A contemporary Palladian pile stuffed with surprises hits the market for £6m

It’s a new twist on an old saga: a Palladian pile on the market in deepest Gloucestershire, supported by ancient beams, laden with antique chandeliers, clad in wisteria. Except Daisy Green is no fixer-upper, doomed by rising damp, abandoned by despairing aristocrats. The new listing from Blue Book Agency was built 15 years ago by the late architect Martin Branston for an adventurous designer and her husband as a foil for the minimalism of the day. The asking price is £6m.

Inspired by 18th-century Georgians and the principles of harmony and proportion espoused by Andrea Palladio, John and Susanna White embarked on the project with a yearning to experiment. They visualised the new build with character and wit, from custom furnishings and wallpapers from Susanna’s burgeoning interiors practice, Whiteworks. Set in 116 mature acres, including 90 acres of Cotswolds farmland, they conceived a timeless façade embracing the finest points of Palladian architecture, leading into a fantastical world concealing mod cons and conveniences.

Photography: Blue Book Agency

‘John and I were inspired by the idea of combining practical, modern amenities with the elegant external beauty of English Palladian architecture, whose tall sash windows and ceiling heights can provide glorious light-filled internal living spaces,’ says Susanna. ‘We didn’t want grandiosity — we wanted something joyful, full of wit and character. A grown-up doll’s house, if you like.’

To achieve their ends, the couple collaborated closely with local craftspeople and reused reclaimed materials and furnishings. The evocative entranceway opens to a double-height foyer with stone flooring, dramatic countryside views and a wrought-metal staircase by Matt Livsey Hammond. The elaborate period plasterwork is balanced by a modern steel eat-in kitchen on the raised ground floor, with an Esse oven and cosy lounge. It fits in seamlessly with the timeless design of the house, carefully crafted over three years.

In the other direction from the kitchen is a magnificent formal space bathed in light from shuttered windows. A Georgian mantelpiece once belonging to Cecil Beaton sits at one end, reclaimed from his Redditch House. The long room is furnished in period antiques and a glorious hand-painted tiled mural by Priscilla Kennedy.

Photography: Blue Book Agency

The first floor is arranged around five bedrooms, each with an en-suite or private bathroom, one with another painted-tile scene by Priscilla Kennedy. The principal suite has a mezzanine dressing room accessed by a chinoiserie-metal balustrade, leading to a roof terrace with views across the estate. At the lower-ground level is a purpose-built wine cellar.

Just north of the historic market town of Wotton-under-Edge, the grounds benefit from a 1990 four-bedroom farmhouse, an adjacent barn and an artist’s studio, where Whiteworks was born. Located across a cobbled courtyard from the main house, the outbuildings have their own kitchens, bathrooms and lounge spaces. A modern gothic-inspired summerhouse on the land serves as a year-round greenhouse, and a wildlife pond offers views beyond to the Tyndale Monument. Grazing the working farmland are 150 Herdwick sheep, managed by a local farmer.

‘When we started building Daisy Green, Whiteworks hadn’t yet taken shape,’ says Susanna. ‘As the house grew, so did my creative practice. Daisy Green became a living studio: a place to play, test, refine. Now it’s time for the next chapter. With Whiteworks thriving, we’re ready for a new project and to hand Daisy Green over to someone who will love it as much as we have.’

Photography: Blue Book Agency

A contemporary Palladian pile stuffed with surprises hits the market for £6m

Tags: