Latest news with #countryhouse
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Handsome' country home with expansive grounds for sale at £1.1 million
A five-bedroom country house with expansive grounds is for sale in Fundenhall, near Wymondham, at an asking price of £1.1 million. Selling agent Sowerbys said: 'Tucked away in a truly idyllic setting, The Rookery is a striking Grade II listed country home, gracefully nestled within around 8.4 acres (subject to measure survey) of beautifully mature grounds. 'Set behind wrought iron gates and approached by a sweeping gravelled driveway, this handsome period residence exudes elegance, charm and complete privacy – a sanctuary in the heart of the Norfolk countryside.' Entering through a porch, there is a dining room immediately to the right and a drawing room to the left. The drawing room (Image: Sowerbys) The drawing room has large fireplace with woodburner and red brick surround, while sash windows provide views over the grounds. READ MORE: See inside family home in sought-after Norfolk village Double doors lead through to a conservatory with direct access into the garden. There is also a woodburning stove in the dining room, which leads through to a sitting room with additional fireplace. The dining room (Image: Sowerbys) The modern kitchen includes a large island, AGA and integrated appliances. There are windows to three aspects, as well as skylights, filling the room with natural light. Completing the ground floor is a snug, boot room, cloakroom and flexible studio space with mezzanine level. The contemporary kitchen (Image: Sowerbys) The snug (Image: Sowerbys) Stairs from the dining room lead to the first floor, where there are three double bedrooms, a contemporary family bathroom and separate shower room. READ MORE: Grade II home with church tower views for sale at £500,000 There are two further vaulted bedrooms on the top floor, accessed via separate staircases, as well as a practical storeroom. One of the bedrooms (Image: Sowerbys) The family bathroom (Image: Sowerbys) Outside, the impressive grounds include a rear terrace surrounded by large areas of lawn, wildflower meadows and mature tree belts. Sowerbys said: 'Productive fruit trees, a polytunnel and a woodland area, covered by snowdrops, bluebells, wild garlic and hundreds of daffodils that lead one season into another, create a wonderful sense of self-sufficiency and country living.' The gardens include a terrace and large areas of lawn (Image: Sowerbys) There is also a woodland area (Image: Sowerbys) To the front, the gravel driveway leads to a generous parking area, garaging and five traditional stables. The property comes with five stables (Image: Sowerbys) The Rookery is located on the outskirts of Fundenhall, a small village with a pub and plenty of opportunities for scenic walks and cycle rides. Further amenities are available in the nearby market towns of Wymondham and Attleborough. For more information, contact Sowerbys. PROPERTY FACTS The Rookery, Fundenhall Guide price: £1,100,000 Sowerbys, 01603 761441
Telegraph
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Giovanna Fletcher: ‘I used to get up early for my children; now I get up early for the garden'
Actress, author and podcaster Giovanna Fletcher launched her podcast Happy Mum Happy Baby eight years ago, and was crowned the winner of I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! in 2020. She met her husband, the McFly singer Tom Fletcher, at drama school; they married in 2012 and have three children. Four years ago, they moved into a country house with what she describes as her dream garden. Where do you live? About four years ago, my husband Tom, our three boys and I moved to a little village in Hertfordshire. The house used to be the farmhouse of the 'great house' next door and was built in 1710, so straight away there was a sense that we were its new custodians, as well as its owners. Things like the electricity and plumbing were quite patchy, so we did have to pull that out and start again, but I couldn't wait to turn my attention to the garden. The house has an orangery at the back and came with five acres, including a woodland, a field and a very large south-facing garden divided into different sections. At a glance, we knew the previous owners must have loved it, because it had an immaculate lawn, a large weeping willow, flower beds, hanging wisteria and lavender around the patio. What's your main interest in the garden? I used to grow vegetables in our last garden, but by the time we moved here, that had turned into an obsession, and I couldn't wait to get my hands in the soil. Having said that, not long after we arrived, a huge storm blew all the glass out of a lovely old greenhouse at the bottom of the garden. I didn't want to get rid of it, so we swapped the glass for the polythene used in polytunnels and gave it a lick of paint. The next job was to build raised beds. I'd never done this before and, while I wouldn't call Tom a keen gardener, he did a brilliant job making them. They're 60cm high to avoid at least one pest – carrot fly. Potatoes went in, then all sorts of seeds which I buy from Real Seeds and Tomato Revolution – chilli, pepper, cucumber, carrot, cherry, courgette. The funny thing is, when the kids were babies and I was up at night, I'd be looking on my phone to buy things they needed. Now, if I can't