Whittington House sits right in the heart of the Cotswolds, in a village mentioned in the Domesday Book, beneath Cleeve Hill. Here, the limestone houses speak the same languorous language as the stone walls, the ancient yews and the trickling brooks. And places come with evocative names; places like Andoversford and Compton Abdale.
This is where England goes to chill, a place with no pace at all. The only deadline is the dusking of the sun over nearby Cheltenham and your terrace breakfast, which must be served at suits-you o’clock. Follow it up with a dip in the heated pool. Catch a few rays then load up the Aga. Will it be local lamb or beef? Decisions are tough around here.
Throw a barbie in the garden, play table footie in the games room, escape with a book to the quietest of quiet corners. Admire the churches, pack a picnic for Shurdington Beacon, eat artisan in the Kingham Plough. Bring your dog, your granny and grandad, your boots, and your unquenchable desire to explore and exhale.
Whittington House offers three acres: one for family use and two laid to paddock. So you can bring your dog with lots of space to explore.
Explore the acreage. Plan a picnic on the lawns with a G&T. Let the kids loose on the swing and the trampoline. Bash a ball around. Chill off in the heated pool. Get the steaks sizzling on the barbie.
Dine out on the terrace table and chairs beneath the big skies and the call of the curlew. Get back into that pool (even at night or in winter with the cover on). You know you want to.
The living room is just made for Christmas, with the logs glowing red in the burner, stockings hanging from the fireplace and the tree dripping with lights in the corner. You can stay here at Christmas, but you don’t need to come here in winter to feel the wow. You’ve got double-aspect garden views, old beams and homely rugs all year round.
These are sumptuous spaces. There are spotlights here, soft sofas there, and heat from the woodburner just about everywhere. Get the clan together, including a dog, get the fire going, spin some stories, pour some drinks, spread out and switch off.
Fire up the 55” smart TV and don’t miss your match or your movie. Get a game of table footie going in the games room. Escape to the snug with a book. Stream like your life depends on it with the Gigaclear ultrafast, 300 Mbs broadband. Or dive into the DVDs. Throw another log on the burner, top up your glasses and toast the good life.
This is a well equipped big shaker-style kitchen, and you’ll want to jig when you see the electric Aga with two ovens and four hobs, plus the separate electric grill/fan oven. Or just let us loose for a one-off celebration or fully catered break while you explore a dry white.
Load up the American-style fridge/freezer with Old Spot pork, Tewkesbury mustard, Stinking Bishop cheese, Hobbs House bread and plenty of pop and fizz. Eat around the 16-seater table beneath the candle chandelier, with the light streaming in through the casement window. Or enjoy light bites around the kitchen-diner table.
Nice day? Load up on grass-fed lamb, home-made sausages and Black Berkshire pork from Waghorne’s and get the barbie bubbling. Don’t forget the charcoal. You’ll find table and chairs out on the terrace. When you’re done, there’s a dishwasher waiting to do the dirty work for you.
There’s far more than porridge on offer at The Old Prison Café. Explore the original jail cells, then relax in the glasshouse café with artisan coffees, brunch classics, homemade cakes and lunchtime specials. Or try giant smoked haddock ravioli at the Purslane Restaurant or Sri Lankan street fare at The Coconut Tree.
Night-time here is a land of blissful hush where the loudest disturbance might be the lapping of the swimming-pool water in the breeze. Enjoy crisp linen, garden views and contemporary bathrooms. Pick from six sumptuous bedrooms sleeping up to 16.
The dual-aspect en-suite master bedroom offers a superking plus optional z-bed. Bedroom two, the BoHo, is a double en-suite with z-bed for kids, while bedroom three, the Travel Room, is an attractive double en-suite. Bedroom four is a twin that’s perfect for children.
Bedroom five, the Downstairs Room, is (surprisingly) on the ground floor and offers an en-suite double with z-bed option, while bedroom six’s bunk bed will appeal to younger guests. Bagsy top bunk.
Sleep an extra two guests in the ground floor snug on the double sofa bed.
Remember your childhood days of open spaces, outdoor play, climbing trees and generally overdosing on muddy madness? Then along came the computer screen and Generation Z swerved all of that lovely vitamin D. At Whittington House, you can show them what they’ve been missing.
There’s a full acre of lawn here for a kickabout or cartwheels, a trampoline and a swing for letting off steam. And that’s before we’ve got to the main event. Kids can watch hours wash away in the nine-metre outdoor pool, heated all year round.
Back inside, technological diversions abound, including the wifi. You like your broadband fast? How about 300Mbs fast? Stream and surf what you like, when you like, with the Gigaclear ultrafast broadband.
Head to the games room for table football, or stay in the main living room to stay up past bedtime and feast on films with the family on the 55” smart TV. Or just load up the logburner and binge the night away on board games or cards. Best friends with the dog? Don’t worry. We’ve saved a spot by the fire for your bestest friend.
Gone are the days when the only way to view a house was solely by way of poring over flat and sometimes confusing floor plans. With the emergence of 360-degree video we have an exciting new way of being introduced to the layout of a house.
With a few clicks you can be leisurely making your way through living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, kitchens and bathrooms – the whole house in all its beauty waiting for you to step on in for an effortless and insightful virtual tour.