OWNER’S EXPERT KNOWLEDGE HELPS RAISE GRADE II BARN
With an 800-year old oak tree standing in its garden, this barn in Ashen, Sudbury has always been a landmark in the area.
But it’s a far more recent conversion to the original 1600s building which has made the Grade ii listed barn close to the historic village of Clare on the Essex/suffolk border, exceptional.
the current owner of the property is one of the leading oak frame specialists in the country, whose past projects have included St Paul’s Cathedral and temple Church in London.
he put his expertise to good use closer to home to bring Oak Meadow Barn back to life, renewing and restoring all aspects with fine attention to detail, handmade staircases and bespoke joinery work.
Designed to an open plan, the aisled barn has been laid out with living spaces on the first floor and all of its four bedrooms on the ground floor.
it has underfloor heating, an en-suite dressing room to the master bedroom and a balcony and patio to make the most of a wonderful rural location.
the plot is 0.75 acres and there is a second barn to the north side of the property, currently used for storage, which has had previous planning permission for conversion.
■ The barn in Ashen, Sudbury is for sale through Zoe Napier Group. See zoenapier.com for details.
asking price: €9 million
WHEN you’re the most famous band on the planet, no purchase seems too extravagant.
Which explains why The Beatles considered buying a guitar-shaped private island in Greece back in 1967.
Music history reveals that the fab four had been sailing around the Med in search of a sanctuary where they could live together.
Ethereal Island, just a few miles from the mainland, was apparently a strong contender but negotiations never made it to the final stages. They were among its many celebrity visitors, though, along with Sir Winston Churchill and Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie.
now the dream island, filled with ancient olive trees, wildflowers, pistachio, fruit and cypress trees – as well as two traditional Greek homes, built in the 1960s, a church and a lighthouse – is on the market with an asking price of €9million.
The main house, which is in need of some renovation, has four bedrooms and two bathrooms, while a bungalow on the largest beach makes an idyllic guest cottage (who wouldn’t want an invitation to stay?) Ethereal Island can be reached via a main dock which also serves as a helipad, and the handful of properties on the island are connected by roads and paths. Two beaches are sandy and sheltered and a retro beach cabana gives a personal touch to a little piece of paradise.
■ Ethereal Island is for sale through Sotheby’s International Realty Greece. See sothebys realty.gr for details.