Treehouses are 'catnip for the incurable romantic' — and these two on the market are as good as it gets
Nottinghamshire versus the Dordogne isn't a debate we ever thought we'd need to have — but that's where we are today with these two gorgeous properties for sale boasting magnificent treehouses.
Why do we get so excited about treehouses? They're cramped, draughty, never have proper plumbing and very rarely any electricity, and there's a constant danger of getting splinters. Why would you ever cross the threshold of one, when there's invariably a much nicer real house nearby?
The answer, of course, is that treehouses are catnip for the incurable romantic. They stand alongside castles and thatched cottages at the very top of the unofficial scale of charm and whimsy. Who among us, as a child, didn't draw a castle, a cottage, and a treehouse? Exactly. Everyone. And who among us doodled a three-bedroom semi in a sensible commuter cul-de-sac? Absolutely nobody, that's who.
The prompt for all these thoughts was The Old Rectory in the Nottinghamshire village of Kilvington. On the market through Strutt & Parker at £1.6 million, it's a beautiful family home: five bedrooms, six acres, and full of Nottswolds charm.
This a home that ticks all the boxes: grand entrance hall leading to wonderful rooms with high ceilings and huge sash windows, a kitchen with a proper old Aga in one corner, a gorgeous study-cum-library with an entire wall lined in bookshelves, and light, airy bedrooms with glorious views.
There are even stone walls and iron gates leading to a driveway — you really can play out all your BBC period drama fantasies here.
And yet, for all that... what really got us was the treehouse. It's a proper Swiss Family Robinson affair, all made in timber and raised high off the ground, accessed by a rustic ladder nailed into a tree that leads you up to the rope bridges. While there is a fence, there's also a rope ladder that leads higher up into the treetops. It's like having an illustration for The Dangerous Book for Boys in your back garden.
Is it the finest treehouse on the market? We'd say yes, if you're looking for rugged adventure. But for those cut from different cloth — who want to live among the treetops, but also bask in luxury — we did come across this just-as-wonderful-in-a-different-way treehouse across the Channel in France.
It's at a converted barn in the Dorodogne, near the town of Sarlat-la-Caneda — and the treehouse here is really quite something. Designed by an architect rather than looking like something you'd knock together across three long summer's evenings, it's a luxury treetop retreat that's a proper little house, with living space, kitchen, a bathroom and — most improbable of all — a balcony with a hot tub sunk into it.
If that's not enough, the property also has just over four acres of space, a large swimming pool, and a full-on Hobbit house.
It could either be a unique family home set up (ideal for multi-generational living, you'd think) or could very happily be run as a small business. The price for all this? €875,000, which is around £750,000. It might not be commutable, but for those willing and able to give up the rat race and relocate to rural France, this could be a dream come true.
The Old Rectory in Kilvington is for sale at £1.6 million via Strutt and Parker. The converted barn in the Dordogne is for sale at €875,000 via Savills.
