A sweep of lawns, a curve of river and a backdrop of woodland; a golden stone façade covered in wisteria, with a grand doorway leading to a house full of oak-panelled rooms with views across the croquet lawn; a lake, a cottage, a tennis court, plus 25 acres of Gloucestershire to call your own; and a location near a whole host of the most beautiful and beguiling places in this enchanting part of the world.
This isn’t a Cotswolds property shopping list, but it might as well be — and every one of the boxes is ticked by Little Barrow, which has come up for sale via Ed Sugden of Savills at £12 million.
The house sits close to the Fosse Way in the hamlet of Donnington, which stretches from the River Evenlode in the east to a mile west of the River Dikler, two miles or so north of Stow-on-the-Wold, and the same distance in the other direction from Moreton-in-Marsh. Daylesford and Soho Farmhouse are both within easy reach.
As for the house itself? Little Barrow is a fine, late Arts-and-Crafts house built of Cotswold stone on a medieval site and remodelled and extended in the Cotswold manorial style in the 1930s by the distinguished conservation architect Walter Godfrey.
Set in 25 acres of pasture and woodland with splendid gardens created by the present custodian, Little Barrow has been comprehensively renovated throughout and offers four reception rooms, a luxurious principal bedroom suite, seven further bedrooms (four en suite) and a family bathroom.
There is also a cinema room, a one-bedroom apartment and additional accommodation in the form of a three-bedroom cottage and a four-bedroom lodge. Amenities include stabling and barns, a hard tennis court, a croquet lawn and an ornamental lake.
Research supplied by the present Texan owner, who, in 2000, bought the manor that was previously owned by Sir Charles and Lady Mander — resident there from 1950 until 1999 — maintains that the original Little Barrow, first mentioned in Domesday, was the name given to the 35 acres or more that surrounded the manor. Little Barrow Manor itself was reputedly built in 1734–35 by a doctor to George II, part of the King’s entourage when he decamped for the summer to the royal county of Gloucestershire.
The house was built with large blocks of Cotswold limestone mined from a nearby quarry and was a rectangular structure; an extension into the present-day breakfast/lunch room and morning-coffee room was added at some point in the 1880s. The Arts-and-Crafts work was carried out some 40 to 50 years later.
And there you have it: a beautiful house with a story to tell, located in a wonderful setting near some of the Cotswolds finest honeypots. £12 million is, obviously, really quite a lot of money... but then again, it's hard to imagine a home in this area that does a better job of ticking every box.
Little Barrow is for sale via Savills at £12 million — see more details and pictures.
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
The Country Life guide to the Cotswolds: Where to go, what to see, where to stay and what to eat
Straddling five counties, the Cotswolds is arguably England's most famous region outside of London. Here’s our guide to what to
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
-
‘It had the air of an ex-rental, and that’s putting it politely’: How an antique dealer transformed a run-down Georgian house in Chatham DockyardsAn antique dealer with an eye for colour has rescued an 18th-century house from years of neglect with the help of the team at Mylands.
-
You're having a giraffe: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 25, 2025Friday's Quiz of the Day brings your opera, marathons and a Spanish landmark.
-
A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in KentNorth Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streetsThis six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
-
A tale of everyday life as lived on Britain's most expensive streetWinnington Road in Hampstead has an average house price of £11.9 million. But what's it really like? Lotte Brundle went to find out.
-
Damon Hill's former home in Marbella is the perfect place to slow downThe glorious Andalusian-style villa is found within the Lomas de Marbella Club and just a short walk from the beach.
-
A 327-acre estate in the heart of 'England’s Côte d’Or', with a 26,000sq ft Georgian style home at its heartStokes Hall in the Crouch Valley is an inspiring property looking for a new owner.
-
Schreiber House, 'the most significant London townhouse of the second half of the 20th century', is up for saleThe five-bedroom Modernist masterpiece sits on the edge of Hampstead Heath.
-
Is the 'race for space' officially over?During the lockdowns, many thought the countryside was the place to be. It seems many are now changing their minds.
-
What's a 'wellness village' and will it tempt you back into the office?The team behind London's first mixed-use ‘wellness village’ says it has the magic formula for tempting workers back into offices.
