In south Gloucestershire lies the small Cotswold hamlet of Beach, on the slopes of Lansdown Hill to the north-east of Upton Cheyney village.
It's an idyllic spot, five miles from Bath and 8½ miles from Bristol, and nestles in a tranquil rural setting along a narrow winding lane, overlooking open fields bordered by thick hedgerows and dry-stone walls, within a part of the Cotswolds AONB that’s known locally as the Golden Valley. And it's here that you'll find The Malthouse, a fine period house on the market at £2.75 million via Strutt & Parker.
Designated a conservation area in 1989, the hamlet was the scene of the Battle of Lansdown during the English Civil War and comprises mainly large traditional stone houses and farmhouses, all once part of the surrounding Beach House estate.
Among the most prominent is the handsome, Grade II-listed Malthouse, a cleverly restored Georgian family house set in almost two acres of delightful gardens and grounds with distant views of the Severn estuary.
Although, according to selling agent Andrew Cronan, the original malthouse was demolished at some point, the present house still offers some 6,000sq ft of living space on three floors, behind a classic façade of mellow stone, with large sash windows, a dressed-stone parapet and a date-stone of 1783.
Since acquiring The Malthouse in 2000, the present owners have carried out a thorough and precise renovation of the entire building, creating an impressive vaulted dining room from an adjoining barn connected to the main house by a glazed link.
In all, the accommodation comprises four reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast/garden room, master and guest suites, two further bedrooms and a one-bedroom annexe.
Restoring a Georgian kitchen
William Palin finds that restoring his Georgian kitchen is not as easy as one might expect, and in fact the
A Cotswolds house with the ultimate big boys' toy: Its own aircraft landing strip
This place in the heart of the Cotswolds is an aviator's dream: a country house with its own landing strip.
The edge-of-village Cotswolds house with not one, but two Victorian walled gardens
Cross Hill House stands in almost six acres and includes two Victorian walled gardens.
-
Some of the finest landscapes in the North of England with a 12-bedroom home attachedUpper House in Derbyshire shows why the Kinder landscape was worth fighting for.
-
Could Gruber's Antiques from Paddington 2 be your new Notting Hill home?It was the home of Mr Gruber and his antiques in the film, but in the real world, Alice's Antiques could be yours.
-
What should 1.5 million new homes look like?The King's recent visit to Nansledan with the Prime Minister gives us a clue as to Labour's plans, but what are the benefits of traditional architecture? And can they solve a housing crisis?
-
Welcome to the modern party barn, where disco balls are 'non-negotiable'A party barn is the ultimate good-time utopia, devoid of the toil of a home gym or the practicalities of a home office. Modern efforts are a world away from the draughty, hay-bales-and-a-hi-fi set-up of yesteryear.
-
Five beautiful homes, from a barn conversion to an island treasure, as seen in Country LifeOur pick of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life in recent days include a wonderful thatched home in Devon and a charming red-brick house with gardens that run down to the water's edge.
-
The finest interiors in Edinburgh? A seven-bedroom townhouse furnished by Robert Kime comes to marketSituated on one of the New Town's grandest terraces, this four-storey property is a collector's dream.
-
A Grade II*-listed country manor with one of the most beautiful drawing rooms in EnglandIf Old Manor Farm in Somerset is good enough for Pevsner, it's good enough for you.
-
An eight-bedroom home in Surrey where an army of robots will look after your lawnsDo not fear the bladed guardians of Monksfield House. They are here to help.
