A blast of balcony drama
Stunning home that’s bang on trend with Romeo & Juliet revival
IT COULD be argued that it’ s the most romantic exterior feature a property can boast. A balcony evokes thoughts of maidens being wooed by suitors – thanks to the famous scene in Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet.
There is something of a renaissance of this famous romance story going on in Britain this autumn with Matthew Bourne’s dance version touring the country and a new musical – & Juliet – opening in London’s West End.
One house that boasts an idyllic balcony is Summer Lodge in Dalwood, near Axminster in Devon. It’s the home of agronomist Tim Henderson, 63, and his wife Ady, 60, who runs a hosiery firm called holdtightly.com. The couple bought Summer Lodge as a family home in 2006. In the years since, their two daughters have flown the nest and they’ve turned it into a B&B. ‘ We use the balcony mainly for star-gazing and moon-watching,’ says Ady. ‘It’s attached to the master bedroom at the front of the house, which faces south.
‘It’s great in the summer months when we sleep with the doors open. There is always a lovely scent of the roses and wisteria coming into the room. It has spectacular views of the church and the vineyard to the west and rolling hills and trees to the east.’
Summer Lodge is a spacious five-bedroom country house that dates from 1800. It also includes stabling, a paddock, two ponds, a log cabin and a tennis court within two acres of glorious grounds and beautiful gardens.
The couple have gone to great lengths to make the property their own. ‘ The log cabin has been a sauna, a games room, a yoga studio, and is now let out as one of the B&B rooms,’ says Ady. There is also a former recording studio in the grounds, which is now also let out as a room. ‘Musicians who stay with us love this room, as it’s soundproofed. We’ve had violinists and saxophone players, to mention a few, all of whom loved this space because they wouldn’t disturb others with their practising.’
The property also boasts a driveway and double entrance. But now Ady and Tim are looking for something smaller.
‘We need to downsize,’ says Ady. ‘The house is much too big for the two of us. I’m away from home a lot and both girls have their own homes. We require less space now and need to plan for growing older.’
Bedrooms: Five Unique features:
Country house with two extra dwellings – one that was once a log cabin, the other a former music studio – located just outside the village of Dalwood, near Axminster, Devon; tennis court; principal bedroom with balcony.
Contact: Humberts, humberts.com, 01404 42456
We use the balcony to gaze at the stars and watch the moon