Cheltenham

To get to Cheltenham Cottage, you go in through its private entrance, to the right of the central arches of the stables, and up a spiral staircase to an enormous warm and welcoming open-plan drawing-room/dining-room/kitchen.  This is flooded by the light from six windows which look out to staggering views: on one side, across the walled garden, fields and woods to Stow-on-the-Wold in the distance; and on the other, over the stable courtyard and the parkland of Bruern Abbey.

The walls are a ‘parma gray’, set off by long cream cotton damask curtains and the cream sofa. The quantities of black-and-white prints and black-framed engravings, together with the black-and-white engraved border at cornice level, make it look like an 18th century print room. Over the mantelpiece there’s a black-and-gold framed mirror, and by the window a desk.  An off white sofa and two low chairs flank the open fire, and there’s a blue and beige velvet spotted hassock on the needle point rug, just right for a tray or magazines. Behind the sofa is the circular dining-table. Two windows frame a big dresser, whose subtle off-whites and greys set off shelves of decorative pink-and-white china, plates, tea pots, coffee pots and serving dishes. The fresh and pretty kitchen is screened from the drawing-room by the stairs leading to the upstairs landing. It has white painted units and grey granite worktops.

The master bedroom, at the top of the stairs on the left, is a tranquil mixture of blue, pink and cream. The walls are palest pink, the woodwork dragged pearly grey; the four-poster is painted in a blue-and-white faux bamboo effect, and hung in a pink-and-blue on cream Bennison print of tiny garlands of roses, matching the curtains and the cushion on the window seat.  There’s a wardrobe and shelves with sliding doors, and a small marble-topped washstand set in a mirrored lighted alcove by the door. Across the landing is the twin-bedded room, with buff walls, pale green dragged paintwork, and a curtained alcove lined in rose-and-cream toile de jouy, in which is set one of the beds.

In between the bedrooms is the shared bathroom. It has a wall to wall caramel marble washstand, and caramel tiles on floor and walls; big mirrors run the length of the bathroom over both the bath and the washstand.