Estate agents in rural areas are reporting a huge increase in interest in properties after lockdown.
Two of the reasons are that many people have found they can work from home just as well rather than head for a city office, and that social distancing is much easier to maintain out of town.
One area that is experiencing a rise in enquiries is the picture-perfect Cotswolds.
‘Things have really taken off since lockdown,’ says Sam Butler, of Cotswolds specialist estate agents Butler Sherborn. ‘There is a general sense of optimism here.’
Viewings for the firm for June and July this year were up 53 per cent compared with the same period in 2019, while the number of people registering for property details was up by 215 per cent.
One property that seems to encapsulate the Cotswolds is Quenington House in the village of Quenington, near Cirencester, a town dubbed the ‘Capital of the Cotswolds’.
One property that seems to encapsulate the Cotswolds is Quenington House in the village of Quenington, near Cirencester, a town dubbed the ‘Capital of the Cotswolds’
The house sits on the edge of what could be described as the perfect English village, with a green, church and pub. ‘It’s the quintessential village, which runs down to the meandering River Coln,’ says Brian D’Arcy Clark, 65, whose father James is selling the house. ‘The village is all Cotswold stone houses and it’s very quiet’
Two of the reasons that people are looking for rural properties are that many people have found they can work from home just as well rather than head for a city office, and that social distancing is much easier to maintain out of town
One area that is experiencing a rise in enquiries is the picture-perfect Cotswolds. ‘Things have really taken off since lockdown,’ says Sam Butler, of Cotswolds specialist estate agents Butler Sherborn
Viewings for the firm for June and July this year were up 53 per cent compared with the same period in 2019, while the number of people registering for property details was up by 215 per cent
One property that seems to encapsulate the Cotswolds is Quenington House in the village of Quenington, near Cirencester, a town dubbed the ‘Capital of the Cotswolds’
The house sits on the edge of what could be described as the perfect English village, with a green, church and pub.
‘It’s the quintessential village, which runs down to the meandering River Coln,’ says Brian D’Arcy Clark, 65, whose father James is selling the house.
‘The village is all Cotswold stone houses and it’s very quiet.’
James, 99, has owned the Grade II listed house for more than 20 years but he is selling because his wife Jill died last year and the property is too much for him to maintain.
‘The house has got the most fantastic gardens,’ Brian says. ‘It was beautifully looked after and laid out before even my parents got there, but it’s now getting too big for Dad.’
The house is set in more than three acres, which includes paddocks and landscaped gardens.
‘The garden even has a grass tennis court. It is not used much now but it could easily be brought back into regular use,’ Brian says. ‘And there’s plenty of room to put in a swimming pool too.
‘It’s wonderfully private. On one side there is the village and on the other side there are gorgeous views over the Coln Valley. So you’ve got the advantages of being in the village while at the same time having views of the Cotswolds.’
Apart from the main house, there is a separate one-bedroom cottage and outbuildings.
‘At the moment the outbuildings are under-used,’ Brian adds. ‘They are an assortment of garden buildings – potting sheds, garages and storage areas. But they could be turned into so much more.’
The house sits on the edge of what could be described as the perfect English village, with a green, church and pub. ‘It’s the quintessential village, which runs down to the meandering River Coln,’ says Brian D’Arcy Clark
The house is set in more than three acres, which includes paddocks and landscaped gardens. ‘The garden even has a grass tennis court. It is not used much now but it could easily be brought back into regular use,’ Brian says. ‘And there’s plenty of room to put in a swimming pool too
Apart from the main house, there is a separate one-bedroom cottage and outbuildings. ‘At the moment the outbuildings are under-used,’ Brian adds. ‘They are an assortment of garden buildings – potting sheds, garages and storage areas. But they could be turned into so much more’
The one-bedroom cottage is available by separate negotiation. Quenington House has five bedrooms, four reception rooms and two bathrooms but Brian says the most impressive feature is the kitchen
The one-bedroom cottage is available by separate negotiation. Quenington House has five bedrooms, four reception rooms and two bathrooms but Brian says the most impressive feature is the kitchen.
‘It is a double-height kitchen but if it were remodelled it could easily be turned into a family room or a media room or something like that.’
Quenington House is being sold for £2.65million by Butler Sherborn, which has a number of properties that have recently gone under offer.
Brian himself is in the property business but has one golden rule: ‘Never sell your own stuff!’