Surrey Homes | SH37 | November 2017 | Gift supplement inside

HOUSE OF THE MONTH
1.
Hot In Here
Maggie Alderson finds homes with cosy fireplaces
When did you last get your chimney swept? If you can’t remember,
you’d better hope Mary Poppins’ Bert knocks on your door
some time soon. At least once a year is the rule, even if you
only light your fire, or woodburner at weekends and the odd evening – if
you’re regular lighters, you should have it done again mid-season. It’s the
soot, missus, what done it, you see. It packs onto the inside of the chim
chimeney and turns into creosote, which is a right regular flammable
substance, cor blimey, strike a light – or maybe don’t. Cue: dance routine.
Once you’ve got that sorted you can sit back and soak up the heat. Because there
isn’t anything better, as the evenings start to cool and nights draw in, curtains closed
earlier each day and another layer of cashmere no longer enough, than lighting a real
fire and relishing the enveloping warmth… A proper fire really does create a heart to
a house, drawing everyone to it and together. Even teenagers find they are tempted
to venture from behind their tightly closed doors. Cats and dogs own the hearth, of
course. Even the operation of building it, stoking it and poking it is part of the joy.
I enjoy regular arguments with my husband over it, as he seems to be convinced I
don’t understand the basic physics of it – while I consider myself a virtual Brunel of
newspaper spill and kindle engineering. It’s all about getting the oxygen in and under
and round. If he says ‘not that piece, it’s too big, you need to get air under it’ to me
one more time from a supine position on the more comfortable sofa, I might throw
a fire iron at his head. But in my crouching position, in front of the woodburner, as
I wait to see if the first log has taken properly and I can retire to my position on the
less comfortable sofa, I quickly get over it, because a live flame is so mesmerising.
That is the primordial appeal of the real fire. The hot flickering light
which our ancestors were the first species to tame and press into use. So
dangerous – so useful, so cosy. Whether you have a woodburner, or the less
efficient – but temptingly lovely – classic open fire, the key thing is to have
a wonderful fireplace to enjoy it by. Here are some houses on the market
with splendid ones of various styles. Chim cher-ee, chim cher-oo.
1.
1. The Old Farm
Where? The Old Farm is superbly
positioned within the Givons Grove Estate, ten
minutes from Leatherhead, with rail links under
an hour to London Waterloo, in the Surrey
Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The property is surrounded by breathtaking
countryside with views to the Surrey Hills.
What? This wonderfully rambling house
dates from 1560 and is believed to have
started as the coach house to the local manor.
There are Tudor features throughout with
leaded windows, parquet flooring and exposed
beams, a superb inglenook fireplace and a clock
tower and parapet with spectacular views. On
the ground floor a drawing room, dining room
and a lovely snug all give onto the enclosed
rear courtyard. A further conservatory and
family room lead out to the main courtyard
and gardens, with a further sitting room and
snug to the side. Upstairs are five bedrooms,
two of them en suite, and a family bathroom.
There are a further two bedrooms, plus
bathroom and sitting room in the guest
annexe and a separate one-bed cottage in the
grounds. Outside are mature gardens and a
seven car garage plus further outbuildings.
How much? The Old Farm has a guide
price of £2,900,000. Sotheby’s Cobham
01932 860537 sothebysrealty.co.uk
surrey-homes.co.uk
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