The idea of hiding away in a comfortable home, safe from the world, is a romantic ideal for many of us. Lockdown will no doubt have cured many of that notion, but for those who’ve particularly enjoyed that sensation of homely cosiness, a house is on the market which will help you hold on to that feeling for years to come.
The property in question really is a home fit for a hobbit: a partly-subterranean house tucked away in the corner of The Old School House, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, currently for sale at £2m.
Pod Hollow, as its known, was designed not as a permanent space but instead as unusual guest accommodation: billed as ‘the only habitable hobbit hole in the world’ it’s a delightful dwelling big enough for a family of four in a woodland setting, designed and built ‘in consultation with Tolkien experts’.
We’ll be honest and admit that we’re not entirely sure what becoming a Tolkien expert entails — our instinctive feeling is that it probably involves more literature and learning to speak ridiculous made-up languages than architecture or interior design.
But the experts have clearly found a winning formula, since it seems that fans of the classic fantasy books have been queuing up to book a stay. Income (pre-lockdown) from Pod Hollow and the six other cabins and pods within this 4.5-acre site was apparently in excess of £150,000 per year, making this a very attractive lifestyle business — as well as a beautiful place to live.
The huge 19th century main house itself is also striking and attractive — not least for that idyllic woodland setting — with five bedrooms and an impressive sitting room with high ceiling, plus a newer annexe that includes a sun room.
Credit: The Hovel (Pic: Michael Graham)
A real-life Hobbit house as mentioned in the Domesday Book, within commuting distance of London
This gorgeous thatched house in the Buckinghamshire village of Ludgershall could have come straight from the pages of Tolkien.
Credit: Breckon & Breckon
The Oxford house where JRR Tolkien wrote The Hobbit hits the market
JRR Tolkien moved to 20, Northmoor Road in 1930, six years after the property was built, and it is here
How a collection of first editions can make your personal library just that little bit more special
Few things are more alluring than a spectacularly beautiful library within a fine country house. But should you be fortunate
Alan Titchmarsh: Why a log cabin set up for the arctic beats a Classical temple in the garden
Who wants a draughty old Greek temple when you could enjoy a cosy cabin, complete with barbecue? Alan Titchmarsh reveals
-
One puffin, two puffin, three puffin, four: The National Trust’s puffin count gets underway on the Farne IslandsThough the islands' shags and terns are in decline, its puffin population has been growing — and the trust is streaming a live recording of their burrows.
-
Business at the front, party at the rear: Ravensbury Lodge in Devon, a four-bed conversion on the market with stunning views of the River DartThe house in Warfleet, Dartmouth, is a waterside property with a twist — and its contrasting architectural elements are a delightful surprise.
-
Business at the front, party at the rear: Ravensbury Lodge in Devon, a four-bed conversion on the market with stunning views of the River Dart
The house in Warfleet, Dartmouth, is a waterside property with a twist — and its contrasting architectural elements are a delightful surprise.
-
Laverstoke Park, the iconic home of Formula One World Champion Jody Scheckter, roars onto the marketThe benchmark for the sale of the year has been set.
-
No Mr Bond, we expect you to buy: Sean Connery's former villa on the French Riviera could be yoursRoc Fleuri Villa 'must be Nice's most desirable home', according to the agents.
-
Five Cotswold dream homes on the market from £3m to £18m, as seen in Country LifeThis week we have a Cotswolds-themed rundown of some of the finest homes to come to the market in this beautiful part of England.
-
A modern masterpiece for sale in Cornwall that's just one mile from the beachHay House combines location, elegance and modern family living to create a special home for the 21st century.
-
A rollercoaster, Bauhaus department store and Brutalist football stand top the latest Buildings at Risk ListThe latest Buildings at Risk List from the Twentieth Century Society has been announced. Sunwin House department store and Blackpool’s Grand National Rollercoaster both feature.
-
Lutyens's last masterpiece comes up for sale in Oxfordshire, with 27 bedrooms and a cricket pitchMiddleton Park in Middleton Stoney is a vast country home that must surely be among the nation's best
-
A 10-bedroom manor house in the heart of the Cotswolds with all the trimmingsWaterton House sits on the edge of Ampney Crucis, and is as elegant as can be.
