Mr & Mrs Smith

Until recently, Temple Guiting Manor was home to property investor Steven Collins and his brood. Luckily, Steven decided to do the generous thing – renovating the stunning Tudor manor house and barn, and opening them up to guests seeking stylish, bespoke, self-catering weekends. Architect Ptolemey Dean (a specialist in the conservation and restoration of historic buildings), assisted Steven in the properties’ revamp, and Jinny Blom lent her award-winning green fingers to the 14-acre grounds.

It was imperative that the house got special treatment – after all, it used to be home to the Knights of Temple Guiting, and is mentioned in the Doomsday book. Despite its facelift, the manor house retains its medieval charm, with exposed beams, original Tudor timbered doors and inglenook fireplaces. Secret spiral staircases leading to hidden rooms add a touch of Narnia-style magic, sure to please Smiths both big and small.

Steven also cannily enlisted Sophie Conran to design and run courses in the barn. Sophie peeked in her black book, selected a fair few of her finest celebrity pals, and lined them up for cookery classes (Willy Harcourt-Cooze, TV chef Valentine Warner, Anthony Worrall-Thompson etc), beauty tutorials (Ruby Hammer), floristry (Robbie Honey), cigar and whiskey nights, and wine tasting (Oz Clarke), to name but a few.

The gorgeous, sleepy village of Temple Guiting is the perfect setting for this cosy and intimate manor house. Once you’ve driven through the village and arrived at the manor house's discreet entrance, you’ll discover a small dining area and a large games room with a full size snooker table that cleverly changes in to a dining table fit for twenty guests. Instantly the tone is set – this place is all about food and festivities! Then you notice the medieval architecture, which makes for a dramatic backdrop for some of Steven’s prize possessions, including beautiful paintings, valuable antiques and French chandeliers. Temple Guiting Manor really is one of a kind – not only because of its rich history and rural beauty, but also because of the creativity and expertise of the dedicated team behind it.