18th century cottage ornee, South Derbyshire

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
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by His Majesty The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
'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 heaven
It 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.
-
'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 Pyrenees
The 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.