A love of Lutyens' country houses

I first came across Sir Edwin Lutyens' country houses while working the press office at Knight Frank, the estate agent which sells a range of top quality country houses.

Edwin Lutyens is one of Britain's most celebrated architects famous for his work in New Delhi but also for his collaboration with garden designer, Gertrude Jekyll. Together, this profilic partnership of the Arts and Crafts movement created over a hundred beautiful country house set amidst stunning gardens.

While at Knight Frank, we sold Folly Farm in Hampshire, a charming rambling country house of red brick, dominent chimneys and sweeping rooflines (all characteristic of Lutyens' work). It is Grade I listed and an exponent of Lutyens' Classical and Arts and Crafts style. It is rare for a house of such architectural and historical significance to come on the market and everyone was very excited. It was for sale for £6 million and had been in the same hands since 1951.

The house began as a timber-framed cottage, dating back to c.1650 which was gradually enlarged into a farmhouse, which now survives as the north-east wing of the current house. In 1906, Lutyens was commissioned to extend the property and added a symmetrical wing in the William and Mary style and then in 1912 was commissioned again to further extend the property, adding the west wing in the Arts and Crafts style. In 1912, he also designed and built a circular dairy and a sleeping balcony, while the garden was extended by Gertrude Jekyll to incorporate the striking Dutch formal canal and sunken rose garden.

The house is spread over two floors, offering 15,000 sq ft of space and is notable for its outstanding drawing room and two long galleries which connect the two main parts of the house. It would be ideal for both formal entertaining and family living and has ten bedrooms in total and five bathrooms, including a wonderful master bedroom suite, which has its own private balcony.

Folly Farm is unusual as is the first house that Lutyens designed that he ever really lived in, for in the summer of 1916 he was lent Folly Farm by the widow of its owner. During this time Gertrude Jekyll even came to stay. Folly Farm has featured in several television programmes and the gardens were written about and celebrated in two Country Life articles by the architectural historian, Christopher Hussey in 1922.

The property stands in approximately 29 acres of beautiful gardens, paddocks and woodland. Extra to the main house is an attractive mews courtyard with a three bedroom cottage and staff accommodation and four further cottages all Grade I listed and designed by Lutyens. There is also an extremely walled garden and stable yard.

This house presented the chance for some very lucky person to live the English rural dream in a stunning house designed by one of Britain's favourite architects.

This house delighted my eye. The colours, shapes and design are so aesthetically pleasing and I was struck by Lutyens' genius. Articles were placed in the weekend property supplements and architecture writers were in raptures at being able to write on an architectural gem such as this. I had the privilege of writing a press release. This helped generate a ripple of coverage regionally. I do not know who owns the house now, but they are certainly very fortunate and I am very jealous!

Having been awoken to the joys of the Arts and Crafts movement an obsession was born. I realised that this movement pioneered by William Morris has been a part of my life always - I had just never realised it.

My great grandfather built an Arts and Crafts mansion house in Bickley in Kent (now swallowed by Greater London and by Bromley). I have attached a picture. This was sold in 1953 and divided into flats shortly afterwards. I was fortunate enough to visit recently and was struck by the stunning massive windows (reminscent of Deanery Gardens in Sonning, Surrey which Lutyens designed for Country Life founder, Edward Hudson), galleried hall, collonnaded garden front and my great grandfather's initials on the guttering, for John Roe Hickman. The house also featured clever features such as concealed ventilation gaps by the windows which provided fresh air to a room without having to open the windows. It is a shame it is split up into flats but the 1950s was a notoriously bad time for country houses and the house is of a huge size for this area. There is more of a demand for flats and smaller houses as the land is worth so much. However, my family and I were very fortunate to be allowed to view one of the flats and it turned out that one of the owners was very interested in the history of the house and our family which was nice.

I have also grown up in an Arts and Crafts style house. I grew up in Edinburgh and the house is oddly English. It is a five bedroom family house characterised by grey pebble dash walls, red tiled roof, large casement windows and red brick edging and decoration. It has dominant chimneys and sweeping roofscapes reminscent of Lutyens (although not nearly as grand!). The interior features a panelled hall and dining room and the joinery of doors is remarkably fine. It was built by a builder for himself apparently.

Knight Frank was then fortunate enough to be instructed to sell another Lutyens country house, Marshcourt, a Grade I listed Tudor style house built of white chalk which nestles in all its splendour in a valley in Hampshire. Marshcourt is an architectural masterpiece and widely considered to be amongst the finest of all Lutyens’ country houses. It was very rare for a house of this calibre to come on the market - it was put on at a guide price of £13,000,000! I do not know for how much it sold.

