Daylesford
Daylesford
With its quiet charm, the Cotswold Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty offers the perfect haven from the hurly-burly frantic pace of the everyday. And the private village of Daylesford is no exception.
If you like to plot your property search on a map, your Recoco buying agent can show you where Daylesford is located. It’s six miles to the west of Chipping Norton, three miles to the east of Stow-on-the-Wold, and just to the south of the main A436 road. Daylesford is charming, picturesque and quintessentially English.
Transport
Daylesford lies within a triangle made up of the A436, the B4450 to Chipping Norton, and the A44. Kingham is the nearest railway station, with a direct train from London Paddington. Journey time: just over 1 hour 20 minutes. Ask your Recoco property finder about taxi services from Kingham Station to Daylesford, or, if you’re in an energetic frame of mind for your property search, it’s around 40 minutes’ walk. The nearest airport is Birmingham International, at just under 48 miles away by road, with Bristol 75 miles away and Heathrow just under 68 miles distant.
History
In the Middle Ages the manor house at Daylesford, now the Grade I listed Daylesford House, belonged to the Hastings Family. Recoco property finders can outline more of the history. The house was acquired in 1788 by a family descendant, Warren Hastings. As well as remodelling the mansion, in 1816 Hastings also rebuilt the Norman Church of St Peter, which is Grade I Listed. In the 20th century, owner Viscount Rothermere further restored the manor.
Education
The nearest primary school and independent day school are in Kingham, around a mile away. For those who need to know about boarding schools for their 11-18 year olds, Recoco buying agents can point you towards Kingham Hill School.
Daylesford also has an innovative cookery school, and runs regular events and workshops with a seasonal theme. Topics include floristry, photography, watercolour wreaths, and rose pruning.
Leisure and Events
Many activities in and around Daylesford revolve around agriculture, food, or gardening. Your Recoco buying agent will happily inform you about lambing tours in the spring, the ever-popular Daylesford summer festival, and the annual Harvest Festival. And those who love gardens might like to know that the grounds of the house are sometimes open to visitors.
If you’d like a base for your property search that combines creature comforts with a home-from-home setting, the Daylesford holiday cottages are ideal. The décor and furnishings combine the best of traditional life with up-to-date tech. Warmth is provided by an Aga or wood-burning stove, or both, with comfy sofas, flat-screen televisions and discreet MP3 players.
Reconnect with your inner child or higher self in the spa; or realign mind, body, and spirit in the yoga or Pilates studios. Property buyers looking for a different kind of inner glow can visit the Cotswolds Distillery to sample a wee dram of single-malt whisky, or take a tour.
Daylesford has a wide range of activities on offer. There are book-clubs; supper-clubs; stargazing evenings; spoon carving; nature printing; and seasonal events and themed dinners throughout the year.
Agriculture is extremely important to this corner of England, and at the Cotswold Farm Park you can make friends with rare-breed cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep and watch live milking and shearing.
Foodies’ Corner
The estate farm shop sells a wide range of food and other items under the Daylesford Organic brand. Recoco property finders can confirm shop specialties, including bakery and patisserie, dairy, meat, wine and drinks, and larder essentials. As well as organic produce, Daylesford offers butchery, fermenting, and foraging courses amongst others.
Locally-grown and produced seasonal ingredients are used to prepare meals in the pub-in-the-village-next-door. Property buyers who enjoy old-style country pubs will delight in the cosy, welcoming atmosphere at the Michelin-starred Wild Rabbit, also owned by the Bamfords.
Celebrity Connections
The manor house is now owned by Sir Anthony and Lady Bamford, major shareholders in excavator company JCB; the Earl of Snowdon rents a cottage on the estate with his family. The Daylesford farm shop is known to be very popular with celebrities, with actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, and Liz Hurley, TV personality Jeremy Clarkson, and model Kate Moss just some famous names who have been spotted there.
Fun Fact
Property buyers of a literary persuasion might like to know that Edward Thomas wrote his poem Adlestrop about a railway station in the area (now disused).