Packed with antiques collected over the years and grand yet striking rooms, this home in Hemsley is a real find. A red-brick facade and topiaried hedges set the tone as you arrive, and inside you’ll find a collection of hand-carved bureaus and cast iron bathtubs. The living room is a vision of deep red with swathes of velvet curtains and an original fireplace keeping things warm in winter. A smaller, cosy family snug is set around a wood-burning stove so the group can easily spread out. In contrast to the rest of the house, the dine-in kitchen is decidedly modern with concrete-grey walls, plush leather dining chairs and a wall of glass looking out over the garden. Though the blue AGA is a nod to farmhouse tradition. If the weather is fine, dinner can be served outside on the patio at the long dining table. An old cherry tree provides patio shade on sunny days and if you visit in Spring, you might catch the blossom falling like snow. If you don’t fancy cooking in the kitchen or firing up the barbecue, there’s a handful of cosy country pubs in Hemsley town, a two-minute walk away.

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