sleep, I'm looking at seed varieties! Which veg is your favourite? At the very top of my list are tomatoes and it's probably because it connects me to the Italian side of the family, particularly my father's mother, Nonna. She lived to the age of 96 and left a huge impression on me; Dad idolised her. She was born and raised in a mountain village, just outside Naples, and when she married my grandfather, she went to live with him on his farm. Then in November 1980, there was a terrible earthquake, and their village was nearly wiped out. They had to live in tents and eventually got a prefab house but still had to go up the mountain for water. Most importantly, they got a garden where Nonna used to grow tomatoes. We'd go over there in the summer just as they were getting ripe, so there were always plenty of amazing salads, but Nonna would also begin the tradition of making pots of passata which would keep for months. In memory of her, I now make it too. Do your children help you in the garden? We have three boys – Buzz, 11, Buddy, 9, and Max, 6 – so the garden is their playground, but they'll often come and see what I'm doing or help me plant something. We have a bed full of strawberry plants which they love picking as soon as they're ripe, and last summer, Max and his friend had great fun helping me pull up the potatoes. He also brought home a broad-bean plant from school, and, like any parent, I refused to let this plant die! Happily, it lived and went on to produce lots of beans which we replanted this year, so Max now has loads of broad-bean babies which he's very pleased about. I just need to find some great recipes to use them up. Did you have a garden as a child? My family lived above a café in Canning Town in East London until I was three, when we moved to Essex. We then had a garden, which was used by my brother, sister and me for bikes and paddling pools, but I also remember parading around it in Mum's high heels and fake fur coats. Then when I turned 13, we were living in a village in Essex called Ingatestone and I applied for a Saturday job at the village's family-run florist. It was the week before Valentine's and they'd just lost their bucket girl. It was mayhem! A few weeks later, it was Mother's Day, and we were inundated. It was a real focal point for the community and life's big occasions – babies, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and funerals. I loved it and stayed for four years. I only left because I got my driving licence and got a job at Debenhams in Chelmsford. Did your floristry experience give you a particular affinity for flowers? I absolutely love anything that blooms. And when we came here, we were lucky to inherit some wonderful flowers, including large peony bushes and hydrangeas which have the biggest flowerheads I've ever seen. They also turn from beautiful shades of lilac blue to powder pink. On one side, there's a small pond which looked like the perfect spot to create something new, so we got a company called Dig to help us build an herbaceous area to fill with flowering shrubs. It has a pink and peach theme and looks gorgeous. Sometimes, I wish we had a proper cutting garden. Problem is, I'd probably struggle to cut the flowers and bring them in. Is the garden home to much wildlife? In the field we have beside the house, there's a much larger pond. Next to it, the previous owners had made a sauna, and we fully intended to go in the sauna and jump in the pond every day. That didn't happen. Bit by bit, the pond was overtaken by wildlife which is wonderful. We also have ducks, as well as rescue chickens, and they love it. Next, we had newts, toads and frogs moving in, which the boys – who already have a bearded dragon lizard and a giant African land snail – go down to look for all the time. They did want us to add some big fish to the pond, and we nearly made the massive mistake of buying koi. Just before we did, Tom found out that they would have eaten everything else in the pond. Do you often find yourself 'disappearing' into the garden? I spent 11 years getting up ridiculously early to sort out the boys. Now I find myself getting up ridiculously early to water the plants. The greenhouse is slightly removed from the house, so I'll often go in there and listen to a podcast or some music; at the moment it's this lovely album by Michael Kiwanuka called Small Changes. The music and the garden just seem to transport me somewhere else. I've come to realise that gardening teaches you to stop… to calm down and switch off. As in life, the garden comes with failures as well as successes, and it's the failures that teach you resilience, perseverance and plenty of patience.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
I spent six years locked in a haze of antidepressants after my first marriage broke down. This is the red flag I ignored - and why, at 57, I'm taking the plunge into love again: MIRANDA LEVY
The mental health nurse started rooting through my wardrobe in a 'declutter your life' kind of a way. Eventually, she found the £2,000 Christiana Couture dress I had worn for my country house wedding, 14 years earlier. She somehow thought that throwing away a few unused garments would soothe the tangle in my brain. 'We won't be needing that any longer,' she snapped, ripping my gown from the rail, marching it down the stairs and depositing it next to the bins in the front garden.
