A 'perfect William-and-Mary doll's house' has come up for sale in a delightful Cotswolds village
The end of lockdown and the start of summer has led to a number of new properties hitting the market. Penny Churchill takes a look at one of them: Poulton Manor.


Whenever recession looms, the Cotswolds is the first port of call for buyers seeking a safe haven for their families and their assets. Vendors deprived of the traditional spring selling campaign are making up for lost time by launching their houses on the market in July, as this week’s bumper issue of Country Life shows.
One such house is Grade I-listed Poulton Manor, in the heart of the village of Poulton, five miles east of Cirencester on the southern edge of the Cotswolds. It’s for sale at £2m via Savills.
Described by former Country Life Editor Marcus Binney as ‘a perfect William-and-Mary doll’s house’ (Country Life, May 27, 1976), the exquisite, late-17th-century, small Cotswold-stone house, which ‘speaks more of an exalted yeoman than of the lord of the manor’, has remained almost unaltered since it was first built.
Much of the charm of Poulton Manor lies in its simplicity. Each floor has two rooms at the front and two at the back, with the hall and landings in the centre and the staircase behind; as a result, almost all the main rooms have windows in two walls.
The house stands in two acres of enchanting gardens and woodland in the centre of the village, with some 4,200sq ft of symmetrical living space over three floors, including three reception rooms and the kitchen on the ground floor, three bedrooms and a bathroom on each of upper floors and a playroom in the cellar.
The sale includes a one-bedroom guest cottage, with a further cottage available by separate negotiation.
Little is known about the history of the house, partly because the village of Poulton is close to the borders of Wiltshire and Gloucestershire and, over the centuries, passed back and forwards between the two, before finally being incorporated into Gloucestershire in 1844.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
At the same time, it also changed between the Dioceses of Salisbury and Gloucester, further obscuring its history. Recorded in Domesday as Poltone, then held by Earl Roger, the village was the site of a small Gilbertine priory (the only purely English monastic order), traces of which survive to the south of present-day Poulton.
After the Dissolution, the manor was granted to John Paget and the present house is variously attributed to Paget or Peter Mills, one of the surveyors appointed to supervise the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire.
In the 1930s, it was bought, ‘in a forlorn state’, by the Cartwright family, who apparently renewed the roof and replaced the ground-floor mullions.
After the war, Poulton Manor was acquired by Sir David Gamble, who sold it to Mr and Mrs Anthony Sanford in 1964. Mr Sanford, an architect, replaced the manor’s brick chimneystack with a more appropriate one in stone.
Otherwise, apart from repointing, little has changed from that day to this.
Poulton Manor is sale through Savills at a guide price of £2m — see more pictures and details.
Where to live in the Cotswolds: A guide to choosing the perfect spot
Where in the Cotswolds should you move to? The answer will depend on what is more important to you and
A no-compromise forever home has come up for sale in the Cotswolds
Buying a house is always a compromise, or so goes the received wisdom. Sometimes, though, you come across a place
Seven gorgeous Cotswolds homes for sale at under £500,000
Cotswolds properties can cost millions — but they don't have to, as these gorgeous homes show.
A Cotwsolds cottage with huge barn ripe for conversion, set in a village so pretty it was used for filming Downton Abbey
Down House is a gorgeous Cotswolds house full of charm and potential, with an orchard, paddock and scope to make
-
Vertigo at Victoria Falls, a sunset surrounded by lions and swimming in the Nile: A journey from Cape Town to Cairo
Why do we travel and who inspires us to do so? Chris Wallace went in search of answers on his own epic journey the length of Africa.
By Christopher Wallace Published
-
A gorgeous Scottish cottage with contemporary interiors on the bonny banks of the River Tay
Carnliath on the edge of Strathtay is a delightful family home set in sensational scenery.
By James Fisher Published
-
A gorgeous Scottish cottage with contemporary interiors on the bonny banks of the River Tay
Carnliath on the edge of Strathtay is a delightful family home set in sensational scenery.
By James Fisher Published
-
Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country Life
We take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
By Toby Keel Published
-
380 acres and 90 bedrooms on the £25m private island being sold by one of Britain's top music producers
Stormzy, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones are just a part of the story at Osea Island, a dot on the map in the seas off Essex.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in Kent
North Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
By James Fisher Published
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streets
This six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
By James Fisher Published
-
A tale of everyday life as lived on Britain's most expensive street
Winnington Road in Hampstead has an average house price of £11.9 million. But what's it really like? Lotte Brundle went to find out.
By Lotte Brundle Last updated
-
Damon Hill's former home in Marbella is the perfect place to slow down
The glorious Andalusian-style villa is found within the Lomas de Marbella Club and just a short walk from the beach.
By James Fisher Published
-
A 327-acre estate in the heart of 'England’s Côte d’Or', with a 26,000sq ft Georgian style home at its heart
Stokes Hall in the Crouch Valley is an inspiring property looking for a new owner.
By Penny Churchill Published