A Cotswolds home is up for sale that ticks every box... so long as you have £12 million to spend
Little Barrow, in a picturesque hamlet in the North Cotswolds, is a real dream home. Penny Churchill takes a closer look.


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.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
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
-
Six beautiful homes around the world, from Portofino to Provence to Palm Beach
An exquisite villa tucked into a hillside? A A breathtaking apartment created to make you feel like you're flying through the endless blue skies?
By Toby Keel Published
-
The 'greatest battle for 300 years': England's great estates face up to a green future
The climate crisis will affect us all. All over Britain, major landowners are stepping up to tackle a warming world and biodiversity loss.
By Jane Wheatley Published
-
Six beautiful homes around the world, from Portofino to Provence to Palm Beach
An exquisite villa tucked into a hillside? A A breathtaking apartment created to make you feel like you're flying through the endless blue skies?
By Toby Keel Published
-
An idyllic home where the forest meets the sea, for sale for the first time in over half a century
Little Aston is a graceful, charming home with superb gardens and its own orchard, as well as some of the south coast's most beautiful areas right on its doorstep. Penny Churchill takes a look.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
'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.
By Toby Keel Published
-
A one-of-a-kind waterfront estate with two private beaches is for sale on the same storied American island that Jackie Kennedy, the Obamas and Princess Diana have all visited
Beach Farm on Martha’s Vineyard — a favourite summertime holiday destination with prominent American families — is a perfect melding of New England and Scandinavian design styles.
By Rosie Paterson Published
-
The architect who created the MI6 building only designed a tiny handful of houses — and one of them is now up for sale in one of London's most bucolic spots
Sir Terry Farrell designed the beautiful, light-filled, T-shaped Drum House in Petersham, with gardens laid out by John Sallis Chandler, who has won multiple RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medals.
By Toby Keel Last updated
-
'True waterfront homes are finite... miss one and it could be years before you see another like it again': Why the best waterfront property always hits the spot
There’s no denying the appeal of waterfront property, which now sells for some 51% more than its inland equivalent, finds Knight Frank. Annabel Dixon explores the shore.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
19 charming homes for sale, from picture-perfect cottages to beachside retreats, as seen in Country Life
This week's selection of some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Tim Burton is selling the house he shared with Helena Bonham-Carter, a sublime home on the Thames that comes with three private islands
Mill House in Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, might just be the perfect English country home.
By Rosie Paterson Last updated