Telegraph
06-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Telegraph
How to achieve ‘Chipping Norton chic' at home (by the woman who invented it)
With its Aga, sofas draped with dogs and carpeted bathrooms, Susie Watson's Queen Anne home in a Wiltshire village is about as classically British as a country house can be. Nothing is white or straight – floors are uneven and walls are papered with muted stripes or painted in pastel colours. Yet it's not self-consciously whimsical, either: no frilly pelmets or elaborate ornaments. Watson, who has been running her interiors business Susie Watson Designs for 25 years, has strong views about what works in a country house and what doesn't. 'It's about trying to make your house look pretty without being twee,' she explains. Her exacting taste is reflected in the interiors of houses across the Home Counties and Cotswolds, with homeowners flocking to her flagship shops in Marlborough, Sherborne and Dorset for inspiration. Panelling, printed linen curtains and duck-egg paint colours are in; pale pink velvet cushions are not. 'I had a request for some the other day and I didn't know how to respond,' Watson says. 'Velvet is fabulous in dark colours but you'd never want it in anything light.' It's the opposite with linen, though, she continues: dark green linen simply does not work. Neither do small cotton cushions in the drawing room. 'They should never be anywhere but the bedroom.' Watson never trained as an interior designer; her eye for colour and pattern evolved in her twenties when she began designing women's dresses. She'd married Hamish, a property developer, and with four small children, she was eager for a distraction from nappy changing. To her surprise, her seasonal collections flew off the rail. 'I sold clothes to really posh people. It was the first thing I'd ever done that was creative or vaguely business-like and it made me realise I could develop an idea and make it happen,' she says. Next she started developing houses with Hamish; they'd buy them cheap at auction and then she'd decorate them to sell. 'I was intrigued by how to make a house feel lovely even without furniture – it's all about the doors and the paint colours,' she says. After a while, property development began to feel formulaic, however, so she decided to buy a shop instead. The business has grown slowly, but now in her seventies, Watson is working full-time with a team that includes her daughter, Anna, as designer. She advises all her customers to focus on what they love, rather than what they think will make their home look good to others. 'We're so Instagram-focussed that we forget to buy what we really love,' she says. 'It's a pity because you end up with a house filled with things you don't actually like that much.' The most beautiful pieces of furniture and art aren't necessarily new or perfect, she continues, which is why she only sells handmade furnishings and furniture, created by skilled artisans. Still, when customers say they want to buy a whole room of her products, she urges them to mix it up with antiques and furnishings from other companies. She also reminds them that no matter how many beautiful rugs and wall hangings they buy, a room is only as beautiful as its walls. 'The difficulty is convincing them that so much of it is the colour. They think it's the curtains, but it's not.' Her number-one rule is no white paint. 'This includes paint that is called something other than white, but still is,' she explains. 'Whitish colours are so cold, and all your other fabrics – particularly linen – look dirty against them.' If you stick to 'in between' colours – greenish, blueish or brownish – on the wall, everything else will fall into place. 'None of the colours you see in nature are one pure colour,' she explains. 'Go for sea-coloured walls.' Here are her top tips for achieving the perfectly imperfect country-house look at home. Don't default to white paint Colour is everything. When repainting a room, avoid all shades of white – you need to choose a colour that looks pretty, even if everything else is scruffy. Pink is a great colour for a kitchen and is a great backdrop for paintings. My sitting room has a green striped wallpaper – the two tones make it feel like walking into a glade. I used to use a lot of duck egg and celadon, but now I've moved on to bolder earthy and sea colours. Avoid white at the back of a bookcase, too – it makes the books jump out. I tend to opt for a slightly darker colour to give depth. Cover your walls Pictures are the most brilliant decoration. They're the only wedding present that actually survives. They don't break or get damaged by dogs and they make a room feel furnished even if you don't have much furniture. If you can't afford paintings, opt for mirrors, which are a cheaper fix and bring light into the room. Wall hangings are also a good bet; we've started making them as a cheaper alternative to paintings. Rug up Wool kilims aren't just a work of art (although the weaving is incredible), they're also the most forgiving floor covering. Some of mine are 20 years old and still immaculate despite the dogs. In fact, I think they become even more