Marshcourt is Lutyens’ last and largest expression in the free ‘Tudor’ style and stands majestically by the River Test, a spectacular mass of brilliant white, contrasting with tall red brick chimneys and a tiled roof. Built from local chalk the house makes a dramatic statement against the rolling Hampshire countryside. Chalk had never been used as the principal material for a building of this scale before which adds to its striking impact.

Lutyens' country houses are widely admired and coveted not only because of their architectural significance but also because they encapsulate the English dream of rural domesticity. They can combine the best of the past with the conveniences and luxury of the Edwardian age. They can be both traditional and modern.

Marshcourt was designed in 1901 for Herbert Johnson, described as a typically Edwardian “adventurer, stockjobber and sportsman” who had seen and admired Lutyens’ work in the pages of Country Life. The two became firm friends and the elements of the patron’s character that Lutyens’ appreciated, namely courage, vigour and honesty are reflected in the design of the building. In 1926 Lutyens returned to Marshcourt and added the impressive ballroom on the south east corner of the house. A house of a calibre such as this requires owners who will appreciate and respect its history. The current owners have lived at Marshcourt for 8 years and have been careful to retain its grandeur and charm, whilst enhancing it as a family home.

Lutyens is renowned for the fluidity of his interiors and Marshcourt benefits from its well organised layout. The accommodation is extensive and comfortable. Large and impressive reception rooms are totally original and make impressive entertaining venues. The seven reception rooms are firmly ‘Classical’ featuring ornate chalk carvings, columns, panelling and plasterwork. There is additional accommodation in the recently converted Grade I Lutyens lodge, estate offices and unconverted lodge.

Marshcourt’s garden is the creation of Gertrude Jekyll and was designed to compliment the house. It is highly architectural and has an array of terraces, walks and stone pools. The south west wing of the garden elevation of the house is balanced by a Grade II* listed sunken pool and an elaborate composition of steps, balustrades and piers. The formal areas of the garden are offset with large areas of lawn all surrounded by far reaching views across the Test Valley beyond. Beyond the formal gardens are areas of mature trees and paddocks and a newly restored tennis court.

I do not know who bought Marshcourt, but I hope it was by someone who truly appreciates experiencing the genius of Lutyens first hand.

Pictures

From top left clockwise: Stotfold, Bromley; Stotfold; Folly Farm, Hampshire and Marshcourt, Hampshire

National Trust monopoly game

The National Trust announced recently that it has created its own version of the famous board game, Monopoly, which will feature twenty of its most well known and best loved properties and sites including Lyme Park in Cheshire, Snowdonia, the childhood home of Paul McCartney and Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire.

All proceeds will go back to maintaining these historically and architecturally important properties and places.

I think this is an inspired idea and a fantastic collaboration between the charity and commercial sectors. Monopoly is a well recognised brand and a favourite at Christmas. No doubt this version of the famous boardgame will be top of many Christmas lists!

Restoration dreams

I have already made public on my blog that I would love to restore a historic house in my life or perhaps many historic houses.

I have just read the most inspiring and amazing book, Castles in the Air' by Judy Corbett. It is the autobiographical account of a young couple, aged 26 (my age!) and 29 who move from London to North Wales to restore a dilipidated and largely wrecked Gwydir Castle, a sixteenth century castle.

It is the most beautifully written book. Judy Corbett writes in a melodic poetical way and has a real way with words. I couldn't put it down and found myself reading late into the night.

She charts their story, from finding Gwydir to buying it and the various obstacles and adventures they encounter over five years. Corbett tells us of the castle's many ghosts; the tales are totally spine chilling and utterly convincing. It will definitely make you think twice before you say you don't believe in ghosts! We also hear about the weddings they host there and B&B guests, amongst many other things.

I have just finished the book and was tearful as I turned the last few pages. It is such an exciting story, with the ultimate messages that hope and perserverance go along way and "amor vincit omnia" - love conquers all. It is a magical story which really shows that pipe-dreams can become reality with a lot of hardwork, positivity and determination. I loved it and highly recommend it!

I have just visited the Gwydir Castle website and was thrilled to see that they are still running a B&B at Gwydir Castle. I cannot wait to go and have already emailed my boyfriend to suggest it!

http://www.gwydircastle.co.uk/ - here is a link to the website. Definitely check it out!

