Technology comes for us all. The last few days have seen even the most luddite of internet users tune the great powers of artificial intelligence to make themselves into action figures, something that felt like science fiction merely a year ago.
Not even the country house is safe. The listed wonders of our green and pleasant land are slowly being taken over by climate control and computers that manage everything down to the most minute detail. This is not necessarily a bad thing; a system that keeps an eye on humidity levels to protect precious plasterwork is a force for good in my eyes.
One such technologically enhanced marvel might be Monksfield House near Farnham in Surrey. For sale with Knight Frank for £5.5 million, the house is something of a technological marvel in traditional red-brick clothing. CCTV, state of the art kitchen, biomass boiler and bore hole. The gardens, which extend to 10.5 acres, are also serviced by robot lawnmowers.
The idea of mowing your own lawn is marketed to be quite therapeutic, but I think that novelty would likely wear off after a while. So I agree with the owners of Monksfield — send in the robots. They are clearly doing quite a good job, if the pictures are anything to go by. Just remember to say please and thank you, should the revolution come.
The fine details are clearly very important here. Not only are the lawns, borders and beds immaculate, but so too the rest of this turn-key paradise. The interiors are light, well decorated and spacious. There are eight bedrooms in total, with the accommodation of the main house set over three floors. There are nice bits of art in the garden. There is a very smart garage in which to store your very smart cars, and it comes with a workshop.
The list keeps growing. There’s a separate cottage with three bedrooms, perfect for guests. There’s a party barn with a bar. There is planning permission in perpetuity for a spa/pool complex. Direct access to the 130 acres of Crooksbury Common if you’d like to go riding/walking/running. You can walk to a decent pub called The Barley Mow. Lastly, there is a lake.
Technology, in harmony with good taste, might be the key to paradise. We’re certainly very close at Monksfield House.
-
Deep lakes, tall peaks and Flemish portraiture. It's the Country Life Quiz of the DayAugust 28's quiz gets to grips with geography, art, film and also cats.
-
Gill Meller wants to make soufflé great again with his sweetcorn and smoked cheddar recipeIs the soufflé on the brink of extinction? Well, not if Gill Meller's recipe for a sweetcorn and smoked cheddar has anything to do with it.
-
The market for super-prime houses in England's biggest millionaire's playground is booming — and this £10m example is one of the bestWhirley Hall is a 17th century building that's a perfect example of how 21st century updates can transform an old home almost beyond recognition.
-
If I had to spend the rest of my life living underground, I would do it in this four-bedroom house for sale in the Peak DistrictThe aptly named Underhill is a 'a work of inhabitable art' that was built in the 1970s. And there's a swimming pool in the middle of it.
-
A micro estate for sale in west Wales shows that the best things come in small packages. In this case, three of themBrithdir is a remarkable collection of properties centred around a lake and just five miles from the sea.
-
This blissful converted mill has sweeping views, a breathtaking library and gardens by a Chelsea gold medallistPenny Churchill takes a look at Stanbridge Mill, one of the finest properties for sale today in the west country.
-
Portmore has it all: A 3,459-acre Scottish estate for sale, with a signature Baronial sandstone mansion at its heartFor sale for the first time in 40 years, Portmore Estate is everything you could ever want in Scotland.
-
Location, community and charm: the enduring desirability of London's mews housesFrom birds, to horses, to beautiful family homes, the mews of London are some of the nation's most sought-after homes. But why?
-
The distinctive and historic home that might just be 'one of Dorset’s most picturesque'Grade II*-listed Manor House, set in just under eight acres, dates from the 16th century.
-
A 17th century farmhouse in Surrey with one of Britain's oldest squash courtsFords Farm is on the market for the first time in over half a century.