beautiful as the colours fade. Wool repels dirt, is washable and is also tough enough to cope with high-traffic areas. Don't listen to anyone telling you that you need to buy a plastic rug or carpet; think of polyester clothing – plastic eats dirt. You can't live without a fender A fender adds another seating area to a sitting room, which is particularly useful when there's not enough space for two armchairs either side of the fireplace. We sell a lot of them in winter; they're also a cosy place to sit when it's cold. Keep the clutter Don't feel ashamed of covering your surfaces with framed photographs. I never look at mine to be honest, but I do look at other people's. I like personal clutter in a house because it makes it feel individual. Revive the dresser Welsh dressers had largely disappeared from kitchens, but I'm bringing them back. They're perfect for keeping cereals and marmalades and other breakfast items, while also being an attractive piece of furniture to display your favourite plates and mugs. We sell quite a few now thanks to the trend for freestanding kitchens. I also love plate racks – why would you want to keep all your plates in a cupboard? It's so much easier to reach them if they're on the wall. Invest in an Aga If you're going to make one big investment, make it an Aga. I love them and wouldn't be without one. It can often be a miserable day, even in summer, so it's lovely to have one cosy room. It's an extravagance, I know, but you can do away with air fryers and other gadgets – I never cook on anything else. Have a bare wooden worktop We're all told not to have wooden kitchen worktops, because they stain, and if we do have them, we're told they must be heavily protected with varnish. The trouble with varnish, though, is that it wears in places and turns yellow. Anna and I have both had the varnish taken off our wooden kitchen surfaces and they look so much better bare. They might get the odd mark, but natural materials such as wood tend to push out stains. Avoid an oversized island Kitchen islands are brilliant but they're getting too big. I can't see why you need one so big. You don't need to eat at it – you've got a table for that, surely? An island is really just for dumping things on. The ones we sell are freestanding, with shelves at the front for bowls and books and space for three bins at the back. Honestly, you need space in the island for all that recycling. So many people have lovely kitchens but spoil them with big plastic boxes for rubbish. Throw on a tablecloth If you're having friends over, a tablecloth does all the work for you. They look cheerful and cosy and like you've made an effort. Add some candles and flowers and you're ready to go. Linen cloths are best as they're robust and don't show the dirt. Fake it with flowers I don't take flowers inside the house any more; they die. Fake flowers are much more sustainable; you can rotate seasonal blooms throughout the year. Be careful what you buy, though: 90 per cent of fake flowers are revolting, but if you pick and choose you can find some gems. I sell them in bunches to help customers avoid mistakes. You can never have enough dog beds We have dog beds everywhere. In some rooms there are several. I love having a proper place for them to sit, even though the dogs pull the cushions off. This doesn't mean that they don't jump on the sofa – they still do and I forgive them, even if they chew the arms sometimes. Hang up your laundry Running a tumble dryer costs a fortune, so make sure you have somewhere to hang up your wet washing. Preferably near the boiler. I don't go for pulley airers as they become so heavy with wet washing – I get a builder to put up wall brackets with simple dowels. I still tumble-dry my towels, though. I can't bear it when they're scratchy. If in doubt, put up panelling In more formal rooms, traditional panelling adds interest and texture, while MDF (medium density fibreboard) tongue-and-groove panelling is a quick fix that looks amazing when painted in a Swedish blue or green. I use it in bathrooms, painted with eggshell paint – it's so much cheaper than tiles. In fact, I avoid tiles wherever possible, as getting a tiler is so expensive – in showers I use the cheapest white tiles I can find in Homebase. Always carpet a bathroom No one has carpet in a bathroom any more, but I love the feel of it on my feet when I step out of the bath. It's practical, too – it goes down in seconds, costs much less than tiling and can be easily replaced. I choose wool carpets over anything synthetic – they dry quickly if they get splashed, aren't easily stained and don't smell. Curtains make a room I never draw my curtains as I like to look out at the view when I wake up, but a pair of pretty linen curtains adds a finishing touch to any room. They're a chance to introduce colour and texture – many of our curtain fabrics are appliqué. Pelmets have made a comeback recently – I still think really gathered pelmets are too much, but Anna designs them with smart box pleats that don't look twee. Don't go for a metal bedstead Iron bedsteads might look attractive, but the fact is it's more relaxing to lean back against something soft. An upholstered headboard furnishes a room rather like a pair of curtains. Ditch your duvet I can't stand changing duvet covers. I much prefer using a top sheet and quilt. The colourful quilt looks so much prettier than a duvet and you'll sleep beneath a more comfortable weight year-round – if it gets particularly cold, you can always throw a duvet between the sheet and the quilt. 'Chipping Norton chic'
