The romance of the country house is as strong as ever. Hapsford House in
Somerset, a Grade II* splash of Regency splendour close to Bath, has five
bedrooms plus a three-bedroom annexe, terraces, more than eight acres of
land, river, boat house, fishing and a secret garden (so pretty it is listed
in its own right), as well as a cob oven. Here you can vanish into an
outdoor magical world and cook outside like Jamie Oliver. If you want, you
can buy more land and a hydroelectric business too. Knight Frank (01225
325999) is asking £2 million.
Such is the pressure to buy at the moment that there is, as James Grillo of
Chesterton Humberts has found, a serious shortage of houses with the right
convenience and charm, especially in commuter areas. “The pressure on the
very wealthy to convert their cash into assets in the face of inflationary
pressures, increases as each day passes,” he says. If a house is a dazzler,
then there can be a fight between up to six buyers.
So it is no wonder that commutable country houses carry higher prices.
Clothall House, near Baldock, Hertfordshire, provides an easy 38-minute dash
by train into Kings Cross. All the attributes of the country house are in
place – history, Georgian good looks, six bedrooms, a four-bedroom coach
house, walled gardens, eight acres including parkland and such treats as a
boot room, playroom and music room. Savills (01223 347147) has priced it at
£3.45 million.
The perfect gem is what everyone wants, and somewhere in the back of our minds
we remember the doll’s house we once had, or wished for. The Queen Anne
style, from a short 12-year period at the beginning of the 18th century,
matches the image perfectly. Grade II* Whistley House, on the edge of the
Pewsey Vale in Wiltshire, comes with six bedrooms, two bathrooms,
three-bedroom cottage, tennis court, stables and paddocks at just under five
acres. Chesterton Humberts (01672 519222) is asking £1.5 million.
“This has been in same family for many years so it needs a bit of care,” says
John Young, who is handling the sale. “It is a wonderful package because it
isn’t too big and is extremely charming. What we might call ‘shabby chic’
tends to excite more interest, possibly because the price is slightly lower
to reflect the amount of work that needs to be done.”
IS THIS THE TURNING POINT?
No one is shouting from the rooftops about it, but estate agents sense a
change in the market. Couples who have waited out the past three years, have
switched in readiness to renting, or have now decided to cash in on the
increase in London property prices, are out house-hunting.
Savills reports that values in the South East are up by 1.5 per cent, driven
by equity-rich Londoners.
“There is a noticeable increase in buyers from London and the Home Counties,
with 43 per cent of buyers from the capital in January to March, compared
with 36 per cent in the final quarter of 2011,” says Yolande Barnes, head of
Savills research.
Foreign investment has poured into London and is finally prompting a flow
towards the country. Prime regional prices are just over 17 per cent below
2007 peak levels and in the South East they are 11.7 per cent below.
Good-value opportunities await.
Three for sale
1. Herefordshire pile: Hope End House near Ledbury, built in the 1870s
to replace the childhood home of Elizabeth Barrett-Browning, has eight
bedrooms, seven bathrooms, cellars, studio, gardens, pool and over 26 acres,
£2.3m, Knight Frank 01432 273087.
2. Devonian rectory: Revelstoke, Noss Mayo, a classic Georgian rectory
one mile from the sea and cliff walks, four bedrooms, garden house, gym,
£1.35m, Marchand Petit, 01752 873311.
3. North Yorkshire mansion: Rudby Hall, Rudby, Grade II* finery with
10 bedrooms, 10 acres and a portfolio of lettings, built for the 10th
Viscount Falkland in 1838, £2.75m, Strutt Parker 01423 706772.