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Historic cottages - full of olde worlde charm and character
Visitors from abroad are so much more aware of the depth and wealth of history in the UK that we Brits just take for granted. To many people, it's a joy and privilege to be able to stay in a historic home that goes back two or three hundred years. Several of the cottages are Grade I or Grade II listed cottages, or in conservation areas.
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Browse our collection of Old Cottages with Character
You may also wish to explore self-catering cottages according to whether they have exposed beams, are thatched cottages or 18th century cottages.
Jasmine Cottage shown on the left is an 18th century character cottage with exposed beams. It has been modernised internally to provide a cosy and comfortable home in Wiltshire, near Bath, to sleep up to 6 people.
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| Lyndale - 18th century character cottage on Exmoor, Somerset | ||||
Lyndale is an 18th century stone cottage in pretty village at foot of Brendon Hills, Somerset. It has a exposed beams, flagstone and wood floors. 2 comfortable bedrooms, one twin, one double. Cosy living room with beams, wood-burner, 2 sofas, one of which converts to double bed, TV & CD player. Beautiful dining room with welsh dresser, farmhouse-style table, seating for 6 and an open fire. Fully equipped kitchen with dishwasher, washer-dryer, fridge-freezer and microwave.
The cottages sits in an idyllic hillside garden with BBQ area. Parking for 2 cars. Inn for meals out nearby. Numerous walks from door. Coast 3 miles. Pets welcome. Heating, bed linen and logs included in price. Telephone John on 01984 641426 or click on image for details.
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Hillside Croft (sleeps 8-11) in Derbyshire is a 17th Century listed building, built of warm sandstone with leaded light windows, original oak beamed ceilings and cosy inglenook fireplaces with wood burning stoves. It has been tastefully restored to provide a luxurious home whilst retaining its charm and character. It is set within landscaped grounds of six and a half acres. It can accommodate up to eleven people in supreme comfort and style. A bedroom in the cottage is shown above. |
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18th Century Grade II listed Historical Mill, near Barnard Castle in northern England |
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The mill lies within the old North Riding of Yorkshire, bordering the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It offers all home comforts in a Listed building which has the old waterwheel, grindstones and mill machinery incorporated into it. The interior is cosy with plenty of character. Two bedrooms and a sofa bed allow up to 6 people to enjoy a self-catering holiday in comfort. Click on the photograph to read more... |
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 Coulscott- these exclusive 5 star properties (non smoking) are perfectly situated in a peaceful valley on coastal Exmoor in Devon, surrounded by miles of fabulous beaches and numerous eateries.
Grade II Listed and pre dating the 17th century they are furnished, maintained and cleaned to exceptionally high standards and comfortably sleep 2 - 9 persons. Full of original features and atmosphere including a secret door, minstrels gallery and log fires there is a real home from home feeling as soon as you step in the door. Award winning mail order company Heal Farm based in nearby Kings Nympton are able to deliver a variety of goodies in readiness for your arrival. For further information telephone 01271 88 33 39 for bookings and availability. |
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 Higher Farm Cottage, close to Chesil Beach in Dorset, can accommodate 8 people in 5 bedrooms in this delightful Grade II listed cottage. Exposed beams, stone flagged floors. Aga. Walled back garden with BBQ and furniture.
Telephone Peter on 01458 274 900 to book now before all dates have gone. Additional cottages nearby to accommodate an extended group.
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Luxury holiday accommodation in the North West of England close to the historic city of Chester in the village of Tarvin. Lane Cottages are recently renovated servants quarters that formed part of the estate of a village squire in 1700s. Located on a private drive they have their own car park and attractive walled garden. They are close to the historic county town of Chester with is quaint rows that are a shopper's paradise. The cottages are particularly well equipped and are very comfortable with beamed ceilings and period furniture.
