We bought Bracken House and the woodland in 2022 from the Lord and Lady Rea of Eskdale, our friends and neighbours in London. We wanted to preserve the spectacular woodland. We designed the cottage to provide a real haven, be in touch with the surrounding landscape and do that in the most sustainable way.

Bracken Woodland is a 12-acre wood, with many special trees, birds, mammals, mosses, lichens, insects and reptiles. It is a magical place surrounded by pine tree plantations.

The property also sits in the Lake District National Park and is entirely off grid. It is powered by solar panels, solar thermal panels and biomass pellets are used for hot water and heating and the water comes from an iron mine that collects rainwater which is subsequently filtered to provide drinking water.