Royal moos
Harry and Meghan find a country bolthole for weekends away – in a converted cowshed
ONE could say the previous residents of this country barn were of a lower class – or even lowing.
But while once this cowshed was a bovine shelter, it has now become a romantic rural bolthole for weekends away for Prince Harry and his new bride Meghan Markle.
The couple, who have just returned from their honeymoon in Canada, are leasing the barn – now converted from its tumbledown appearance above – from a landowning friend of former UK prime minister David Cameron.
The isolated house is on the vast Great Tew Estate in Oxfordshire, southern England. It is only a stone’s throne from trendy private members’ retreat Soho Farmhouse, which is visited by many of Ms Markle’s Britishbased friends.
Fifteen years ago the cowshed was one of a set of decaying farm buildings used for cattle.
Now, however, the 18th-century buildings have been transformed into a stunning country residence.
Inside, there is a split-level kitchen and sitting area. Next door is a dining room in what used to be stables, and a large barn has been made into a drawing room. The master bedroom is on the barn’s top floor and comes with an en-suite bathroom and dressing room – and a view of the valley below.
The 4,000-acre estate is at the heart of an area known as ‘Poshfordshire’ thanks to its wealthy visitors.
Harry and Meghan will use the bolthole for breaks from Nottingham Cottage, their official London residence in the grounds of Kensington Palace.