Before Thomas Hardy married Emma Gifford, her beau was a curate’s son who lived on the edge of the village of St Clether. And a moment of exquisite pain suffered by that curate's son was captured for posterity by one of England's greatest-ever writers.
In his 1871 poem The Face at the Casement, Hardy describes the moment he ran away with the local maiden – with her former flame gazing out of the window as the lovers departed.
Slowly we drove away, When I turned my head, although not Called to: why I turned I know not Even to this day:
And lo, there in my view Pressed against an upper lattice Was a white face, gazing at us As we withdrew...
Then I deigned a deed of hell; It was done before I knew it; What devil made me do it I cannot tell!
These spine-tingling verses refer to the house on this very page, a splendid Georgian four-bedroom home called The Old Vicarage, which is on the market with Keller Williams at £725,000.
Significantly remodelled and redecorated since Hardy's time – as you'd hope, of course – it's far more than just a lovely family home.
The Old Vicarage comes with five acres of land, a separate barn conversion, a wooded copse, a stream and a glamping business.
The Elizabethan manor that offered refuge to Charles II as he fled to France
Few houses can boast hundreds of years of history and a sparkling future.
A gorgeous waterside lodge in one of Devon's most delightful villages
Dinah’s Side is the perfect place to enjoy lazy summer days.
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18 magnificent homes for sale from £550k to £20 million, as seen in Country LifeFrom a charming thatched cottage to a 300-acre estate with its own vineyard, here's our pick of places to come to the market via Country Life of late.
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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.
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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.
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An eight-bedroom wonder in East Sussex where the outdoors are an adventureThe interiors of Old Middleton are pretty good too.
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A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of PembrokeshireA lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
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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.
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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.
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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.
