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Coleton Fishacre - Inside the House

Coleton Fishacre has been described as "the perfect combination of the simple architecture and high standards of craftmanship of the nineteenth century Arts and Crafts movement with the modernity of the Jazz Age." I was told that there are not that many Art Deco style houses in the UK and this is one of the few private residences that are open to the public. Among the furnishings are Lalique wall lights, an eighteenth century Venetian chandelier and a carpet designed by Marion Dorn. Most of the furniture was designed by the architect of the house, Oswald Milne.   After Rowland and Freda Smith bought the house in 1949, they did not make many changes and the furnishings that they didn't use were stored. After the National Trust took over the property, they meticulously recreated the furnishings based on photographs that had appeared in Country Life magazine.   The library, pictured above and below, features a celebrated wind-dial map that was created by noted mapmaker Georg...
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Beverly Nichols' Merry Hall For Sale



A reader sent me a link to a real estate listing in England (thanks Lynn!) - it is none other than Beverly Nichols' Merry Hall. I wrote a post about Nichols two years ago (two years ago???!!!!) 

Nichols bought the Georgian manor house, located in Surrey, after World War II. It was the largest home he ever owned and three of his books are set there. He did not live there too long, however, and sold it in 1956.

It can be yours for just £3,250,000. If I had that... (I've always wanted to live there even though I've  never been).

I thought it was interesting that the real estate posting shows the grounds first, quite the opposite of listings here although I'm not sure if all British listings do that. It may be because of the reputation of the garden.







Another famous property closer to home is the Elk Rock Garden at Bishop's Close. This 9-acre property is stunning and on the market for 4.5 million. I've only visited there one time, shortly before moving here, and it was a cold and rainy day. I'm kicking myself for never returning. Let's hope someone will preserve this historic property that was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. It appears that the listing is pending...


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 4, 2022 at 5:49 PM

    I thoroughly enjoy Beverly's writing. I am happy to see these pictures. Thanks for sharing this.

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  2. AnonymousDecember 5, 2022 at 9:08 AM

    As a rabid anglophile I'd be thrilled to live in the UK, though this house is a tad big for me. I bet the ground keeper's cottage is just perfect though. If you buy it and need a ground's keeper, let me know :-D
    Chavli

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  3. luv2gardenDecember 6, 2022 at 9:22 AM

    Ouch!! Obviously the listing is not intended to attract the average resident.

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  4. Lisa at GreenbowDecember 8, 2022 at 3:53 AM

    I like that the way he writes about this garden and home is as my mindset thinks about home and garden. To see/read it actually how large it all is makes my mind shatter.

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