Brian Claridge Now that’s what I call a fairytale cottage
IT LOOKS as if it has been lifted from the pages of a fairy tale. So it should come as no surprise that the picture-postcard Burton Cottage is where the writer of The Story Of The Three Bears spent his young adult years.
Robert Southey lived with his wife Edith in the cottage in the tranquil Dorset village of Burton from 1799 to 1805, when he was in his 20s. Southey was a collector of stories, and the Three Bears was a tale being told by people in the early 19th Century.
By 1813, Southey was telling it himself and he finally committed it to paper in 1837 as part of a volume of his writings called The Doctor.
Southey’s version introduced the character of Goldilocks and made the bears Papa, Mama and Baby.
Although Southey triumphed with his writing of The Story Of The Three Bears, he nearly halted the career of one of Britain’s literary greats before it got off the ground. In 1837, he received a letter from Charlotte Bronte, seeking his advice on some of her poems. He wrote back praising her talents, but discouraged her from writing professionally, saying: ‘Literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life.’
However, the Jane Eyre author did not let Southey’s advice deter her. Years later, she remarked to a friend that the letter was ‘kind and admirable; a little stringent, but it did me good.’
Southey was friends with poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, and there is a memorial to Southey at Crosthwaite Church in Keswick in the Lake District, where he was buried, with an epitaph written by Wordsworth. Southey had moved to Keswick after leaving Burton Cottage.
The cottage is currently on the market with Lovett International for £1.15 million. Even though its exte- rior looks as if it could have inspired the cottage in the forest in The Story Of The Three Bears, its interior is contemporary. It has recently been rethatched and refurbished.
There are five double bedrooms, and three bathrooms, two of which have chandeliers. There are even heated mirrors to prevent them misting. On the ground floor there are three reception rooms, newly installed lighting and new carpets to the upper floor and stairs.
Other features include a tripleaspect lounge with a wood-burner, underfloor heating in the bathrooms, a large dining room with a fireplace, a bespoke fitted kitchen, a cinema room with projector and screen, utility room, and two cloakrooms on the ground floor.
The secluded gardens have manicured lawns, a veranda, decked terrace and courtyard. There is ample parking space in the driveway and a large detached garage.
Owners Ian and Debra Fidler, both in their late 50s, have lived there for 20 years. They have three grown-up children and four grandchildren. ‘It’s a very special family house,’ says Ian, who works in IT. Debra adds that having the Three Bears author as a former resident makes them feel ‘highly honoured’.
Ian adds: ‘Our children have all grown up and flown the nest and Debra and I think the time is right to find somewhere smaller. We are not planning to move far, as all our friends are here. The area is so beautiful, with the beach only minutes away.’
Nearby attractions include the New Forest, Highcliffe Castle, Mudeford beach and the town of Christchurch.