A 600-year-old house that's full of period charm outside — and 1980s-style fantasy on the inside
Ripple Hall, not far from Tekesbury, is a place that simply has to be seen.
It's always nice when a beautiful old country house has a lovely, original interior, with exposed beams, open fireplaces and the like. But, equally, it's always slightly thrilling — in a rather different way, of course — when a home comes on to the market whose centuries-old front door opens on to an interior that looks like the set of a glossy 1980s soap opera.
Today's house — Ripple Hall, near Tewkesbury, on the north-east extremity of the Cotswolds — is very much in the latter vein. It's for sale through Knight Frank at a nice, round-sounding £5 million. And it's the sort of house that makes you sit up a little bit straighter in your chair.
It's not actually that long since Grade II-listed Ripple Hall appeared in these pages. Back in December 2018 it came on to the market for the first time in 60 years, priced at £2.25 million for a home whose oldest parts date back to the 15th century, but which was remodelled in the 18th century into the exquisite Georgian country house that it is now.
Set in 13¼ acres of gardens, grounds and paddocks on the edge of picturesque Ripple village on the west Gloucestershire/Worcestershire border, it was offered for sale on behalf of Jean, Lady Huntington-Whiteley, widow of Sir Hugo Huntington-Whiteley (grand-son of former Prime Minister Sir Stanley Baldwin), whose home it had been for six decades.
It's changed hugely since then. The current owners have doubled-down on the recent trend for bright, light-filled interiors and uncluttered contemporary layouts, turning what was a smart but very traditional-looking home into a palace of clean, white, unsullied interiors.
Even the boot room is so white, bright and clean that it's hard to fathom how they get rid of the mud so comprehensively.
The changes are more than just cosmetic, though: the agents note that the present sellers have completed a meticulous programme of restoration and improvement, and have striven to preserve the house's architectural heritage and timeless character. Except that now the house has a gym, with a Coco Chanel yoga mat.
Significant investment has been made throughout, including major upgrades to the infrastructure and services. And did we mention the mirrored champagne bar?
Ripple Hall provides more than 11,000sq ft of light-filled accommodation on three floors, the entire interior a dreamy symphony of monochrome design, with the only touches of colour coming from the odd spots of gilt, and the occasional piece of furniture or artwork.
That said, upstairs some of the bedrooms and bathrooms (there are six of the former and four of the latter) have flashes of blue to liven things up.
The space on offer is enormous, with the main house having more than 11,000 square feet. The ground floor houses a welcoming reception hall, a gracious drawing room, a formal dining room, a library/study, a cinema, bar and well-designed kitchen/breakfast room that forms the heart of the house.
The bedroom accommodation is particularly impressive, comprising a vast principal bedroom suite, two further suites and a separate guest wing with two additional bedrooms and a family bathroom.
Further accommodation is available in an adjoining self-contained cottage and a large former coach house has planning consent for conversion to residential use.
Outside, the gardens and grounds have been thoughtfully landscaped to create a balance between formal gardens and open paddocks.
Leisure facilities include an outdoor swimming pool and a tennis court. Given the work that's been done here it's slightly surprising that they haven't also built a padel court, but perhaps that's a project for the new owners.
Ripple Hall is for sale through Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.
