A five-bedroom Victorian home in between the woods, the sea and the sky
Woodside is a delightfully quirky and reassuringly modern family home in Portishead.
There are, occasionally, houses that make you stop and stare. Not the ones often featured in the pages of this magazine; palaces and manors and halls of almost unimaginable provenance, size and history. But rather homes in special settings, decorated with care and places that you can imagine yourself living in. ‘This is the kind of place I would live in,’ you say to yourself. A window into your own future.
I’ve always liked the West Country, and I’ve always liked Gothic revival homes. I’ve always like strong pastels and cast-iron staircases. I’ve always liked the idea of living by the seaside. I don’t know much about Portishead the place but I’m a huge fan of Portishead the band. There is a lot to like about Woodside.
For sale with By Design for offers in excess of £1.5 million, Woodside can be found on Woodlands Road, right on the edge of the Bristol Channel. Built in about 1840 and listed Grade II, the property retains so much of its sensational historical character, but as you can see from the wonderful photos, has been modernised sympathetically throughout.
There’s a lot to like about Woodside. Set over three floors, the property offers five bedrooms and four reception rooms, all of which have been beautifully appointed by the current owners.
The real beauty of the property comes with its quirks. The principal bedroom suite comes with two terraces, one of which can be found in the bedroom and the other in the en-suite bathroom. A balcony can be found attached to the reception room on the second floor, which comes with a spiral staircase that leads down to the garden. There is also an ‘office pod’, which is ideal for the home workers among us.
But enough about the inside, because the outside is equally as elegant. Secluded, but not isolated, Woodside is just that, sandwiched between the Bristol Channel and a sublime leafy setting behind. As the photographs show, the sunsets must be magical.
Portishead itself is on the doorstep (not that you could tell) as are the many amenities on offer from this seaside town. Bristol itself is a 20-minute drive, and the airport is within 10 miles. The Portishead railway is scheduled to reopen by 2028, with direct services to Bristol Temple Meads.
