Annunciata Elwes
Annunciata grew up in the wilds of Lancashire and now lives in Hampshire with a husband, two daughters and an awful pug called Parsley. She’s been floating round the Country Life office for more than a decade, her work winning the Property Magazine of the Year Award in 2022 (Property Press Awards). Before that, she had a two-year stint writing ‘all kinds of fiction’ for The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, worked in internal comms for Country Life’s publisher (which has had many names in recent years but was then called IPC Media), and spent another year researching for a historical biographer, whose then primary focus was Graham Greene and John Henry Newman and whose filing system was a collection of wardrobes and chests of drawers filled with torn scraps of paper. During this time, she regularly gave tours of 17th-century Milton Manor, Oxfordshire, which may or may not have been designed by Inigo Jones, and co-founded a literary, art and music festival, at which Johnny Flynn headlined. When not writing and editing for Country Life, Annunciata is also a director of TIN MAN ART, a contemporary art gallery founded in 2021 by her husband, James Elwes.
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Kinloch Castle, a crumbling-but-iconic landmark on the Isle of Rum with a nominal value of £1 — but the buyer will need very deep pockets...
Kinloch Castle has been seeking a buyer for years, but as its condition worsens the renovation and repair costs for this magnificent Scottish property are estimated to be in the region of £20 million. Can a new owner be found?
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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An 8,500sq ft slice of Utopia on Richmond Hill, with poolhouse, balcony and breathtaking views
You no longer need to escape to the country in search of stunning leafy green surroundings and river frontage, like this rather substantial (and rather expensive) Georgian property in Richmond proves.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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The cosiest castle you'll ever find, with paddock, ancient moat, tennis courts and a billiard room
Built in 1327, Grade II listed Blestoe Castle today stands as a beautiful family home, that retains many original features in a beautiful part of Bedfordshire.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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A sprawling water-side home with 4,600 sq ft of accommodation on the English Riviera
Luxurious water-side living doesn't get much better than this — with masses of space, stunning views over Torquay harbour and a beautiful garden set over varying levels.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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An Arts-and-Crafts home with stunning gardens and private river frontage on the River Avon
Everything about Avon Court has a opulent yet whimsical air about it — from the large wrought iron entrance gates, to the mature Willow tree in the garden that leads down to a mooring on a private stretch of river.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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A historic coach house and private courtyard in the heart of an estate near the Peak District, with 120 acres of communal grounds to enjoy
The Coach House at Swythamley Hall offers the chance to own part of an estate that is surrounded by some of the most spectacular scenery in the country.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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A unique period house, just a stone's throw from the seafront, where Lewis Carroll stayed whilst writing 'Alice in Wonderland'
There's an element of the bizarre looking at the Red Cottage from the outside — with its turreted chimneys and deep red brick facade, it's not hard to see where Lewis Carroll got his inspiration from.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Wild Ingleborough: The Yorkshire Dales landscape project that will be 'a blueprint for restoration'
A 3,000-acre landscape restoration trial in the Yorkshire Dales has begun. Annunciata Elwes takes a look.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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A truly outstanding Georgian house that is up for sale for only the fourth time in its 278-year existence
Aislaby Hall is magnificent beyond belief, having undergone extensive refurbishments over the past 20 years, the substantial property is now up for sale and comes with over 27 acres.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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A 'compact' estate, nestled near the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, that offers wonderful additional income streams
Country sports require a lot of space, and land — and luckily that's just what Coves House has.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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A stunning Georgian house with two acres of park-like gardens and an impressive orangery, in a leafy part of Kent
Looking at Fairseat House from the outside you know it's going to be good — and it is, with its beautifully preserved period features, dual aspect rooms and a garden that would make anyone green with envy.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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A hidden delight in the North Yorkshire National Park that has easy access to the seaside town of Whitby and the Yorkshire Moors
Beck Cottage is located in the small hamlet of Golden Grove, located just outside of Whitby — known as the inspiration behind Bram Stoker's Dracula and also the home of famed explorer Captain Cook.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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A elegantly pretty house with delightful gardens in the heart of Berkshire, combining period character with modern living
Bringing together modern living with period features and manicured gardens, Glebe House, in Berkshire, is the perfect family home.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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A stunning period country home that is set within three acres and comes with its own lake
As immaculate inside as it is out, the Old Vicarage is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy all that rural living has to offer, with the bustling towns of Newcastle and Durham only a 30 minute drive away.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Duke of Burgundy butterfly discovered in brand new colony, and it's the biggest in the country
There is good news for the vanishingly rare Duke of Burgundy butterfly, as a new colony has been discovered. Annunciata Elwes reports.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Brodsworth Hall's 150-year-old follies — restored, reopened and remarkable
Brodsworth Hall's gardens and unusual follies have been restored during lockdown. Annunciata Elwes takes a look.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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The best new gardens opening to the public in 2021 under the National Garden Scheme
The NGS was hit by Covid-19 last summer, but the signs suggest that the 2021 National Garden Scheme openings should go ahead as usual. Annunciata Elwes takes a look at some of the highlights.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Oxburgh Hall's 125 acres of parkland being returned to its former glory
Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk is being restored to its former glory thanks to pictured taken by the RAF after the Second World War. Annunciata Elwes explains more.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Charlie Waite: One of the world's best landscape photographers on how to take pictures, the unknowable beauty of Britain and why an iPhone can be good enough
Charlie Waite — the British landscape photographer famous for his painterly approach — on how he produces such striking images and how amateurs might follow suit.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Cerne Abbas: Was the giant naked man an artistic act of defiance aimed at monks?
New evidence suggests that the Cerne Abbas giant is much older than previously thought — and that its creation might have been 'a big two fingers' aimed at the Benedictine monks who had recently established an abbey.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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The British rivers being made officially clean enough for wild swimming
2020 saw a disturbing rise in sewage being dumped in British rivers, but new schemes are popping up to clean up our waterways — and some are even on their way to receiving Environment Agency clean-water standards. Annunciata Elwes reports.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Chateau International Space Station: The $1 million bottle of wine that's literally out of this world
Sending wine to space, and bringing it back down to earth to sell for a good cause seems like a Herculean effort. But the true admiration must be for the astronauts who managed to resist the temptation to pop it open for some 14 months.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Ten masterpieces of twentieth century architecture at risk from the wrecking ball
The Twentieth Century Society's annual list of at-risk buildings has been released, and — as ever — will stimulate lively debate.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Dormice waking from hibernation 'to discover a bigger, better world'
The dormice of Wensleydale will have a nice surprise as they awaken from hibernation this year, thanks to a major conservation effort over the past few months. Annunciata Elwes explains.
By Annunciata Elwes Published