Homes in woods? Treemendous!

THIS WEEK: Properties among the trees, including this Modernist marvel in Devon

LIVING next to a forest can improve your health, according to a number of academic studies. Just being among trees – a benefit dubbed ‘forest bathing’ by the Japanese, can slow your heart rate, lower blood pressure and even lift your mood. Recent research at Berlin’s Max Planck Institute for Human Development found that those people with the healthiest amygdalas – the part of the brain responsible for controlling fear, stress and anxiety – lived within a short stroll of the forests surrounding the city.

And as it was the trees that were important in this study – no discernible benefit was seen in people living near open spaces – it makes sense to head into our own woods in search of a new home.

One such property that’s suitably close to nature is Menryn, near the village of Newton Ferrers in Devon. The property, in a secluded riverside setting of the Yealm Estuary, was built by the late architect Francis Bennett for his family in 1964.

Bennett was a fervent admirer of the legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The American created huge windows to bring the outdoors into his own mansion in rural Wisconsin, and he designed homes for various clients that seamlessly integrated house and garden.

‘Dad bought Menryn mainly for the magnificent secluded plot with its forest surroundings and river frontage,’ says Bennett’s daughter Caroline Monk, who is selling the house now that her parents have both died. ‘He didn’t think he could do much with the existing house on the plot, so he built his dream home from scratch.

‘We spent all our holidays and half-term breaks here and I remember feeling that magic of living in a home which felt so totally in harmony with nature.

‘I’d stand on the balcony and feel I was miles from anywhere. In fact the village is only a mile up the road.’

The split-level house is built into a hillside and includes a long stretch of river frontage on a 1.2-acre plot with its own quay.

The open-plan layout stretches across the top floor, including a living room with wraparound terrace, kitchen with walk-in larder, the master suite, three further bedrooms, a wet room and utility room. On the ground floor there is an entrance hall and expansive study and library. The forest seems to permeate every room, thanks to the use of different types of wood.