There are moments when reading J R R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings where you sit and wonder just how one man can have such an inspiring imagination. Rings, and elves, and Nazgul and battles and so on. Truly inspiring stuff. And then there are moments where you see a cottage such as Eastside and you realise that, for Tolkien, perhaps the inspiration for the Shire came pretty easily.
Because just look at it. Can you not imagine a wisp of smoke rising from that chimney, through the thatch, in the low light of the evening? A hobbit could easily be tending that beautiful garden. Or you could be tending that beautiful garden, because it’s for sale for £875,000 with Hamptons.
Situated near the village of Clatford Bottom, which again sounds like something straight out of Tolkien, the property offers two bedrooms in a compact but endlessly charming setting on the fringes of Westwood.
Built of sarsen stone, the property has been in the care of its owners for the past 30 years and has been sensitively modernised in the right places (kitchen, bathroom) and period elegance remains elsewhere (triple-aspect sitting room, bedrooms). It is, of course, Grade II-listed.
Outside, the pastoral scene of tranquillity continues, as Eastside Cottage sits in 5.5 acres of gardens and ground in a valley in the North Wessex Downs.
Hummocks of lavender, spheres of box hedge and stocked borders are pierced by cut grass paths that meander through the space to various seating areas. There is also a garage with a studio that would work as a home office if needed (wi-fi, light, heating and power). The remaining acreage is paddock land lined with post and rail.
Marlborough is four miles away, for all your amenities, and the surrounding woodland is renowned for its bluebell display in April and May. Heaven.
Credit: John D Wood & Co
Villa Devereux, home of Ron Hickman and one of Jersey's most famous houses, comes up for sale
From the mind that brought us the Lotus Elan and the Black and Decker Workmate, comes this gorgeous modernist property,
-
If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
-
An Italian-inspired recipe for lemon-butter pasta shells with spring greens, ricotta and pangrattatoSpring greens are just about to come into their own, so our Kitchen Garden columnist reveals exactly what to do with them.
-
If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
-
The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in DorsetWith 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
-
An eight-bedroom wonder in East Sussex where the outdoors are an adventureThe interiors of Old Middleton are pretty good too.
-
A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of PembrokeshireA lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
-
An idyllic countryside home that's light, spacious and comes with a Grade II-listed follyHagg House is a gorgeous family home that just happens to have a miniature castle in the gardens. Annabel Dixon explains more.
-
A historic villa for sale on the Via Nomentana worthy of Rome's rich historyThree floors, lots of balconies, and a private garden in one of Rome's loveliest neighbourhoods.
-
Eight bedrooms of unlisted Edwardian elegance with sweeping views of SomersetAshton House sits near the market town of Chard and comes with a wealth of amenities both inside and out.
-
A waterside cottage in Devon with a private quay, idyllic views and the prettiest summerhouse we've seen in yearsRight beside the picturesque Yealm Estuary, No 1 Noss Mayo is an idyllic home that feels like an escape from the world. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
