Arts and Crafts houses: What do they promise?

The Arts and Crafts movement was a reaction against the mass-produced, badly made products filling the shops after the 1850 Industrial Revolution. The conditions inside the factories where people worked were also appalling. The British designer William Morris was passionate about returning to craftsmanship using local and natural materials, and aspired to get this appreciated as much as fine art. The Arts and Crafts movement went on to produce some of Britain's greatest works of architecture and design. Country Life magazine devoted several pages every week to pictures of these country houses which were admired for their architectural honesty, seeming to almost grow out of the ground they stood on.

Arts and Crafts style is generally thought to refer to houses, but the movement also lead to incredible gardens throughout Britain whose designs were reproduced all over the world. Gertrude Jekyll often worked with renowned British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens and designed around 400 gardens which blended the formality of manor-house gardens with the natural beauty of little cottage gardens. Winding paths, manicured hedges, formal terraces and borders full of colourful flowers all characterised Arts and Crafts gardens. A striking Arts and Crafts property new to market is Cliffe House in Monks Risborough in Buckinghamshire. Set in two acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, this unique five-bedroom family home is available to buy now through Michael Graham at a guide price of £2,500,000. For more information call Princes Risborough on 01844 396000 or email salespr@michaelgraham.co.uk.