Jay
Roberts wants a very big house in the country
Barratts had been slow-feeding us information about their
new baby for a while. Most intriguing was the location, Monmouthshire’s
Usk Valley. With arguably some of the prettiest picture-postcard countryside
in Wales, this has become a haven for the minted and wealthy – not the
most easily impressed crowd in the world. So the bar had been set at probably
the highest it could get (in Wales at least) as the local population are used
to the finest and the very best of the best. This, I can assure you isn’t
something that’s lost on the guys at Barratts.
Having been invited for the opening of their luxurious new show-home, I took
some time on the drive up to take in the country, appreciate the views and
drink the clean, flower scented air. This is a gorgeous neck’o the woods
to be buying a house in. Arriving at the drive of Burrium Gate I couldn’t
help but be impressed by the size of the houses – no modern tiny city
apartments here. These bad-boys cut an imposing and very impressive figure,
especially against the backdrop of a blood-red dusk – the silhouette
strangely not seeming out of place here in the country. Which leads me to one
of the features I was most impressed with about the development: though it
will comprise of 28 new luxury homes (boasting some of the region’s largest
new homes), they don’t seem out of place in this rural idyll. More unsympathetic
developers might have been tempted to cut corners and end-up butchering the
land it stands on and the scenery that surrounds it, but credit where it’s
due, the development marries well with its environment.
Stepping inside the show-home I was greeted by a pianist tinkling the ivories
of a baby grand with some Chopin. It set the tone. I was doing my best Lloyd
Grossman in Through the Keyhole with a four double-bedroomed property. Two
of the bedrooms even have en-suite bathrooms, whilst one has a walk-in wardrobe
(make sure you keep it well stocked with Jimmy Choo’s for uninterrupted
rugby watching). The bathroom’s big enough to let your girlfriend do
the obligatory make-up/hair straightening/time-wasting whilst you take care
of your grooming essentials at the same time. The stunning living room was
designed for watching all seven series of The Soprano’s in style and
comfort. Next to it is a kitchen that Gordon Ramsey would start a swear-box
for and a sumptuous dining room – fit for grazing on posh grub all through
the night.
The site boasts three different styles of home: The Longfellow, The Pedmore
and Canterbury. All three offer a stunning combination of sophistication and
high specification of quality. The interior decorators for the main show-home,
IntoInteriors, made sure that the house can be enjoyed by everyone from well-traveled,
successful professionals to well-heeled Chairmen (check out the real Swarovski
crystal embedded into the wallpaper, or the ‘Ali-Baba’ dining table).
When complete, the development will also boast a traditional green and pond.
With nearby village of Usk providing all the craft shops, cosy restaurants
and cobbled streets one would demand of an idyllic rural village there’s
everything you need to set yourself up as a traditional country squire.
Burrium Gate by Barratts. Prices range from £685,000 to £740,000.
For more info:
01291 673 955; www.barratthomes.co.uk
Lord of the Manor
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Jay
Roberts wants a very big house in the country