September is a magical month in the Cotswolds — and all the more so should you have the fortune to live in a home like North Rye House near Donnington, Gloucestershire.
This handsome Cotswold stone house is set in 148 acres of gardens, pasture, parkland and woodland, a mile from the pretty village of Broadwell, and 1½ miles north of Stow-on-the-Wold. It’s for sale through Knight Frank at a guide price of £7.5 million for the beautifully maintained house and farm.
North Rye House was the dream home of J. D. (David) Summers, who, in 1960, had his new house built in the style of a traditional Cotswold manor house in an idyllic setting on part of his Little Barrow estate.
The design, meticulously executed by a builder from Moreton-in-Marsh, was cutting-edge, with all manner of ‘mod-cons’, such as underfloor heating and a central vacuum system.
High-quality woodwork was a feature throughout, with panelling in the drawing room and dining room creating an elegant backdrop for both formal and informal occasions — of which there would be many over the years.
In the early 1980s, North Rye House was owned by Rosie, Marchioness of Northampton, from whom the present owners, Peter and Joanna Stoddart, took over. Forced to leave their Buckinghamshire home when it was compulsorily purchased by the Milton Keynes Development Corporation, they managed to buy North Rye House privately from Lady Northampton and moved there in 1986.
North Rye House has remained very much as it was when first built, although land surrounding the house was exchanged to create what is today a protected oasis of almost 150 acres of pasture and one field of arable, currently farmed under a grazing agreement and farm business tenancy by local farmers.
Approached along a sweeping main drive lined with an oak avenue planted in 2012 to mark The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, North Rye House offers 6,138sq ft of elegant accommodation, including an impressive reception hall, four fine reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, master- and guest-bedroom suites, five further bedrooms, two bathrooms and a separate two-bedroom flat.
Secondary buildings include a three-bedroom cottage, a gardener’s workshop and wood store and, to the left of the tennis court, the stable yard with nine stables, a tack room, a feed store and a former horsebox garage.
During the Stoddarts’ tenure, the immaculate gardens surrounding the house were created and maintained by a succession of talented gardeners, with guidance and direction from Mrs Stoddart.
Over the years, both house and garden have been the setting for celebrations large and small. As the Stoddarts’ son, Clive, observes: ‘My father would never have left North Rye under his own steam, but it’s now right, although sad, to pass on the mantle to another owner who, we hope, will enjoy and cherish what has been the happiest of homes for the past 34 years.’
North Rye House is for sale through Knight Frank at £7.5m.
Where to live in the Cotswolds: A guide to choosing the perfect spot
Where in the Cotswolds should you move to? The answer will depend on what is more important to you and
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
-
17 outstanding homes for sale across Britain, from under £250k to £6.5 million, as seen in Country LifeSomething for every budget in this week's round up of homes across the country that have come to market via Country Life.
-
'We started thinking: if we were going to design a bike for Aston Martin, what would it look like? And then we simply couldn’t stop': Aston's new bike has everything you could ever dream of — except a price tagThe new Aston Martin .1R bicycle, a collaboration with manufacturer J.Laverack, leaves Paul Henderson stirred rather than shaken.
-
17 outstanding homes for sale across Britain, from under £250k to £6.5 million, as seen in Country Life
Something for every budget in this week's round up of homes across the country that have come to market via Country Life.
-
An utterly charming island home in Scotland with gardens so beautiful they made the cover of Country LifeAn Cala on the Isle of Seil has a fascinating history that is only enhanced by its amazing setting.
-
Soft tones and a sense of place: A Mayfair duplex that breaks the modern mouldA new designer-led residence at 60 Curzon in Mayfair reminds us that everything new doesn't necessarily have to look it.
-
'The very best North Yorkshire has to offer': The £25 million Kirkham EstateWith 1,103 acres and on the market for the first time in a century, we've got a new frontrunner for the sale of the year.
-
The reality of 20 years of house price rises in Britain, from the places that have had a charmed life to the spots where it's a struggle to move back homeAt first glance the ups and downs of the property market seem to even out over time — but dig in to the numbers and you'll see wild regional variations which paint a very difference picture. Annabel Dixon analyses new research which tells the story.
-
A historic Yorkshire hall, meticulously restored to its former 18th-century magnificenceWomersley Park is a masterpiece and one of Yorkshire's great historic houses. And it could be yours.
-
Rowing past dreams: An idyllic riverside home with a boathouse, croquet pitch and Olympic pedigreeThe Manor in Long Wittenham is a perfect Thames-side getaway. Comes with a free boat.
-
A bucolic Sussex home that's 'like stepping into a fairytale', yet just 30 minutes from central LondonFelmere House is a playground for nature and only 30 minutes from London.