The village of Tarvin is located in the centre of the attractive Cheshire countryside 7km from the historic city of Chester. It has a good range of shops including a mini-supermarket, greengrocers, chemist, delicatessen, newsagents, coffee shop, hairdressers, fashion boutique, petrol station. There are three pubs all serving food as well as a Chineseand a high quality Thai restaurant. Evidence of Chester's Roman history abounds and visitors can walk around the old city on a high sandstone wall. The streets have shops on two levels and a worldwide selection of restaurants. The nightlife is busy with entertainment ranging from live theatre to jazz venues and discos. Telephone Peter on 0182 9741 272 or click on cottage photograph for more information about these 300 year old historic cottages with a flexible start day.
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Old School Cottage has been renovated to a very high standard and has a wealth of beams and other period features. A pretty, south-facing and enclosed 'cottage' garden features a patio, garden furniture and barbecue. There is off-road parking for 2 cars. The cottage has a sitting room with an open fire, dining room, kitchen, bathroom/wc (shower over bath), double bedroom (5' bed) with connecting door to a twin bedroom; each bedroom can be accessed by a separate staircase. Anyone familiar with this part of England will appreciate the wealth of historical buildings and market towns. Visiting is like stepping back in time, with ancient villages, churches and charming, gentle people. This is an example of England at its rural best; England as we would wish to remember it. View details in the menu on the left under Suffolk or click on the cottage photo. Telephone: 01953 498277 for availability and bookings. |
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 18th Century Cottage in Nottinghamshire - Robin Hood Country. Wesley Cottage in Oxton, near Southwell, sleeps 4 people comfortably in an 18th Century beamed cottage with two en-suite bedrooms and a large garden. It's child and pet friendly.
Ideal for visits to Sherwood Forest, Nottingham Castle, Clumber Park and Newstead Abbey. Robin Hood Festival is at the end of July and beginning of August with jousting, archery, performances. There is a fascinating Old NT Work House in Southwold with an audio tour for visitors. Click on photograph of Wesley cottage for more information. Please call Heather on 0115 965 2043, or click on cottage photograph for availability. |
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Charming Grade II listed country cottage with a four poster bed - Ledbury |
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Convenient location in Herefordshire for exploring Ledbury, Ludlow, and an easy drive from Hereford, Worcester, and Shrewsbury. Excellent pubs and restaurants locally, National Trust properties, gardens and castles to visit. Ledbury and Ludlow are both is famous for their markets, festivals, best food shops, castle and restaurants. Historically and architecturally of great interest.
Click on the photograph of the cottage to view the beauitful interior of this country cottage and owner's contact details for enquiries and bookings.
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This historic house has been furnished to provide a comfortable relaxed atmosphere with charm and character. The many handsome original Georgian features of the house provide an elegant back drop for many occasions. There is a large secluded garden and cobbled courtyard. London, and Stansted airport are within easy travelling distance. Housekeeping is available if required.
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Delightful period cottage near Aldeburgh in Suffolk - sleeps 2-4 |
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Open fire, ball and claw bath, grandfather clock ticking in the hall, an old range - lots of period features. Absolutely wonderful for a romantic holiday. Spoil someone you love. Click on photograph for interior photographs and details.
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Grade II listed country cottage for self-catering |
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There are two separate double bedrooms one of which can be made into two single beds if required, the lounge is 23 feet long which features the original inglenook fireplace, the dining room area seats 8 comfortably so you can entertain your family and friends in style. The cottage has an enclosed garden of approximately one third of an acre laid down to lawns and flowerbeds with views overlooking farm land, so ideal for children. Well-behaved pets also welcome.There is a double cart lodge and patio area with a gas BBQ provided so Al Fresco dining is a possibility on warm and sunny days.
Click on cottage photograph for more details of this and similar cottages in East Anglia.
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Bruisyard Hall in Saxmundham, Suffolk began life as the Manor House of Rokes Hall which was converted in 1364 to the Abbey of the Poor Clares. There is at least one priest's 'hideyhole', a 'sweet toned bell', oak staircases and a warren of unfurnished rooms in the attic.
