WHAT is the future for country estates? To be set in the thickest, most gelatinous aspic? Or something more fluid and constantly evolving? Over the centuries, they have been in a constant state of flux, with Chatsworth, in particular, a shining beacon to the exciting possibilities of not allowing time to stand still. Centuries after the Derbyshire house was first built, it still fizzes with the same creative energy required to build it.
At the Chapel Barn estate, the latest addition to the Wilderness Reserve in Suffolk, the focus has been on the highly creative restoration of cottages and farm buildings. Not only have Moat Cottage, The Grange and the Cider House been brought back to life with a structural integrity that they would never have enjoyed when built, but they have also been lent a pared-back aesthetic that couldn’t be further from cottagey pastiche.
The quality of the craftsmanship—from the oak, hewn with extraordinary precision, to the pargeting (an East Anglian speciality) and the decorative brickwork— puts them in a class of their own. There is also a focus on the landscape, from designs that the 18th-century Capability Brown conceived, but never implemented, to interventions by current landscape architect Kim Wilkie.
Denne historien er fra May 26, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra May 26, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
