Fresh to market, at a guide price of £3.25m through Strutt & Parker, comes a perfect gem in the form of The Dillay, a small sporting estate four miles from Bisley, near Stroud, Gloucestershire . It’s ideal for anyone looking for a hidden oasis in the Cotswolds.
The estate includes some 160 acres of pasture and woodland with exceptional sporting potential, plus another four acres for the house at its centre. It’s a beautifully-positioned Cotswold stone farmhouse with five bedrooms.
The ground floor includes an open-plan kitchen with an oak-framed garden room off to one side, and two main reception rooms.
There is also a gun room and a study, with further accommodation available in two cottages and a recently renovated shooting lodge.
Matthew Sudlow, director of Strutt & Parker’s Oxford office, sets the scene of The Dillay: ‘Once part of a larger estate, it’s now a secluded haven that encapsulates the core of the old estate and arguably the best part of it.
‘Hidden away from the rest of the world in its own valley and bordered by woodland, you can see why Laurie Lee chose the Dillay Brook and Slad Valley as the setting for his “Cider with Rosie” trilogy. Inside the valley, you feel that you’re in a mini nature reserve of your own, protected from the outside world and surrounded by wildlife and beautiful woodland.’
He adds: ‘If you’re a keen shot, then there’s some of the best shooting in the Cotswolds.’
The current owners have undertaken considerable renovation and extension work over the past three years to create ‘a truly special home’, Mr Sudlow says.
‘On the estate itself, the woodland has been re-fenced, new tracks and driveways laid and, although, previously, the estate was serviced by spring water alone, mains water has been introduced. And the recent introduction of Gigaclear in the Cotswolds means that you don’t have to be completely cut off if you choose not to be.’
The Dillay is for sale via Strutt & Parker at £3.25 million — see more details and pictures.
Mini-break: The Painswick, Gloucestershire
The cream of the Cotswolds.
Credit: Humberts
A magnificent lakeside home near Princess Anne's Cotswolds estate
This beautiful 19th century house lies on Gatcombe Water, just around the corner from HRH Princess Anne's Gloucestershire home.
-
Why British designers dream up the most desirable hotelsWhen it comes to hotel design, the Brits do it best, says Giles Kime.
-
The five minute guide to 'The Great Gatsby', a century on from its publication'The Great Gatsby' sold poorly the year it was published, but, in the following century, it went on to become a cornerstone of world literature.
-
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.
-
A French castle for sale on the banks of the Dordogne? With a swimming pool? Where do we sign?This chateau in Lalinde is nothing short of a historical delight in the south of France. And it comes fully furnished.
-
Sip your morning tea where Churchill once paced, as his former Pimlico home comes up for saleThe five-bedroom flat in Eccleston Square offers ‘historical gravitas and modern comfort’ in a leafy pocket of London.
-
Live a life of Tudor fancy in this five-bedroom London home with links to Cardinal Wolsey and Henry VIIIFans of Wolf Hall rejoice, as a rare chance to own a Tudor home inside the M25 comes to market.
-
Murder, intrigue and 'the magic of a bygone era' at this eight-bedroom home set in 25 acres of Devon countrysideUpcott Barton is a family home steeped in history and comes with more than 5,000sq ft of living space.
