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Rooms with a View: five homes with impressive outlooks
Sometimes it’s what’s on the outside that counts. Whether of open countryside, a shimmering horizon or talking-point architecture, the view can change everything about a house – as this round-up of listings clearly shows
- Words
- Elizabeth Bennett
Mapstone Hill, Lustleigh, Devon
From tales of pixies and legends of stone circles to its vast expanses of craggy greenery, Dartmoor National Park has a sense of magic about it. And at Mapstone Hill, a Grade I-listed early medieval manor on the park’s eastern edges, the wild is right there, waiting to be enjoyed.
In the half-acre of sloping walled garden here, you’re treated to views of the moors, towards Hunters Tor and the village of Lustleigh Cleave, one of the prettiest in the area. Meanwhile, the house itself – a 700-year-old beauty in which Victorian joinery and mid-century Crittall windows sit alongside 14th-century fenestration and a vaulted oak frame – has a feeling of being enveloped in nature, not least in the main bedroom, which has views of the walled gardens and tree canopies.
Little Harp, Old Radnor, Powys
There’s something innately grounding about being greeted with green every time you glance out the window. And at this 17th-century stone cottage in the Welsh Marshes, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to vantage points. Perched upon a ridge overlooking the stunning Radnor Valley, the house is surrounded by what feels like never-ending countryside. The building, thanks to careful restoration, is cosy and tranquil, with whitewashed walls and a bright modern kitchen extension alongside lovely original details, such as solid-oak beams and deep fireplaces.
The future owner of this house will be living amid fascinating history, as this region has important prehistoric heritage, with an impressive number of monuments found nearby, many still standing. With an award-winning pub, the Harp Inn, almost on your doorstep and a smattering of culturally rich towns – including the celebrated Hay-on-Wye – a short drive away, contemporary cravings are very much catered for too.
Rhiw Gam, Llangrannog, Ceredigion
If you’ve ever daydreamed about tucking into breakfast with a side of sea view (who hasn’t?) this converted Victorian schoolhouse in west Wales is here to fulfil the fantasy. And it doesn’t just have any old vista, but a superb sweep of rugged coast across a tree-lined valley – all yours to admire while the coffee boils. Special mention goes to nearby Llangrannog beach and Cardigan Bay with their dramatic cliffs, swathes of sand and hidden rocky coves, two of the best stretches of shore in this part of the world.
Built in 1846, the 1,017sq ft home has been lovingly restored by its current owners, who have paid special attention to its singular history. Starting life as a navigation school, the building was originally owned by Sarah Jane Rees, something of a power woman in the 19th century. First finding fame as a master mariner – a extraordinary achievement for a Victorian woman – she had an illustrious career that included stints as a poet, editor of a Welsh women’s magazine and an activist.
High Street, Yalding, Kent
Whether by picking fruit in the wild meadow, picnicking under the willow trees or launching a boat on the river from your own private bank, at this home in the Kent village of Yalding, you can make your bucolic dream a reality.
The set-up is pretty special at the Grade II-listed six-bedroom house, which dates to the early 18th century. Built upon a medieval rag-stone bridge, it’s set within an acre of grounds surrounded on three sides by water. As a result, as you move between its four floors, you’ll be met with an array of picturesque scenes – of the bridge itself, out to Yalding and across the expansive green lawn down to the river.
Nelson Crescent, Ramsgate, Kent
“This town has something very singular, one notices the sea in everything,” Vincent van Gogh, a brief resident of Ramsgate in 1876, remarked. If you’re also looking to spend time in this arty coastal town and desire a view worth painting, then making your home on Nelson Crescent is certainly a good idea. This line-up of handsome Georgian dwellings offers the best sightlines in town, overlooking the bustling harbour towards an expanse of sea and beyond, all the way to France on a clear day.
At this six-bedroom house, said sights are best enjoyed from the chinoiserie balcony, accessed via the drawing room, where a set of three French doors set up the view like a grand triptych. The rooms at the front – the ground-floor kitchen, second-floor principal bedroom and third-floor bedrooms – are also blessed with postcard-perfect outlooks.
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