Now a stylish and comfortable Hall with 10 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, it is eminently suitable for family functions, parties (easy to imagine a 'Who dunnit?' event here), corporate entertainment and business meetings. Various services can be arranged including catering, baby-sitting, and housekeeping. Bruisyard Hall is available for short breaks. Telephone 01728 638712
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Grade II listed country house in 2 acres of garden, with monastic connections |
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Possibly built on the site of a monks summer retreat, Higher Lee was a thriving farm at the time of the Domesday book. The house itself was built in 1671 and was transformed in a handsome country house in the 18th century. The garden with its herbaceous borders, maze, orchard and breathtaking views has attracted keen gardeners from all over the country.
This is an exceptional self-catering property; it features an enormous open fire, columns and arches possibly sculpted by the monks back in the 17th century. The original period features and much of the furnure has been retained in keeping with the style. Modern essentials such as dishwasher, central heating etc. ensure a comfortable self-catering holiday in historic surroundings. Please click on the photographs of this beautiful historic house to find out more.
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Beautiful Georgian House near Winchester, Hampshire - sleeps 10 |
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Each of the 5 double bedrooms in Belmont House have been designed with comfort and style in mind. The house is perfect for stylish entertaining or cosy house parties. There is plenty of space for outdoor entertainment. The house is only 1 hour from London. Please click on the photograph for details. |
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The swimming pool at Bruern Holiday Cottages in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire is shown on the left. The old stables attached to Bruern Abbey (dating back to 1720) have been converted to a collection of beautifully furnished cottages of a 5 Star standard.
In 1947, Bruern Abbey and its estate were bought by Michael Astor (1916-1980), the third son of Waldorf, 2nd Viscount Astor and Nancy, his irrepressible wife, a Virginian born and bred, who was the first woman Member to sit in the House of Commons. He did not consider Bruern particularly grand; rather modest if anything compared to Cliveden where he grew up, but nevertheless in Bruern’s heyday there were eleven household staff and thirteen men in the woods, the carpenter’s shop, the garage and the gardens. There was an estate cricket team and an estate club in the Abbey courtyard.
By his death the horses had long since left the Stable Yard, although the stables (the present day Aintree and Newmarket) still existed, immensely high ceilinged, with cream tiled walls and blue stone cobbled floors. Between them, in Samuda’s day, was the carriage house, now Sandown, and above that, the hayloft (Cheltenham). Epsom and Goodwood housed the groom and the cowman, and Saratoga the cow. Part of Aintree was used as a bothy – a dormitory and kitchen for bachelor gardeners, with an outdoor privy tucked away behind the archway entrance to the walled garden, then the source of cut flowers and vegetable for the house.
A short distance from the Stable Yard were the outbuildings. Shipton was converted from an old stone barn, which housed tractors in one half and the Bruern electrical sub-station in the other, and the Laundry, Shop and Games Room were conjured from a long low line of sheds. Cope, the most ancient of all the buildings, had been a mill for centuries since monastic times; it was near collapse with a tree growing out of one wall when work started on it in 1999, although the mill wheel, half buried, was still in place. After three feet of earth had been excavated, the full six foot diameter of the mill wheel stood proud, and the old stone threshing floor was revealed. Having been quarried long before the technology existed to saw stone into slabs, the huge boulders had been bedded into the earth and their upper surface painstakingly chiselled flat.
The stream which once turned the mill wheel had to be piped underground from the weir to the bridge outside the Games Room; from there, it makes its way under the road, through the park to the monastic fishpond, and thence to the Evenlode and the Thames, as it has been doing since the 12th century.
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Click here for more period cottages with history
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Holiday cottages near Winchester
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Cottages in Suffolk - for self-catering holidays in one of Britains counties with the best preserved historic towns and villages.
If you like the idea of an old characterful cottage, email us your requirements and we'll try to find a cottage to suit you.
