Tag Archives: Home Tours

English Country Estates: Flete House In Holbeton

August 15, 2021 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Twelve glorious acres of manicured grounds surround partly Elizabethan Flete House, former seat of the Mildmay family, which overlooks Ermington and Dartmoor, enjoying ‘probably the finest situation in Devonshire’ according to Cornish poet and historian Richard Polwhele (1797).

Lydia Stangroom, August 13, 2021

At Holbeton in the South Hams, not far from Georgian Modbury, it was used as a maternity hospital in the Second World War and has now been converted into 29 apartments, retaining the principal rooms (library, dining, drawing and billiard rooms and others) for communal use, exclusively for over 55s.

Homes, Travel, Views

English Manor Houses: 15th Century ‘Rymans’ In Appledram, West Sussex

August 8, 2021 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Rymans Manor House in Appledram, West Sussex, a picturesque coastal area three miles south-west of Chichester, is bounded to the west by the main channel of Chichester Harbour, to the north by the River Lavant and to the south by a stream that runs into the harbour below Birdham Mill.

Penny Churchill, August 7, 2021

It is described by Pevsner as ‘a delightful small 15th-century manor house’, which takes its name from William Ryman, a prominent merchant and lawyer who was knighted in 1420 and appointed Sheriff of Sussex in 1434. He built the house of stone from the Bembridge and Ventnor quarries in about 1410.

This oldest part of the T-shaped house, which remains largely unaltered, comprises a three-storey stone tower with trefoil windows and a south wing of two storeys under a tiled roof.

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Homes, Photography, Travel, Views

English Country Homes: The Old Watermill In Clophill, Bedfordshire

August 7, 2021 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

The word ‘idyllic’ doesn’t seem quite enough for some properties — and the Old Watermill in Clophill, Bedfordshire, with water rights over the River Flit and waterfalls in the garden, is a prime example of just how magical a house can be.

Lydia Stangroom, August 6, 2021

The stunning property is thought to date from the 18th century, with many of the bricks transcribed with the date 1725. However, as expected, the bricks are just the beginning of the many period features retained in this property.

Within the house is ‘an undershot wheel which drove three pairs of stones, grinding both wheat for flour and grain for animal feed’. Although, perhaps the most obvious feature are the exposed ceiling timbers, which run throughout every room, and juxtapose effortlessly with the exposed red brick work.

Home Design, Homes, Videos, Views

Tours: Prefab Timber Home On Martha’s Vineyard

Video July 29, 2021 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Faced with the challenges of building on an island, a New York–based family embraces the benefits of prefab design with a custom Axiom timber home.

Gardens, Homes, Travel, Views

British Estates: St. Peter’s House, Island Of Jersey

July 27, 2021 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

A traditional country property with about 20 acres of grounds, St Peter’s House is ideal for a buyer looking for a private retreat.

Holly Kirkwood, July 27, 2021

The interiors are full of charming features, including original panelling, moulded ceilings, stained glass and working fireplaces. The main residence has a striking reception hall with minstrel gallery, five elegant reception reception rooms, five main bedrooms and four secondary ones.

History, Homes, Travel, Views

English County Estates: Trafalgar Park, Salisbury

July 22, 2021 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Writing in Country Life in 1997, the magazine’s then-Architectural Editor the late Giles Worsley referred to stately Grade I-listed Trafalgar Park, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, as ‘the Flying Dutchman of the property world, endlessly seeking an owner and being sold on while the fabric slowly decayed’.

Penny Churchill, July 22, 2021

The fine country house built by John James of Greenwich in 1733 for City grandee Sir Peter Vandeput was nevertheless described as ‘an estate agent’s dream, a house that always seemed to come back on the market’.

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Architecture, Homes, Travel, Views

Georgian Views: The Wick, Richmond Hill, London

July 21, 2021 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

On the gentle slope of Richmond Hill, Grade I-listed The Wick is a secret Georgian paradise that feels like a country house, albeit hopping distance from the heart of the capital, enjoying as it does the only view protected by an Act of Parliament.

Annunciata Elwes, July 21, 2021

Lush terraced gardens meander down to an idyllic swimming pool and pool house, with the Thames elegantly curving in the distance.

Location: Richmond, or the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames, is an affluent district that boarders the River Thames. It is approximately 10 miles from central London. It has both national and city rail links, with Richmond rail station and Richmond Underground station that offers District and Overground services.

Atmosphere: Richmond has a community feel, much similar to that of a village, rather than a borough on the outskirts of London. It benefits from a number of independent cafes, shops, restaurants, bars and pubs — many of which take advantage of the river-side setting.

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Homes, Travel, Videos, Views

Italian Villas: Camogli, Near Portofino, Liguria

Video July 14, 2021 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

In Camogli, an exclusive Ligurian town located just a few kilometers from the renowned Portofino, there is this majestic property in a fantastic position with a stunning view of the sea for sale. Located in one of the most enchanting areas of the Gulf of Tigullio, with panoramic views of Liguria’s crystal-blue sea and the mountains, this house is surrounded by a large terraced park that measures 4,000 square meters and features centuries-old trees, fruit trees, a romantic rose garden, and a fantastic, perfectly-equipped panoramic swimming pool offering views of the Riviera.

Camogli is a fishing village and tourist resort located on the west side of the peninsula of Portofino, on the Golfo Paradiso in the Riviera di Levante, in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Liguria, northern Italy. As of 30 April 2017 its population was of 5,332.

Homes, Travel, Views

English Country Estates: Aberdyfi, Western Wales

July 14, 2021 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Owned by the vendors for 20 years or more, elegant, Edwardian Plas Penhelig, was built in 1908. It stands in just under 12½ acres of gardens, paddocks and woodland and boasts ‘six different views over the picturesque Dyfi estuary’.

Penny Churchill, July 14, 2021

Thanks to the waters of the Gulf Stream, rare plants and flowers flourish in Plas Penhelig’s sheltered valley, where the hillside is planted with a mass of shrubs, flowers and trees—from peonies and azaleas to camellias, magnolias, lavender, laburnum, lilac trees and a monkey puzzle.

Read and see more at Country Life Magazine

Homes, Travel, Views

English Country Homes: Avon Court, Alveston

July 12, 2021 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Everything about Avon Court has a opulent yet whimsical air about it — from the large wrought iron entrance gates, to the mature Willow tree in the garden that leads down to a mooring on a private stretch of river.

Annunciata Elwes, July 12, 2021

Avon Court’s glorious setting on a bend of the Avon — with private frontage, a mooring beside a lovely willow and dipping opportunities through the bull rushes on hot days — is hard to beat.