
Therefore, starting from April 2017, mortgage interest relief on residential property will gradually be restricted to the basic rate of Income Tax.
This buy-to-let measure is likely to have a greater effect on the property sector than the change in non-domiciled status, according to industry analysts. The latter will barely have an impact on the prime London market, according to Mr Bailey, because ‘demand there is driven by a number of factors and a wide range of buyers,’ although Mr Cook warns that, in the short-term, it may heighten price sensitivity.
By contrast, Mr Cook believes that that restricting mortgage relief, together with caps on housing benefits and the possibility of a rise in interest rates in the medium term, may squeeze some investors in lower-value buy-to-let markets and may slow down growth in this area.
However, Miss Gilmore believes that, if today’s low yields remain at similar levels by the time the restriction comes into force, this may result in an upward pressure on rents.
Northamptonshire, £1,995,000
Somerset, £595,000
