"Sash windows draw in plenty of light, illuminating original carved fireplaces, niches and decorative moulding"
"Sash windows draw in plenty of light, illuminating original carved fireplaces, niches and decorative moulding"
A fine example of Georgian architecture, this three/four-bedroom Grade II-listed house lies in Bristol’s Cotham and Redland conservation area. It spans some 2,000 sq ft across five storeys, with four impressive yet comfortable reception rooms and a wealth of original features. Gardens at the front and the rear of the house are lush with rambling roses, magnolia and fruit trees, curving around stone urns and benches in hidden corners. A few minutes’ walk from the house is Cotham Hill, with its independent shops, grocers and cafés. Local train stations run services to Temple Meads, where trains run to London in around 90 minutes.
Setting the Scene
The area of Cotham was largely laid to pasture until the middle of the 18th century, when small groups of houses emerged on hilltop sites, surrounded by deep valleys and grasslands. The development of Cotham Vale, which follows a historic route along field boundaries, began in the late 18th century and continued throughout the decades that followed. The resulting streetscape is characterised by a collection of late Georgian villas and Victorian terraces with facades of Pennant sandstone and traditional Bath limestone.
This remarkable home comes to market for the first time in 46 years, its period feel wonderfully intact yet resolutely unpretentious. The house is well-maintained and is in good decorative order throughout. It has benefited from recent extensive renovations, including to the roof. In 2025, it was featured in Pearl Lowe’s interior design book, Faded Glamour in the City.
The Grand Tour
Entry to the house is from a front patio enclosed by the original decorative gate and iron railings. It is planted with fragrant honeysuckle, clematis and roses, and apple and fig trees. Down the steps is a roofed stone area for bikes. The front door is beneath a pedimented surround and is topped with an original arched petal fanlight. Behind is a timber-panelled, book-lined and stone-floored hallway adorned with moulded arches, where walls are painted in ‘Oxford Stone’ by Farrow and Ball.
An original six-panelled door opens to the ground-floor sitting-room and library, where walls are painted ‘French Grey’ by Farrow and Ball and original timber boards run underfoot. On one side is an impressive eight-over-eight sash window fitted with embrasure shutters, while on another, an open fireplace sits within an 18th-century fluted surround with carved rosette corner blocks. Bespoke bookshelves provide plenty of space for a personal library.
At the rear is a bright, 27 ft garden room running the width of the house. This room (an addition by the home’s current owners) has timber floors, moulded cornicing and gently curved bookshelves that mimic the Georgian character of the building. Expansive curved bay windows, with bespoke curved radiators beneath, look out onto the lower terraces of the garden. A secret door on one side reveals a handy WC.
A pair of folding doors crowned with an original fanlight opens from the garden library room to the inner study, which is also used as a cosy guest room. Here, an intricately decorated cast iron fireplace is flanked by arched alcoves, ideal for displaying a vase of cut flowers or a favourite piece of art.
From the hallway, an original timber staircase descends to the lower ground floor, where the dining room and the kitchen lie. The dining room has a warm and inviting feel, with heavy flagstone floors underfoot, rich timber-panelled walls with built-in, glass-fronted cupboards, and a large open fireplace. French doors opening to the front patio can be closed with timber shutters.
To the right of the room is a vaulted storage room that would make an excellent wine cellar. A practical chef-style kitchen opens from the dining room, complete with a large walk-in pantry for storing dry ingredients and conserves.
The main staircase, also original, rises from the panelled hall to the first floor, similarly panelled, past an impressive arched window with views over the leafy garden. On this floor are two double bedrooms arranged around a landing. The bedroom to the front of the plan is finished in ‘Cornforth White’ by Farrow and Ball and is fitted with deep built-in cupboards and shelving, and embrasure shutters.
The bedroom to the rear, overlooking the garden, is accessed by a secret panelled door with a built-in niche. It also has excellent built-in storage, as well as a small en suite. Both rooms have two sets of interconnecting doors and have been used as a main bedroom and nursery in the past.
Upstairs, past a second arched window overlooking the garden, is a further double bedroom and a bright bathroom. A staircase leads to the loft room on the fourth floor, currently used as a bedroom.
The Great Outdoors
A stepped garden bounded by the original stone walls and raised flowerbeds extends from the rear of the house. The garden is planted with mature greengage, mirabelle, cherry and hazelnut trees, and a wonderfully fragrant magnolia grandiflora. Wild strawberries, burkwoodii viburnums, camelias, daphnes and rambling ‘Wedding Day’ and ‘Felicité e Perpetué’ rose varieties weave themselves along the terraces.
In the middle of the garden is a stone-rimmed pond and bog garden that attracts birds and wildlife, containing three sculptures, Three Graces, by Charles Mason. Behind the pond on the upper level of the garden, surrounded by established plantings, is a summerhouse that would make a lovely garden office, alongside a level perfect for outdoor dining.
Out and About
Cotham Vale is among the most attractive and convenient locations in the whole of Bristol. Cotham Hill, a pedestrianised street a five-minute walk from the house, has excellent restaurants, cafés and even an international prize-winning Italian ice-cream parlour. There are also a bakery and a hardware shop, and fruit and vegetable stalls outside the greengrocers.
For wine, there is Corks of Cotham, and just around the corner, the butcher Ruby and White provides a range of free-range, organic meats, charcuterie and cheeses. Five minutes’ walk from the house in other directions are the range of shops on Whiteladies Road, including the renowned Pappadeli delicatessen, an M&S food-branch, and the Michelin-starred Wilsons restaurant.
Cotham Gardens park is nearby, while Bristol Lido and its café-restaurant are a 15-minute walk away. Clifton Downs is approximately a 25-minute walk from the house, as well as Clifton Village and the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge. Several national parks and landscapes are within easy reach, including the Cotswolds, the Forest of Dean and the Brecon Beacons across the Severn Bridge, as well as the Devon and Dorset coastlines.
Well-served for cultural activities and annual festivals, including the Harbourside Festival and International Balloon Fiesta, the city has a thriving art and music scene, with Arnolfini and Spike Island leading a well-regarded annual programme of contemporary exhibitions and performances. The Watershed, a much-loved institution located along the harbourside, hosts talks and events alongside a programme of independent film screenings. Many of Bristol’s industrial buildings have been converted into theatres, bars and venues. The most renowned is the Tobacco Factory, which houses a restaurant, theatre, brewery and other facilities.
The University of Bristol and its hospitals are also easily reachable on foot. There is an excellent selection of schools in the area. Cotham Gardens Primary School, St Peter and Paul Primary School and Cotham Secondary School are within short walking distance. Bristol Grammar School is a 15-minute walk from the house, and the Bristol Cathedral School and Clifton College Preparatory and Upper School are just over a 20-minute walk away.
The intercity rail service is easily accessed from Clifton Downs station and Redlands station (both a 10-minute walk from the house), providing a direct route to Temple Meads or south to Weston-Super-Mare. Bath is a short 15-minute train journey from Temple Meads ,or around a 40-minute drive. The city’s international airport is reachable by car or bus in around 40 minutes.
Council Tax Band: E
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