Award winning architecture in a National Park

Wakeham is a minimalist house in a classical shell. It won the Country Life 'House of the Year' award. It is in the middle of our farm, with woods, valleys & a river, and stunning views of the South Downs. Its pool (closed from 10 Nov to 14 April) is 12ft deep and has 3m and 1m springboards . In winter there remain log fires, a tennis court, a brilliant sandpit, and access to lots of country walks. Great for short stays but also as a base for a few months for house-hunting newcomers. Ask us! The space The house has striking architecture, and most people love it. But it's not ultra-smart or a hotel. This is a lived-in house, not a property set up for rent - so it has family photographs and books all over the place, the woodwork needs repainting where children have scuffed it, and so on. Don't expect perfection! The atrium and kitchen are the main living spaces. The atrium is triple-height, and wrapped around by balconies at first floor level. There are hundreds of books, ranging from thrillers to more serious novels, in shelves on the balconies (and there is also a large children's book section). The decoration of the top gallery is completed by two carved panels created by Theo Silkstone, a young furniture maker and sculptor based in Oxford; and there is a good Bluetooth sound bar that can be used to fill the house with music. On the ground floor the atrium has two large semi-circular sofas in front of a huger fireplace: the paintings are by the French mid-20th century artist Maurice Georges Poncelet and by the contemporary Dorset painter Peter Hitchins. The centre of the kitchen is a huge polished granite table (which seats 9), leading up to a stainless steel island unit with a large multi-ring ceramic hob, a built-in oven, and multiple drawers for storage . The 1950s reclaimed aluminium kitchen units run up both sides of the room, and the whole rear wall is taken up by a long and colourful painting by the contemporary British artist, Thomas Newbolt. The kitchen is well equipped with top of the range Miele kitchen machinery, assorted other machines, and plain white porcelain crockery. In decent weather you can eat under the portico which leads directly from the kitchen and from the atrium. The house opens up onto the portico so that becomes an extra living space. There is a small study with a very large desk, a couple of chairs, a Smart television (which we seldom watch) , a large collection of DVDs, an Apple computer for guest use (which can show DVDs) and more bookshelves. The left hand bookshelf holds biographies, ranging from the 16th to the 21st centuries; the right hand one other academic books. In bad weather there are two open fires, including a huge fireplace in the atrium - and the underfloor heating works well. Upstairs, one double room has an en-suite bath and the other an en-suite shower. They are well set up with Egyptian cotton sheets, and comfortable pillows. They have very good mattresses. Their decoration is minimal - I am afraid I don't like having lots of frilly cushions all over the place. The smaller rooms share a bathroom with a shower, basin and toilet. One of them has 2 bunk beds and is set up as close to a 1950s spaceship as I can manage, and decorated with a lot of pictures from the Dan Dare strip of that era. The other children's room is more traditionally decorated and has a wide (4ft) single bed which is just-about large enough to accommodate a mutually-tolerant couple, but can't seriously pretend to be a double bed. There is also a basic fold-out single bed tucked into the corner of the room. There is also a downstairs toilet by the front door. Outside, there is a large laundry room with two washing machines, two tumble driers, an ironing machine and an ancient but functioning deep freeze and very ancient 4-ring cooker. This provides extra capacity - there is cooking equipment and a small freezer in the house itself. The garden is large but shabby in places - rabbits keep undermining it. It is mainly laid down to grass and trees. The pool is open from April 14th until November 10th, but it is solar heated. Only the bravest cold water swimmers will venture into it in the early spring or in late autumn. From the start of June to mid-September it is usually over 21 degrees centigrade, but it all depends on the weather. In the middle of the summer heatwave in 2025 it was up to 28 degrees but that is unusual. On October 8th 2025 the pool was 17 degrees centigrade- swimmable but bracing. There is a description of how the heating works - and a map of the farm - on the main Wakeham Farm website. Guest access You will have access to the whole house apart from store rooms. You are normally very welcome to walk on the farm and even to put up a tent somewhere subject to discussion with us about where is best - though please do NOT go onto the farm on Saturdays in the shooting season (October-February) without checking with us whether there is a shoot that day. IT IS VITAL TO CLOSE ALL GATES - if sheep get into the wrong field and eat the wrong thing, it can kill them. And all stock is a danger to itself and to others if it wanders onto the roads. Additional - and much cheaper - accommodation is available on other cottages on the farm - look for Billy's Cottage on Airbnb to see what they are like. Other things to note The atrium has a very big fireplace. It would be sensible to bring some wood, matches and firelighters with you. It's important to open the chimney flues before you light the fires - they can be closed off when not in use to stop draughts. There is a lever in each fireplace to let you do that. Do NOT clear away wood ash from the fireplace- it provides the proper base for new wood fires. Please don't use coal or smokeless fuel. In good summers the pool temperature will usually be between 70 Fahrenheit (21 C) and 80 Fahrenheit (27 C) but only if you put the solar cover back on in the evenings. In the spring it will be cold, so bring wetsuits! In the winter it is closed up. You need to be careful on the springboards - they are both high, and vey springy! Take time to get used to them. You may not have ever been on a board this springy. DO NOT LET CHILDREN PLAY UNSUPERVISED IN THE POOL AREA. Please bring your own tennis racquets & balls if you play tennis. Please bring your own beach towels for use by the pool - the towels in the house are meant for bathrooms only.