Hopefully I will get to visit soon and can blog all about my visit.

John Fowler

John Fowler is one of my idols! His name is synomonous with interior decoration and design. With fellow masterminds Sybil Colefax and Nancy Lancaster he set up Colefax and Fowler, England's best known interior design house famous for their chintz.

Fowler was the most influential interior decorator of his generation and what has now become known as the English country house style is largely his invention. His flair for design, colour and knowing what suits a room is still affecting the decoration of our country houses today. His style is something that can be modernised easily.

Shabby chic is largely down to Fowler and Lancaster. Fowler enjoyed rooms with a "humble elegance and "romantic disrepair" rather than perfect rooms which he believed lacked life and vigour, while Lancaster used to famously leave material out in the sun so it would achieve a faded, aged look.

Two of my favourite Colefax and Fowler all time classics are Roses and Pansies and Clarissa.

Roses and Pansies is a stunning mix of dark crimson pink roses and glorious blue pansies on a rich cream background . The fabric has a gorgeous sheen to it which means it reflects light beautifully. I have curtains in the fabric hanging in my bedroom at my parents' house in Edinburgh. They adorn a wide casement window and look amazing. They have a pelmet which is trimmed in the same deep pink as the roses in the fabric and plaited tie backs with one strand in plain pink and two in the C&F fabric. They look stunning and face the bed so one can sit in bed tucked up with a book and admire them. They are like a breath of fresh air and really soften a room and bring in the feeling of the country. It is also hugely satisfying knowing you have a classic English design in your very own bedroom.

I decided to use Clarissa for my sitting room curtains in London. They were not cheap and sometimes I cringe when I think how much I spent on them but I believe they were a good investment. I debated about whether to have a pelmet, but decided that Colefax and Fowler curtains deserved a pelmet; the whole effect is so smart!

The curtains hang on a Victorian bay window and really make a statement in the room. The fabric depicts large crocuses in red and grey with dark green leaves, complemented by smaller grey and red flowers which are all gathered together by delicate flowing ribbons trimmed in turquoise. The effect is so sophisticated. I love it because the design is incredibly pretty and the definitive English country house look, yet the colours are strong enough for the effect not to be overly feminine. I think they are perfect for a sitting room and I have received compliments from men and women alike.

If one has an amazing pair of curtains I believe they set the tone for a room and you can get away with inexpensive antiques and bits for the rest of the room. I have anyway!

I intend to make my sitting room curtains last me for years. Classics like that never go out of fashion and each time I look at them, I think of my design hero, John Fowler and feel inspired.

Darsham House, East Suffolk

Reading the latest issue of Country Life (July 29) I came across an article about Darsham House in East Suffolk on the property pages. The location - Darsham immediately leapt out at me as I love Suffolk having spent summers there in Southwold all my life, as did my mother and her family since the 1930s. Darsham is the nearest station to Southwold and I always get a surge of excitement as the train pulls up there.

I did not previously know that Darsham House is existed. Suffolk is full of many beautiful houses dotted around the countryside often hidden from view. One in particular favourite is Helmingham Hall which I visited recently, a Tudor moated manor house with courtyard and the ancestral home to the Tollemache family. More on that in another blog though.

Country Life describes Darsham Hall as the ultimate restoration project. However, it warns that you must be a "courageous" cash buyer with the funds, patience and determination to see the project through to the "bitter end". If only! Restoring a house like this and in that location would be a dream come true! Perhaps I will start trying my luck on the lottery...

The house is Grade II* listed and is on the English Heritage Heritage at Risk Register and is for sale at £2.5 million. The agent handling the sale, Harry Sheppard of Strutt and Parker estimates that restoration costs will be at least £1 million over and above the purchase price.

So, I need £3.5 million at least...

Darsham Hall stands in 42 acres of tranquil gardens and parkland on the edge of Darsham village. Built in 1679, it was extended in 1730 and again in 1750 to add a south wing and in 1906 to add a north wing.

The house has had a turbulent ride of late. It was sold by Savills in 2004 for £2.7 million and again in 2007, when the owner sold it, virtually untouched for £3.6million taking advantage of the property boom. Its sale price today of £2.5 million not only shows the effects of the credit crunch on the property market but also its appalling treatment at the hands of an irresponsible owner who should never have been allowed to own an historic home in the first place.

