Properties of the week: houses with literary connections
Featuring homes in Somerset, Norfolk and the Scottish Borders
Norfolk: Old Hall, South Burlingham
A remarkable Grade II* Tudor manor house – partially restored by the late poet Peter Scupham and his wife Margaret Steward – with a wealth of period features. 6 beds, 2 baths, kitchen, 3 receps, 3-bed self-contained annexe, outbuildings, garden, parking. £1 million; Inigo.
Dorset: Bridge Cottage, Lower Bockhampton
A charming Grade II cottage in the heart of Thomas Hardy country, and reputed to have featured in several of his works, including Under the Greenwood Tree. 3 beds, 2 baths, kitchen, 3 receps, garden, parking. £600,000; Symonds & Sampson.
Cornwall: April Cottage, St Ives
An enchanting Arts and Crafts house built in the 1920s and set within the grounds of Talland House, the summer residence of the Stephen family and their children Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell. 4 beds, 2 baths, kitchen, 4 receps, swimming pool, garden, parking. £1.375 million; Stags.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Wiltshire: Heytesbury Park, Heytesbury
A penthouse flat in an impressive Grade II* Georgian house once the home of Siegfried Sassoon. 3 beds, 2 baths, kitchen, recep. £850,000; Strutt & Parker.
Carmarthenshire: Cliff House, Laugharne
A handsome house perched above the Taf Estuary. Kingsley Amis wrote The Old Devils here and the property overlooks Dylan Thomas’s boathouse and writing shed. 4 beds, 3 baths, kitchen, 3 receps, self-contained flat, garden, parking. £1.25 million; Country Living.
Cumbria: Thackwood Nook, Raughton Head
A distinguished Grade II Georgian house once home to the poet Susanna Blamire, “the Muse of Cumberland”, whose works were set to music by Haydn. 5 beds, 3 baths, kitchen, 4 receps, gardens and grounds of more than 4 acres, parking. OIEO £1 million; Finest Properties.
Somerset: Broomfield Hall, Bridgwater
Part of a grand Georgian house where Andrew Crosse’s experiments with electricity were said to have inspired Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. 6 beds, 2 baths, kitchen, recep, garden. £750,000; Inigo.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Scottish Borders: Maxwell Place, Kelso
An elegant neo-classical Georgian villa with links to Sir Walter Scott, who frequently stayed next door as a child. 8 beds, 4 baths, 2 kitchens, 3 receps, 2 snugs, office, studio, garden. OIEO £795,000; Hastings.
-
The 8 best dark comedies of the 21st centuryFrom Santa Claus to suicide terrorism, these movies skewered big, taboo subjects
-
France’s ‘red hands’ trial highlights alleged Russian disruption operationsUNDER THE RADAR Attacks on religious and cultural institutions around France have authorities worried about Moscow’s effort to sow chaos in one of Europe’s political centers
-
Codeword: October 30, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Critics’ choice: Watering holes for gourmandsFeature An endless selection of Mexican spirits, a Dublin-inspired bar, and an upscale Baltimore pub
-
Film reviews: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Frankenstein, and Blue MoonFeature A rock star on the rise turns inward, a stressed mother begins to unravel, and more
-
Beth Macy’s 6 favorite books about living in a divided nationFeature The journalist recommends works by Nicholas Buccola, Matthew Desmond, and more
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
-
Art Review: Downtown/Uptown: New York in the EightiesFeature Lévy Gorvy Dayan, New York City, through Dec. 13
-
R&B singer D’AngeloFeature A reclusive visionary who transformed the genre
-
Kiss guitarist Ace FrehleyFeature The rocker who shot fireworks from his guitar
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours