Originally built around 1774, this unusual cottage ornee is thought to have been altered in the middle of the 19th century. It was then left more or less untouched until the 21st century. The significant restoration project undertaken by the current owners has seen a building in advanced decay brought back to life with sensitivity and good craftsmanship. Unusual features include cavity walls (of single leaf brickwork on the interior and second hand timber framing on the exterior), most of which have survived and which, as well as providing bracing also allowed the house?s shutters to slide invisibly away. The bedroom also featured a pull out bed, concealed behind the dado in the upper room, which has been retained during the restoration
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'Just look at those stairs. Just as an art form, they are bewitching, like the shell of a nautilus': The lure of buying a stairway to heavenIt seems like madness to buy a house purely because you fall in love with the staircase — but sometimes, they are simply so beautiful that it's impossible to resist. Toby Keel takes a look at some glorious examples of staircases we've seen in Country Life in the last couple of years.
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'I found myself in a magical world of a sun-dappled forest, speckled with wild flowers of kaleidoscopic colours and brilliant mosses': Solo walking in the PyreneesThe Pyrenees reserves its best treasures for walkers prepared to venture off the well-beaten trail, says Teresa Levonian Cole, on a solo holiday in Ribes de Freser.
