A literary connection adds to the charm of The Archway, near Newstead, in Nottinghamshire. The Grade II-listed period cottage, which is for sale through Gascoines for offers in excess of £450,000, sits in the grounds of 12th-century Newstead Abbey, Byron’s former home.
As the name implies, The Archway comprises the front arch and tower of the cluster of buildings at the front of the Abbey complex. The tower, in particular, enjoys magnificent views across Newstead Abbey, Upper Lake and the grounds.
The interiors, which span 1,030sq ft, combine original features, such as stone windows, with modern touches that make it an ideal home. The ground floor houses the living room, with its feature fireplace and the window overlooking Newstead Abbey, and the kitchen and dining room, which has granite worktops and flagstone flooring. Upstairs are three bedrooms — the master suite, which has its own dressing room, takes up the entire first floor.
Byron was perhaps the most famous but not the only interesting characters to live on The Archway’s doorstep. He shares the honour with his great-uncle William, nicknamed The Wicked Lord, to whom all sorts of misdeeds were attributed, from worshipping the devil to training crickets to race on his own body. None of this was true, but The Wicked Lord did kill his cousin, William Chaworth, in a duel —the result of a bizarre dispute over which of the two grandees had the greater amount of game on their estate.
The Newstead Abbey estate belongs to Nottingham City Council and there’s no service charge associated with living in the Abbey grounds.
The Archway is for for sale via Gascoines for offers in excess of £450,000 — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details.
Newstead: What you need to know
- Location:Newstead is about five minutes by train from Hucknall and 20 minutes from Nottingham
- Atmosphere:A former coal-mining village, Newstead is part of Nottinghamshire's scenic Hidden Valleys.It has a shop, a post-office, a pub, a pavilion and sports field and a mobile library. The active community runs plenty of local clubs, from woodcarving to tai-chi
- Things to do: The Abbey, with Byron's private apartments, and the gardens and park are an attraction in their own right, but there is also the colliery heritage to explore in Hucknall and, at Papplewick, Britain's most spectacular working Victorian pumping station
- Schools: the local Abbey Gates Primary School is rated outstanding by Ofsted.
Find more properties in the area.
Ten splendidly isolated houses for sale across Britain, from valleys in the Lake District to farmhouses in Kent
If you fancy getting away from it all — REALLY getting away from it all – our selection of houses in the
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.
