A Suffolk house with an idyllic natural pool where you can swim among the waterlilies
The natural pool at Warren Lodge is one of those perfect little spots where nature has been given just enough of a helping hand.

This beautiful house on the market at £1.25m in the Suffolk village of Little Saxham – around three miles from Bury St Edmunds – is equal parts modern comfort and wondrous throwback to a long-gone time.
For starters, it's only accessible by bridlepath; how nice, never to be disturbed by the sound of churning pistons as you relax at home.
And even more romantic is the lovely natural swimming pool – you can swim among the waterlilies as if you're recreating a scene from Cider with Rosie, and at 12.5m by 3.5m it's big enough for serious swimmers to use on a daily basis..
The rustic aspect is tempered, however, by the creation of a poolside deck and a walls to ensure that the pool is simple to enjoy as a fully man-made equivalent.
Fed by a bore-hole on the property itself, the pool is self-cleaning – the correct gravel and water plants were used when it was created seven years ago – and largely maintenance free.
If you feel the need to dip in fresher water, there's a hot tub and a terrific two-storey pool house at the other end from the house.
Inside, the house has a similar mix of old and new. Originally the gamekeeper’s cottage serving Ickworth House, the Grade II-listed Warren Lodge was later extended to become a spacious country house with six bedrooms.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
There is a large kitchen-diner with an Aga as its centrepiece, while there are also drawing and dining rooms.
There is also a graceful, curving staircase in the hallway, a hand-made feature which adds a huge amount of character to a house originally built in 1865.
Among the other highlights is the garden room looking out over the pond, while there is also a covered outdoor area.
Separate to the main house is the two-bedroom guest annexe, with its own private access, while there is also a brick-built garage-cum-workshop where the present owners have indulged their love of carpentry.
They clearly have a love of gardening as well: within the 1.5 acres of the plot is a small orchard – with pear, apple and plum trees – while there is also a vegetable patch and plenty of lawned areas.
Warren Lodge is on the market with Sheridans, who are inviting offers around £1.25 million.
Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director, and has been running the website and social media channels since 2016. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature.
-
The Georgian rectory that you've (probably) been waiting for has come on to the market in a bucolic spot just outside Cheltenham
Classic Georgian rectories in the Cotswolds are hard to find, says Penny Churchill, so this example in Gloucestershire is a real treat.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
Don't be a (beauty school) dropout, come and do the Country Life Quiz of the Day, September 18, 2025
Today's quiz is the word.
By Country Life Published
-
The Georgian rectory that you've (probably) been waiting for has come on to the market in a bucolic spot just outside Cheltenham
Classic Georgian rectories in the Cotswolds are hard to find, says Penny Churchill, so this example in Gloucestershire is a real treat.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
A classic oast house on the outside, a wild architectural fantasy inside, and just down the road from one of Kent's best grammar schools
Annabel Dixon steps inside Joldwyns, a house where even seasoned property professionals admit to being 'blown away by the incredible juxtaposition and the importance of the architectural feats'.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
A perfect country house in 'the most beautiful and unspoilt town in the Cotswolds'
Penny Churchill takes a look at the wonderful Kingcombe, on the outskirts of the charming town of Chipping Campden.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
The dream home that never was for one of Britain's greatest film stars, back on the market for the first time in half a century
Anna White takes a look at the beautiful Wallers Mead, in the Buckinghamshire village full of links to Hollywood movies from James Bond to Star Wars.
By Anna White Published
-
A 500-year-old cottage in West Sussex that's as beautiful as you could ever hope to see, with a pool ringed by flowers, stables and a croquet lawn
James Fisher was in need of some balm for the soul when he came across Woodshill House.
By James Fisher Published
-
A Clarkson's Farm of one's own: Five properties with just enough farmland for you and your family, from under £1 million
Moving to the country is one thing; moving to the country and being able to grow and rear all your own food is another level entirely, and all these properties offer exactly that.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
Six superb homes, from chocolate box cottages to grand Tudor mansions, as seen in Country Life
Our regular round-up includes charming home counties houses and superb grand country house in Ireland.
By Toby Keel Published
-
A billionaire's thatched cottage is for sale in Surrey, once owned by the oil magnate J. Paul Getty
Chestnut Cottage is a joyous little home — albeit one with the most unusual bedrooms to acreage to price balances we've ever seen. Toby Keel takes a look inside.
By Toby Keel Published