Yahoo Finance Property: 8 awesome Arts & Crafts homes
The Arts & Crafts movement was established in the late 19th century to counteract the perceived threat posed by industrialisation and mass production. Seeking to revive traditional craftsmanship, it sparked an architectural style based on simplicity of form, asymmetry and construction using local materials. "Arts & Crafts houses remain popular with buyers looking for period charm in a robust home and have a comfortable, lived-in feel – like a much-loved armchair" explains Edward Church, head of Strutt & Parker’s Canterbury office. "They combine the appeal of a traditional country cottage with the size and proportions of a more generous property." Interested? Check out these houses for sale.
1. Micheldever Station, Hampshire, £565,000
A lovingly restored three-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage created by eminent architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. He frequently collaborated with leading garden designer Gertrude Jekyll, whose work was heavily influenced by Arts & Crafts principles, and the tile hung gable end and high red-brick chimney stacks echo those of her home, Munstead Wood in Godalming. In a tribute to this partnership, the current owners redesigned the garden in the style of Gertrude Jekyll, and repainted the timber window frames in Little Greene’s Sir Lutyens’ Sage. They’ve also added a handy home office. Contact Strutt & Parker.
2. Amberley, Gloucestershire, £1.25m
Pretty as a picture, grade II listed Highstones is in an delightful Cotswolds village with two pubs and a strong community spirit. It was built in a butterfly plan, with angled wings forming a cocoon, and blends beautifully into its surroundings. The sitting room and drawing room open off the spacious hall at its core, and together with all four first-floor bedrooms, enjoy panoramic views over the Woodchester Valley stretching out below. Available through Murrays.
Read more: 9 must-have homes with outdoor kitchens
3. Finchley, London, £1.325m
This white-rendered semi-detached Arts and Crafts house is on the market for the first time in over 60 years. A living/family room, kitchen/dining room and a cloakroom are on the ground floor, with three bedrooms, a bathroom and separate WC on the first and a wooden-panelled bedroom and ensuite shower room in the eaves. Although the house has been very well-cared for, it needs modernising and planning permission’s been granted to enlarge the footprint by building a new front porch, side, ground and first floor extensions. The existing owner recently added a garden studio, suitable for use as an office, gym, bedroom, art, music or yoga room. Via Sotheby’s International Realty.
4. Devizes, Wiltshire, £1.75m
1930s-built Secret Valley is so-called because it’s completed secluded, nestling in three acres of gardens at the end of a private no-through road. Ideal for buyers who love to entertain, it includes a sitting room with an open fireplace and original Crittall doors leading into an L-shaped reception room, and a large kitchen with a central island and bar area, opening on to a terrace. A master bedroom suite, three further bedrooms and two bathrooms are on the first floor, and a self-contained guest suite can be accessed independently from the back of the house. On the market through Fine & Country.
Read more: Grand designs - 7 properties with planning permission
5. Brampton, Cumbria, £1.95m
Grade II* listed Four Gables is a stellar example of Arts & Crafts architecture as it was built in 1878 by architect Philip Webb, a contemporary of William Morris and one of the movement’s founders. Inspired by traditional bastle houses – fortified farmhouses found on the England/Scotland borders – the main 5,500 square foot house has seven bedrooms, three reception rooms, high ceilings throughout, original fireplaces and a wide bay window in the dining room. In addition there are three modernised cottages, run as a successful holiday lettings business, and grounds of over four acres. Through Finest Properties.
6. Finchampstead, Wokingham, Berkshire, £2.25m
Constructed in 1907, this 5,000 square foot detached house is hidden from the road behind mature trees and accessed via a sweeping, gated drive. It nestles in two acres of park-like grounds and incorporates six bedrooms, four bathrooms, four reception rooms and a self-contained guest annex or office. Recent extensions blend in seamlessly with the original building, and the many well-preserved features include tall chimneys, large windows, fretwork, picture rails, deep skirting boards and servants’ bells in the kitchen. Get in touch with Winkworth.
7. Limpsfield, Oxted, Surrey, £3.9m
Oak panelling, exposed brick architraves and ceiling timbers and leadlight windows with stone mullions are among grade II listed Beresford Court’s impressive architectural details. The property, designed by architect Baillie Scott in 1926, has been updated and extended and includes six bedrooms, six reception rooms, five bathrooms and a galleried double-height billiards room. Its three and a half acre garden contains a heated pool, grass tennis court and a helipad, and a stable block with planning permission for a new dwelling is available by separate negotiation. Through Jackson-Stops.
8. St John’s Wood, London, £14.95m
If 4,355 square feet of living space isn’t quite enough for your needs, you’ll be relieved to learn that an application’s being submitted to substantially increase the size of this handsome but unmodernised Arts & Crafts house. There’s plenty of room to build on as it occupies one of the neighbourhood’s biggest plots and currently comprises six bedrooms, four bathrooms and three reception rooms, arranged over three floors. Get in touch with Knight Frank.
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