'You begin to suspect that Meyers isn't actually a movie director at all, but a features coordinator at World of Interiors.' So wrote the Independent's film critic Anthony Quinn back in 2006 about Nancy Meyers' film The Holiday.
Quinn might have been right about the film in comparison to the great works of cinematic art, but he was even righter that the point of the film wasn't its script, character or acting. What he didn't understand was that The Holiday really is all about how gorgeous the whole thing looks. Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jude Law, of course, but primarily the utterly irresistible English country cottage that's at the heart of the film.
So while the critics moaned about the predictable storyline, banal script and wooden acting, everyone else simply soaked the whole thing up and did the 2006 equivalent of hitting the 'like' button.
The Holiday is, in essence, Instagram on film.
The big problem for those that loved the film, and want to buy into the lifestyle for real, is that Rosehill Cottage — the beautiful, stone-built, and very Instagrammable cottage featured in the film — doesn't actually exist. The interiors were sets, while the exterior was erected in a field in the Surrey village of Shere, not far from Guildford — and then hauled down afterwards, as Lydia Stangroom wrote a few years ago.
That leaves us all looking for the next best, nearest thing. James Fisher unearthed one just the other day in Cornwall, for example. Today, though, we have one which looks possibly even more like the real thing. By which we mean the real fake thing as created by Hollywood, of course.
It's called Southview House, located in the village of Hailey, on the north-eastern edge of the Cotswolds, commutable to Oxford and close to Blenheim Palace. It's is on the market with John D Wood & Co for £1,750,000... and it really does looks uncannily like the home of Kate Winslet’s character in the film.
There's a traditional stone façade, a chic alfresco dining space, open fires, stone floors, original beams and so on. But there are also touches which are definitely more Cotswolds 2024 than Surrey 2006, including an outdoor kitchen and a wood-fired hot tub that wouldn’t look entirely out of place in LA. More of which later…
The five-bedroom cottage dates back in part to the 1600s. It’s been refurbished and extended in recent years to offer that sought-after combination of period features and contemporary layout and interiors.
The heart of the home is the stylish open-plan kitchen with Aga (of course), island and living area, with views stretching out across the Oxfordshire countryside.
The sitting room looks wonderfully cosy, with an inglenook fireplace and exposed timbers.
At the far side of the house is a laundry room and a double bedroom with an ensuite, which can be accessed from outside. There are four further bedrooms upstairs.
So, back to Southview House’s smart set-up at the back of the house. There’s a terrace that features one of the more sophisticated outdoor kitchens we’ve ever come across. This is going to have foodies reaching for their BBQ tongs and skewers.
There’s also a ‘very generous’ games room with a home office at the rear, and a wood-fired tub that can accommodate up to 10 people! Who wouldn’t want to unwind at the end of a day at the ‘office’ with a game of pool and a dip in the hot tub?
Also included in the 2.1-acre parcel of land is a ‘magical’ woodland, with a treehouse (yes!) and a campfire area.
And let’s not forget the timber-framed garage and workshop. That wood store should keep the owners of Southview House toasty warm for a while…
Daniel Parrott, Head of John D Wood & Co in Oxford, says: ‘Southview House is a rare find, beautifully blending historic charm with contemporary amenities in an idyllic setting.’
Southview House is on the market for £1,750,000 via John D Wood & Co — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
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