Forbes
17-06-2025
- Forbes
It's Food For Thought At The Newt In Somerset
'The Newt is more than just a hotel, it's a legacy,' says Arthur Cole, head of programming at The Newt in Somerset, as he rumbles across picturesque farmland in a mud-splattered 4x4. Read any of the reviews of The Newt in Somerset, a Palladian house hotel, farm and garden, owned by hoteliers Karen Roos and her husband, Koos Bekker, (both also preside over Babylonstoren in South Africa), and you'll come across a whole raft of superlatives to describe it: astonishing, magical, charming... All of these—and more—are true: when you arrive, you soon realise that this is one of the most idyllic country house hotels in the UK, arguably in a league of its own, yet you won't find the team who work here boasting about it. Hadspen House at the heart of The Newt. When it opened in 2019, it did so quietly, with little fuss. This was despite the fact that there was no cost spared when it came to renovating the 17th-century Hadspen House, which sits at the heart of the estate, and the regeneration of the surrounding grounds (reportedly costing around £50 million). While the hotel garners rave reviews across the board, The Newt believes that the experience guests have, and the work it is doing on the land, simply speak for themselves. 'Yes, we are a finessed, luxury hotel, but we offer so much more than just a bed for the night,' says Arthur. 'Whether you come for the gardens, or the food [most of the ingredients used in the restaurants are sourced on the land], The Newt will still be evolving many years after I am gone. That's the plan, anyway.' The idyllic gardens are one of the highlights at The Newt. Found near Bruton in Somerset, The Newt in Somerset sits in some 800 acres of, yes, bucolic grounds. From its walled apple orchards, boasting 267 varieties of apples, to its sprawling kitchen gardens, with 350 varieties of fruits, vegetables and herbs, there's so much to explore that you'd be hard pressed to cover it all in a weekend visit. Exquisite flower gardens, spread across 30 acres, include colour-themed 'rooms' of red, white and blue blooms; while wildflower meadows reside next to those with roaming buffalo herds; there's a hidden grotto; a deer park,; an interactive Story of Gardening exhibit; a spa set amid herb gardens with nature-themed treatments; wild swimming ponds and even its own cyder-making facility… and that's just scratching the surface. Most importantly, perhaps, is the fact that The Newt sits within a true working farm, with some 522 people employed across the whole business, including farmers, conservation managers, gardeners, scientists, beekeepers, and woodsmen and women. It means that guests can get up close to an abundance of nature and wildlife. The Drawing Room at Hadspen House is a play on its Georgian architecture. 'We don't like to use words like 'sustainable',' says Arthur. 'Because what does it actually mean these days? It is an overused term that has lost its meaning. 'Regenerative' is probably the closest term that I would use to describe us.' To find out more about the depth of work at The Newt, guests can book a farm tour to see the native British White cattle, Dorset Down sheep, water buffalo and wild deer herds that graze on the land. 'Everything works in harmony,' says Arthur. 'They work their magic on the soil and create conditions in which pollinators and farmland birds can thrive.' Indeed, The Newt's land, woods, orchards and gardens are home to a wide range of wildlife and important habitats, including several species of reptiles, birds, and bats as well as, of course, the Great Crested Newt, for which the business is named. There's also a Beezantium, looked after by resident entomologist Thomas Oliver, which hosts thousands of bees, which roam around the estate, pollinating fruits, vegetables, flowers and crops. 'We are very conscious about what we do in terms of farming practices and our care for the land and wildlife. We see ourselves as caretakers of this little corner of England,' Arthur says. 'So, no insecticides are used; supplementary feed and bedding for cattle and dairy cows are home-grown and lambs are 100% grass fed.' Many of the herbs and vegetab les are sourced from the Produce Garden. He continues: 'We try and supply as much of the produce for the restaurants as possible, which means that estate-based food production and processing saves thousands of food miles each year and guests can taste the freshest Somerset produce. Grass-fed British White cattle and Dorset Down sheep provide the highest quality beef and lamb to The Newt's farm shops, restaurants and online customers across the region. The milling wheat grown on the farm provides the flour for the bread, biscuits, cakes, pasta and other amazing products that The Newt's bakers and chefs create. Water buffalos provide milk for cheese and yoghurts made on the estate at The Creamery.' Also part of the set-up is the futuristic Avalon butchery which, with its light-drenched, double-height space, feels more like an art gallery than a typical butcher's. 