Three years after Brexit slammed the brakes on the upper end of the country-house market, a wind of change began to blow through rural counties of England way beyond the M25 and some fine country properties that were friendless in 2018 changed hands during 2019.
In south Devon, the lure of the lonely sea and sky brought buyers back to the waters of the South Hams, one of whom was bewitched by the spectacular Gurrow Point on the banks of the River Dart at Dittisham, seven miles from Dartmouth by road and a lazy two miles by water. Launched on the market through Savills at a guide price of £10 million in October 2018, the immaculate, eight-bedroom riverside house, set on its own magical 79-acre peninsula with a jetty and moorings, found a buyer in November 2019.
Across the border in Somerset, September 2018 saw the launch onto the market—at a guide price of £6.5m through Knight Frank—of 647-acre Langham Farm at Luxborough on the edge of Exmoor. A lovely sporting estate incorporating the renowned Chargot pheasant and partridge shoot, it came with a farmhouse, a shoot lodge and modern farm buildings for grain storage and cattle rearing. The shooting fraternity celebrated in May 2019, when the estate was sold to a party who will continue to operate it as before, Rupert Sweeting reveals.
Denne historien er fra January 01, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra January 01, 2020-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
