Upper Quinton, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37

For more than five centuries, this remarkable Grade II* listed home has stood quietly at the heart of the Warwickshire countryside, its story woven into the history of the village of Quinton itself. The oldest part of the house dates from around 1480, when it was built through the generosity of the widow of Sir William Clopton, who endowed a chantry for a priest to celebrate daily Mass for the souls of her husband and herself. Her legacy extended beyond the house, contributing to the magnificent spire of nearby St Swithin's Church, which still rises above the surrounding landscape today. A public footpath opposite the house, unchanged in purpose for centuries, continues to lead directly from the house to the church.
Over the generations, the property has evolved with the changing rhythms of English rural life. Once the home of a farming family, it welcomed visitors as a bed-and-breakfast between the wars, and local tradition recalls that the celebrated writer Laurie Lee stayed here, perhaps finding inspiration within its ancient walls. During the Second World War, the house became a place of refuge for evacuated children, whose memories brought them back decades later to share their stories.
Described by Nikolaus Pevsner as "The Manor House, with part of the front picturesquely timber-framed, mostly close vertical studs. The south part of the front is symmetrical, with two tall dormers," the property has a close-studded timber-frame with plastered infill on ashlar plinth, with later extensions in brick with some pebbledash. The property has a steeply pitched, graduated stone slate roof with a fine-dressed stone chimney stack to one end. The property has flagstone flooring and oak and elm boarded floors, a fine splat baluster staircase to a large landing/ study, Tudor stone fireplaces, some leaded windows, tall ceiling heights and the very fine C15th exposed timberwork in the three-storey original part of the house. The kitchen has an inglenook with an Aga. The property is in need of refurbishment with the wiring, plumbing, heating, some plasterwork, décor, kitchen and bathrooms now requiring replacement.

Garden and grounds

Approached by either a wrought iron hand gate or through a shared entrance to a private drive to the property, over which the adjoining Manor Cottage also has a vehicular right of way. The garden has been overgrown and is in compartments with a dividing brick wall and contains fine mature trees, including yews, laburnum, walnut, apple and ash. In the garden is a timber store and workshop.

Across the drive is a long outbuilding, providing garage and storage, with a cob wall to the rear, in need of restoration, with a private garden area behind. Subject to necessary consents, the outbuilding might be ideal for conversion to ancillary residential accommodation.

In the historical and quintessential South Warwickshire village of Upper Quinton, lying on the Warwickshire/Gloucestershire border between Stratford-upon-Avon and the Cotswolds. Upper Quinton is a civil parish approximately 6 miles south of Stratford-upon-Avon, and the neighbouring village of Lower Quinton offers a shop, a pub, a post office and a primary school. The village lies at the foot of Meon Hill, at the beginning of the Cotswold Escarpment, and is beautifully positioned on the Heart of England Way.

Extensive leisure and cultural facilities can be found in Stratford-upon-Avon, as the home of Shakespearean heritage and The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and in the Cotswold market town of Chipping Campden, which is only 6 miles away. Moreton-in-Marsh is also easily accessible, offering a regular fast train service to London Paddington for the commuter. There is an excellent range of state, private and grammar schools in the area to suit most requirements, including Warwick School, Warwick Junior School, King's High School and Warwick Prep in Warwick, Stratford Girls' Grammar School and King Edward VI Shakespeare's School for boys in Stratford and Chipping Campden School.