There are many properties that come across the Country Life Online Property Desk. You can get quite numb to it all. A doric column here, a classical façade there — it can all blend into one. It is one of the great luxuries of this job that we are consistently presented with property that looks like it should be on a postcard, but also one of the great curses. Like eating filet mignon every night.
So it does take something quite unusual for us to sit up straight in our chairs. In the case of Woolbrook Reservoir, it was more a case of leaning closer to the screen and whispering ‘what on earth is that?’. The answer is in the name: it’s a former reservoir in Devon, that has been converted into a six-bedroom home that you can rent through Luxury Coastal.
Down a quiet lane in the town of Sidmouth, the property seems to be mostly sunk into the ground, with the roof covered in astroturf grass, allowing the property to almost hide within its surrounds. Set around a central courtyard, the rooms each consist of at least one side of floor-to-ceiling windows, meaning that despite its subterranean beginnings, there is plenty of light throughout the property.
The building was decommissioned in 2003, and converted into a property in 2010 by a civil engineer. In 2019, Mark and Carline Laurenti purchased the property and set about turning it into their dream home. Now, the couple are travelling, meaning the 7,500sq ft structure is available to stay in, should you wish to find a holiday home with something different.
Amenities-wise, Woolbrook has it all. Alongside six bedrooms, most of which are double-height, the property boasts a games room, a massive open-plan kitchen/dining/reception area, a gym, and five bathrooms.
Outside, the magic continues with an outdoor bar, barbecue area, hot tub, various entertaining space and a cosy garden area. It is hard not to imagine oneself with friends enjoying the very best of the UK summer in a place like this.
Should you somehow get bored of all that, Sidmouth itself is in prime position on the Jurassic Coast, offering plenty of things to do and places to see, all within a short drive. But it might be hard to tear yourself away from this place.
Credit: Savills
A 40ft-high former water tower in Hampshire that could be the next great Grand Design for £45,000
This water tower on Eagle Road offers those with a bold vision the chance to create a unique family home
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
Playing the name game: Why what you call a house really matters
From The Manor House to The Glebe, research from Savills reveals the 10 most expensive house names.
The Country Life Top 100 architects, interior designers, craftsmen, builders and garden designers in Britain
It's now six years since the original Country Life Top 100 was published, but the aim hasn't changed: we name
-
You’ve got to have a lot of balls: Wimbledon by numbersHow many strawberries are consumed, how many petunias purchased and just how much racket string is required at the world’s oldest tennis championships? Lotte Brundle serves up the numbers.
-
Chatsworth's winning £4 million Lottery ticket means it can restore beloved water featureThe Chatsworth House Trust will use the money from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore their Cascade — beloved by Alan Titchmarsh.
-
'Meat, ale and guns — what else do you need, bar glorious scenery?': William Sitwell on the Brendon Hills, West SomersetWilliam Sitwell chooses the Brendon Hills as his piece of heaven in Britain.
-
'Fences have blocked wildlife corridors, causing the wildebeest migration to collapse from 140,000 individuals to fewer than 15,000': Is the opening of the Ritz-Carlton in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve a cause for celebration or concern?In Kenya's iconic Masai Mara region tourism is an important and necessary part of the economy, but the arrival os several large hotel groups — including Ritz-Carlton — have some on edge.
-
The pristine and unspoilt English county that 'has all the ingredients of perfection'Many people simply pass straight through Northumberland heading for Scotland. Big mistake, says Matt Ridley.
-
The extraordinary Exe Estuary, by the Earl whose family have lived here for 700 yearsCharles Courtenay, the 19th Earl of Devon, shares his own personal piece of heaven: the Exe Estuary in Devon.
-
‘So old-fashioned, it’s new-fashioned’: Riding the rails on the Belmond Royal ScotsmanWhat goes around, comes around, says Steven King of a trip through Scotland to celebrate 40 years of the Royal Scotsman, A Belmond Train.
-
Quentin Letts: Heaven in HerefordshireQuentin Letts is best known as a merciless sketch writer and critic — but when he's back home at Herefordshire he embraces a very different life.
-
The Manner review: This New York hotel is bringing the 1970s back to SoHo, one colour at a timeThe Manner, on one of SoHo's quieter, tree-lined streets, is proof that great hotel design can make or break a holiday.
-
My piece of heaven: The Vale of Belvoir by Lady Violet MannersLady Violet Manners, who grew up in Belvoir Castle, shares her love of the area around her ancestral home.
