Mr & Mrs Smith

‘Darling, have you seen the little Smiths? They were in the music room threatening to play the piano when I last saw them.  Now that I think about it, they did have some DVDs in their hands – check the screening room. I’ll be relaxing by the fire in the white sitting room if you need me. You might need to shout over those speakers though.’ Oh how self-catering times have changed.

This magnificent Cumbrian house overlooking Windermere was built by the great grandfather of current owner, Charlie Pattinson. ‘As a young man in the late 1800s he would come up to Goss Hill, gaze out at the view of the lake and the Langdales and plan his future. His dream was to build a house on this hill,’ explains Charlie. And now for the first time, Gossel Ridding’s doors are now open to everyone.

On arrival, nothing prepares these guests for how special a stay this is. Entering a huge oak-panelled hall perfumed by scented candles, we feel honored to be the first non-family visitors ever to stay at Gossel Ridding. A note is waiting for us from Charlie: ‘We hope you have a fabulous stay and love the house and gardens as much as we do. We have had very happy times here. It is where I spent much of my childhood, where Teddie and I met and where we got married.’

In Autumn 2006 the Pattinsons started renovating the house, and just under two years later, after lavishing an incredible amount of energy and inspired interior design on Gossel Ridding, they have flung open the doors to this photoshoot-fit stately home. Having been rewired throughout, all the leaded windows replaced with spectacular double-glazed replicas, the hand-carved woodwork polished and fireplaces lovingly restored and five new highest-spec bathrooms added, it is ready for Mr & Mrs Smith guests. ‘We used the best of modern design in keeping with the spirit of our ancestors,’ says Charlie of the property resplendent in b and b Italia pieces, bespoke light fittings, and beautiful natural stone and marble. Present-day chic comes from statement lightshades, Seventies glass, oversized bulbs, and exquisite fittings in the bathrooms. And form is backed by function – cream drapes not only look pretty, but blocks any sunshine; meanwhile an all-white kitchen is equipped with every conceivable accessory needed to whip up your very own banquet fit for an aristocrat.

Charlie's wife, Teddie, was very much the driving force in Gossel Ridding’s renaissance, and she is responsible for perfecting the wonderful contrast of old and new and also natural and hi-tech. ‘We were inspired by our own favourite holidays where we delight in beautiful design and luxury combined with the joy of simplicity and functionality. We wanted to create somewhere guests can steal the opportunity for peace and reflection but also treat the kids to some Swallows and Amazons time,’ she explains.

‘Do you think it’s haunted?’ asks my companion as we pad down the wooden-floored hallway to snoop around another gorgeous boudoir. As thrill-packed as Gossel Ridding comes, we’re pretty sure it isn’t. Unless it’s a poltergeist with a predisposition for plumping pillows and dusting mantelpieces. The only phantom we can find here is in the form of a Philippe Starck ‘Ghost’ chair. And that super-chic 21st-century spirit is exactly what gives this magnificent Edwardian mansion such soul.

Reviewed by Juliet Kinsman