The owner literally gutted the interior, ripping out fireplaces, floors and panelling before handing it back to the bank, the current vendor. As a result of these acts, which can only really be seen as architectural vandalism, the building is now subject to nine enforcement orders to improve the state of repairs. Thankfully the basic structure is sound. The purchaser will need to work with English Heritage, the government's statutory advisor on the built environment to find a solution for this troubled building.

I really hope this lovely building can find a saviour who will nurture it back to its former glory. It certainly won't be an easy journey, but no doubt a rewarding and very special one.

Almost lost country house

View of Barrells Hall as it stands today. It has been restored by a wealthy businessmen who bought it in 2001 and moved in in 2007.

This pen and ink map shows the layout and also how Barrells Hall was added to and extended.

This watercolour from the late eighteenth century shows Bonomi's extension. This facade is characterised by the imposing, yet elegant double storey loggia.

View showing the ruined Barrells Hall. The structure is still clear and the Victorian tower added by the Newton family in the late nineteenth century is still in tact.

Interior view of the Winter Garden, a garden of exotic fruits and plants to be enjoyed in the winter months. This was built onto the entrance of Barrells Hall in the late nineteenth century. Conservatories and tropical plants were very popular in Victorian times and were a feature of most country houses.

Photograph of Barrells Hall from a newspaper cutting. This shows the size and grandeur of the house well. Part of the Winter Garden is also visible to the left.

View of Barrells Hall showing theVictorian tower added by the Newton family in the latter half of the nineteenth century and the entrance to the Winter Garden.

Post WW2 was a particularly bad time for country houses. Many were lost and demolished in the 1950s. The famous exhibition at the V&A museum ‘The Destruction of the Country House’ in 1974 highlighted the loss in the twentieth century and did much to raise awareness. Many preservation trusts have been set up since then and much has been done and is being done to protect and nurture our built heritage. Britain's country houses are a unique resource and one of our key tourist attractions. Still, incredible energy, business acumen and a healthy bank balance is needed to keep private country houses going.

Recently I have been talking to a friend, Edward Towers about Barrells Hall (see images above)near Ullenhall on the Worcestershire/Warwickshire border that was in his family until 1924. It suffered a devastating fire in 1933 which left it uninhabitable. The owner sold off the land and built and lived in a Swiss chalet type building in the ground and sold the lead from the roof in the 1960s. The house was on the English Heritage ‘Buildings at Risk’ register and seemed to be doomed.

Many country houses seem to haven fallen prey to big fires. However, Barrells Hall was luckily saved by a wealthy businessman who bought it in 2001 and set about a long restoration programme and moved in in 2007. It has been painting a vibrant shade of yellow which is perhaps not historically accurate, yet at least the building has been saved and has not been lost.

The house was originally built for the Knight family who had lived in a manor house there since 1554. Barrels Hall was extended by the celebrated Italian architect, Joseph Bonomi the Elder in 1792 – 94. Bonomi was born in Rome in 1739 and having made his reputation there, moved to London in 1767 and worked with Robert and James Adam from 1768 – 81. He then set up his own architect's practice in 1781. His contribution to Barrells Hall was an elegant nine bay extension with a double storey loggia.

The Knight family sold up in the early nineteenth century house and Barrells Hall was bought by wealthy local family, the Newtons, my friend’s ancestors, who also had an estate in Scotland and owned large chunks of Birmingham. They considered it too small especially for entertaining and so enlarged it again in 1882 adding a porch, ‘Winter Garden’ and servants’ quarters. It became a fifty room house with large reception rooms perfect for parties on a lavish scale.

The Victorians are known for their love of adding and remodelling buildings and it was fairly common to add porches and entrances to buildings to help reduce draughts and increase comfort. These can often detract the eye from the originally symmetry of the building. They were also very keen on gardens and many Victorian country houses had huge and impressive conservatories in which exotic plants and fruits were kept . The Winter Garden at Barrells Hall was a large heated conservatory full of tropical plants and fruits like a jungle designed to be enjoyed in the winter months as the name suggests. This structure stood between the entrance door and the house and meant one did not need to venture outside. It even had snakes much to the dismay of the children!

The Victorian age was of course the age of industry and the Newton family had its own railway siding on the estate where their private train was stored, when it was not being used to transport the family up to their summer residence, the Glencripesdale Estate in Argyll.

