The Cottage
The Level Crossing Keeper's Cottage is a beautiful riverside detached cottage set in delightful, quiet countryside in a secluded valley near Kington in Herefordshire. It is just 15 miles from Hay-on-Wye and the Hay Festival of Books. The Cottage is offered for self-catering accommodation and sleeps 5 to 7 in a double, a single and an attic family bedroom. It enjoys complimentary wifi, mains gas and central heating, an open fire and no television. It is a no smoking property.
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Location
It is set in a rural position, in a quiet valley, beside a river and a stream. It was built in the 1880's to provide a home for the level crossing keeper. It is built of stone with thick walls, possibly by a water-miller given it's tolerance for the river close to which it stands.
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History
In 1912 our great-grandfather, who'd grown up in a nearby village, and been a corn merchant in the nearby town, bought a few fields in the little valley. In the early 1960's, with the railway being closed, the cottage took on a new, much more peaceful existence, and became our home. It is covered in clematis and wisteria in the spring and roses in the summer. From all the windows are lovely views of the river, the fields, the woods or the garden.
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AccommodationThe Cottage itself sleeps five to seven with accommodation over 3 floors. Our off grid streamside hut can be booked as an optional extra as an artists studio, writing or reading room, play room, or off-grid camping hut sleeping a further 2, with a privy with cold water supply, and sharing the bathroom in the main cottage.
The Cottage is simply and comfortably furnished and with all of the comforts you'd hope for in a quiet country retreat. It has no carpets, but some rugs on lovely old cherrywood floors, and in the sitting room a floor from a local drill hall. There's some debate on this as we also think they're from an old cherry tree that blew down in Lumby in Yorkshire in the 1940's. Please note : - The stairs to the kitchen and to the attic lead directly off the small hallway landing. Details are included in our 'Accessibility Statement' on this website. If you have young children you may wish to bring a stair gate. - The garden is open to the river bank, which is approx 15 metres from the house. - This is a country home with rural experiences, and our china includes a set of everything, enjoying many parts which are un-matching. - Our bedding includes duvets - if you need extra warmth you can add blankets and eiderdowns from the chests & cupboards. |
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ACCOMMODATION
SittingroomIn the sitting-room is an old pianola, on which we thump out old favourites and which we won’t pretend is in tune, a set of puzzles, games & books, and, happily, no TV. The old radio, if allowed to warm up, makes a great speaker for an ipod with i-trip, or for the patient, a radio which takes some tuning. There is also fibre broadband.
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BedroomsThe bedrooms, of which there is a double and a single on the ground floor (both small and cottage-y in size) have basins in each and stored in the cupboards are extra blankets for your bed. Duvets are supplied.
Up the open tread stairs in the attic is a twin and 2 singles in one long family room under the eaves. The twin end can be made into a super king double on request. Extra eiderdowns and blankets are folded in the trunks for your beds here. The bathroom, which is on the ground floor, is small with an efficient and cosy little bath and over bath shower |
KitchenThe kitchen, which originally was a wash house, has an old oak table (from our home in Hereford in the 1920's). There's an armchair in which you can rest and read after a satisfying supper. In the mornings, the view through the back door to the river and fields beyond, and the bank of herbs and flowers on the other side is enough to make you settle with your coffee for the day. There's a microwave, whistling kettle and sink with a view over flowers. Washing up is never a chore with a view like that. There is a small washing machine and we also recommend the lovely Levi-ad style coin operated launderette in Kington as well.
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GARDENS
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The Cottage walls are painted in a bright fresh palette with gentle whites and blues in the bedrooms and kitchen, and a warm coloured rose in the bathroom. The kitchen doors are bright reddy/pink, which we think, (a bit like La Bocca in Buenos Aires where they used the remains of paint from the hulls of ships to paint their houses) comes from a tin of paint our father wanted to finish off, and for which we now resolutely search high and low to match when we re-decorate.
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Hut & Privy
Our off grid streamside hut can be booked as an optional extra as an artists studio, writing or reading room, play room, or off-grid camping hut sleeping a further 2, with a privy with cold water supply, and sharing the bathroom in the main cottage. It has a wonderful view towards the cottage.
The privy is nestled behind a very old and sweetly perfumed lilac tree, which is covered in even more perfumed honeysuckle. This was often the location for privies - by lilac trees, to mask the odourous smell (masking which is thankfully no longer required). As a result a privy was often known as the 'lilac room'.
The privy is nestled behind a very old and sweetly perfumed lilac tree, which is covered in even more perfumed honeysuckle. This was often the location for privies - by lilac trees, to mask the odourous smell (masking which is thankfully no longer required). As a result a privy was often known as the 'lilac room'.
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