THE white cliffs of Beer in east Devon, at the western end of the 95-mile long Jurassic Coast, shelter the vast sweep of Lyme Bay from the prevailing westerlies and create a natural sun trap for the picturesque fishing village.
They have also provided high-quality limestone and flint used locally to build solid family homes designed to withstand anything that wind and weather throws at them. Further afield, Beer stone, renowned for ease of carving, was used in the construction of the cathedrals of Exeter and Winchester, as well as that of Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle.
For centuries, much of the land around Beer has been owned by the Clinton family, one of England’s oldest baronies, created in 1299, and still Devon’s biggest private landowner with 25,000 acres owned and managed across three separate estates. In the late 1800s, a successful collaboration between the Clinton Devon estates and the architect and artist David Carr, of the Carr’s biscuit family of Carlisle, saw the construction of a number of impressive Arts-and-Crafts houses in and around Beer, including the architect’s own house, built of the local stone and flint in 1890.
Many of the houses designed and built by Carr were bought as holiday homes by members of the gentry or captains of industry, who were drawn to the area by its mild climate and spectacular sea views. One of Carr’s finest creations was White Cliff, built-in 1897 on a wooded clifftop site overlooking Beer village with unbroken views across Lyme Bay.
Denne historien er fra February 16, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra February 16, 2022-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.
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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