My friend, Edward is sad that his family no longer live in Barrells Hall, but is fully aware that country houses are an incredible financial drain and require constant upkeep. Moreover, their size and grandeur is not as suitable for today’s way of life for most people as it was in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

Barrells Hall is a fascinating story. Its story and the rise and fall of the Newton family will be charted in a book which will hopefully be published in the next five years. A Scottish historian and son of an employee on the Newton’s Scottish estate is writing a book on the family and their estates in Scotland and Warwickshire. Edward has recently got the family history bug and has been helping with the research. They have accumulated an array of historic documents and photographs, many from members of the family, who are now dead to help piece together the story of these buildings, estates and their history. More will be revealed in the book...

Images

Check out the images I have posted above to get a taster of Barrells Hall and its captivating history.

Hallway

Hallways are the often the first thing that is seen in a home. They set the mood for the house. It is important they are well planned and considered. Getting the decoration right in a hall is important and first impressions count, especially with houses. The aim is to welcome people into your home and also to create an inviting decor that will greet you after a long day at work.

I live in a small Victorian terrace which has a narrow hallway with stairs leading up immediately from it to the first floor. When I moved in the walls were papered with heavy dark blue wallpaper. It was striped with cream/biscuit below the dado rail and blue with cream/biscuit speckles above. Rather striking but very early 1990s and quite oppressive in a narrow space.

The hall floor and stairs were carpeted with herringbone natural flooring. Very attractive in colour and texture but unfortunately it had worn terribly particurlarly on the edges of the stairs. It was even ripped in certain places! I do love seagrass and natural floor coverings. They can look so beautiful especially in older houses and can look very harmonious in calm cream colour schemes. However, in heavy traffic areas such as hallways and stairs they are a bit of a disaster! My mum had natural flooring in the sitting room/living room at home and it got completely destroyed by our English Springer Spaniel. Such a shame, but part of decorating a house is being aware of how one lives in it. This is why it is often best to live in your house for a year or so before making large decisions. Getting a feel for the house, what will suit it and be suitable and also, how you will live in it. Dogs, children, parties are all factors that should be considered.

I lived in the house for a few months and got a feel for the space. The interiors guru Nancy Lancaster recommended this approach. She famously worked with John Fowler, founding partner of Colefax and Fowler, instigator of the 'English Country House' look.

One of my priorities was to open up the space. Dark colours bring spaces in making them look smaller while light colours push spaces out making them look bigger. I used Crown's Heritage paints and chose a dark yellowy cream for beneath the dado rail and a lighter cooler cream for above the dado rail. I painted the woodwork and banisters white. The effect was immediate and quite breathtaking. The space became immediately airy and light and seemed twice as big. Truly remarkable.

A few months after that I pulled up the carpet and underlay to reveal the Victorian floorboards. I am a big fan of original floorboards and do not think they can be beaten for their beauty. My floorboards were not in the best state they could have been and I needed some joists replaced. Always call in an expert when looking at floor boards. Part of the floor boards were replaced as some bits were rotten. I was keen on salvage Victorian wood but the expert from Property Care (highly recommended) told me that one must be careful as often salvage items can be infected with woodworm which can spread to the whole flooring area. I used new pine which looked bright at first but after some very slightly coloured floor varnish is toning in with the original boards. Of course the exposure to sunlight mellows all the wood to same colour and they continue to look better and better. They also look fantastic with the two tone cream colour scheme!

After saving up and doing months of research into carpets on colour, price, texture and makes, I settled on a hessian colour wool carpet from Victoria Carpets for the upstairs landing and a Crucial Trading multi-coloured stripe for the stairs. I was keen to make a statement on the stairs and create that all important statement I mentioned earlier.

The effect was brilliant and really pleases the eye.

I was keen to do the whole landing but was advised by the carpet company not to as they thought it would be too overpowering. I was not fully convinced but followed their advice as I was a little worried and began to doubt myself. After almost a year I have decided that I am in fact going to carpet the whole lot in the stripe including the landing. I wish I had followed my gut instinct to start with!

Natural coloured carpets do show stains and life is too short to be constantly cleaning them off! The stairs never show up stains and regular hoovering keeps it looking nice.

I also firmly believe it is important to be brave with your interiors choices! Life is too short to be too safe. Harmonious schemes can still be created with a little drama. The stripe is by no means overpowering but serves to lift an otherwise neutral scheme which could become a little boring without a bit of colour and pattern.

I have hung colourful paintings on the wall which go with the stripe carpet nicely including some Chinese watercolours, a Marc Chagall framed poster and an Anne Redpath framed poster.

Experimenting is liberating. Unleash your creativity!