Escape to the hills

These four houses in the county of Surrey can offer the best of both worlds: rural settings and easy access to London

THE expansive hills of England's most wooded county have long attracted those who want to live in the country side, yet be within a taxi ride of the capital, which is possible to do from these four Surrey houses currently on the market.

Anyone heading south from Guildford will notice that the hills quickly start to rise and, once you're beyond the market town of Haslemere, set in a fold of high woodland, you enter the South Downs National Park. One route goes up to Marley Common, an area of mixed broadleaf woodland and open heath that is owned by the National Trust; it was one of their first countryside acquisitions (in 1911). Together with neighbouring Black Down, where Alfred, Lord Tennyson built a home in the late 1860s, the area is famous for its spectacular views.

Marley House, which is on the edge of the common, is being launched in COUNTRY LIFE this week at $9.5 million and selling agent James Crawford of Knight Frank (020-7861 1065) says it enjoys views like no other house he's seen in his long career. 'They are extraordinary,' he explains, likening the setting to something more akin to the Scottish Highlands than commuter-belt Surrey. 'You have a 180-degree perspective that stretches 15 miles over the Cowdray estate and beyond, with wonderful sunrises and sunsets in the mix.'

Marley House, which is unlisted, is believed to date from about 1880 and was one of the first houses to be built on the common. It has been arranged to take advantage of its commanding position: the living rooms, including a vast kitchen/breakfast room, look out over the valley and are flooded with natural light. The main bedroom has an enclosed terrace on which to sit out and enjoy the setting, too; a further eight bedrooms are located on this floor and the one above. The basement level houses an indoor swimming pool, games room, entertainment room and what Mr Crawford describes as an 'excellent wine cellar'.