A House For Essex

£1,925.00 per long weekend

Unique and incomparable house, overlooking the river Stour. Original artworks created by Grayson Perry. Fully immersive experience of the fictional life of Julie Cope. Architectural eccentricity at its most creative. An hour by train from London. Two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Not ones to shy away from a challenge, we commissioned the artist Grayson Perry to fulfil his long-held wish to build a chapel to the history of his home county of Essex. With Charles Holland of FAT Architects, a partnership was formed and we set about realising this dream.

THE PROPERTY

At the end of a private lane you encounter this uncompromising house, set in an undulating landscape leading down to the shores of the river Stour. Guests enter through a large wooden door into a lobby and hallway, off which a small bathroom is situated, and across the hall the staircase leads to two bedrooms and a second bathroom on the first floor. The first-floor bathroom has both shower and large sunken bath, from where you can soak and take in the views. Each bedroom has an internal balcony overlooking the main living space, as well as views across the river. An intimate kitchen and dining area has hidden doors flanking the fireplace and wood burner, through which guests enter into the double-height living room lined with decorative timber panelling and Grayson Perry's richly coloured tapestries. Other specially commissioned artworks including furnishings, pots and mosaic floors celebrate the story of Julie Cope and her life in Essex. Glazed and sHutstered double doors can be opened to reveal a sheltered porch overlooking the fields down to the Stour. A House for Essex is a testament to the idea that art and architecture can lift our spirits and allow us to experience the world through the eyes of others, both in reality and fiction.