'It has been designed as a centre for excellence, not only for food production, but to give educational opportunities for budding butchers around the country,' explains Arthur. 'The facility is the sole supplier of estate-reared and locally sourced meat served across The Newt's restaurants and shops. With rare and heritage breed livestock born, raised, finished, and butchered on the estate, the butchery gives The Newt even greater control over the quality, provenance, and traceability of its meat. The Butchery aims to be a beacon for spotlighting British meat, raised and prepared in an uncompromising way. Alongside its butchery services, the butchery celebrates traditions once common across British country estates—from potting meats, to slow-smoking legs of mutton.' The Botanical Rooms showcases The Newt's produce. It's no surprise, therefore, that dining at The Newt is a highlight, with three restaurants to choose from. The elevated, glass-walled Garden Café immerses you in nature with its views over the walled orchard—the menu changes according to what has been picked from the gardens that day; while the Farmyard Kitchen features hearty fare and wood-fired cooking from an open kitchen. In the Botanical Rooms, found in Hadspen House, it's all about seasonal menus featuring the freshest ingredients from the estate—from buffalo mozzarella with white beans to estate venison, beetroot, oyster mushroom and walnut. Save room for the apple pie with cyder caramel and buffalo milk gelato, which is not to be missed, and make sure you order a glass of glass of South African Mourvèdre Rosé made on the sister-hotel Babylonstoren's estate. You can choose to sit in the oak-panelled dining room (cosy in winter) or in the glass extension, which feels like a Victorian orangerie with its potted citrus and olive plants. The Garden Room's design is a refined riff on the building's history. The Newt may be so much more than a hotel, but that's not to say it's not an exceptional one. You can choose one of 42 rooms which are found in Hadspen House, as well as carved out of historic outbuildings, and at The Farmyard. In the main house, bedrooms are thoughtfully designed, with a well-edited mix of antiques, stylish velvet chairs and simple four-poster beds. The interiors were conceived by Karen Roos, who was previously editor at South Africa's Elle Decoration. Needless to say, attention to detail is on point and full of character, with aged mirrors, Georgian silhouette art and glass bathroom cabinets filled with shells and bath sponges (like curiosities of old). It all works to complement the period details: panelled walls, fireplaces and original shutters of the Palladian house. One of the joys of The Newt is how it continues to innovate with new developments having been continually introduced since it opened. 'Many of us who work here were involved with The Newt from the beginning,' says Arthur Cole. 'We bought into what was an ambitious vision, but how it has developed has surpassed even our dreams. What's more, we're now taking The Newt's potential even further.' The spa garden immerses guests in nature. One of its recent big 'splashes' was the stunning recreation of a Roman villa within the estate, built after extensive Roman ruins were excavated. Visitors can now tour the visitor centre, take in the original foundations, and step back in time inside the reconstructed villa, which has hand-painted frescoes, artisan-made mosaic floors and working Roman baths. Its set in a vineyard (the hotel will soon make its own wine) and authentic gardens modelled on what the Romans would have grown. Last year, the team also opened The Creamery, a café, dairy and farm shop, found at the nearby Castle Cary train station, which has direct links to London. It stands as a reimagination of the original dairy facility that stood here, used by local farmers who would bring milk to be pasteurised before it was loaded on the milk train to London. Adding a new twist is this year's Maid of Somerset afternoon tea experience, set within a restored British Pullman carriage in the gardens. Originally built in 1921, the heritage rail car has begun a new life as a setting for the one-of-a-kind afternoon tea experience, featuring produce from The Newt (think: an almond, orange & cardamom cake with whipped coffee hang op—a soft cheese created by The Newt's head cheesemaker). Once serving as a First-Class parlour car on the legendary Thanet Belle route, the carriage boasts rich marquetry, geometric trellis motifs, and high-backed armchairs, upholstered in historic 'Autumn Tints' fabric. Glass-topped mahogany tables dating back to the 1920s, original brass fittings, and torch-style wall lamps complete the experience. Transporting guests to a bygone time, it's another example of The Newt's deftness of recreating magic from the roots of the past.
