Fancy staying in a property a little out of the ordinary? These wonderful holiday lets are architectural sensations by the sea. Words: James Stewart
A HOUSE FOR ESSEX, WRABNESS, ESSEX
WHY HERE? Foremost for the cachet of staying in one of the most memorable buildings to be built in Britain in decades. Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry’s ‘secular chapel’ is the Taj Mahal of Essex; not just a holiday stay but an eccentric folly in memory of a fictional local woman, commemorated in art and kaleidoscopic décor. (Be warned: Grayson doesn’t believe in plain white walls.) It’s only once you’re here that you discover the views down the Stour estuary and Wrabness beach, a lovely strip of shingle, shacks and boats from a more innocent age. And it’s only at dusk that you discover the deep calm of this backwater.
WHAT DOES IT COST? From £750 for four people for two nights.
HOW DO I BOOK? Holidays are allocated by ballot via living-architecture.co.uk.
CROOKHAVEN LIGHTHOUSE, GOLEEN, CORK
WHY HERE? We love lighthouse stays – few properties do salty air and wraparound views better. Some can be basic, but not Crookhaven lighthouse at the tip of Cork. Not only have its owners modernised the 19th-century keepers’ cottage, they’ve added the Long House, a stunning cantilevered glass box. Whichever one you choose to sleep in, this four-bedroom property provides a wild, romantic getaway. It’s a place for sea-gazing and seal-spotting; for hiking the ragged coast or surfing at Barleycove Beach, then settling down with a pint of Murphy’s in O’Sullivan’s Bar, Crookhaven. Bliss.
WHAT DOES IT COST? From £1163 for 10 people for seven nights.
HOW DO I BOOK? Call +353 (0)1 285 5952 or visit crookhavenlighthouse.ie.
ANDERTON HOUSE, GOODLEIGH, DEVON
WHY HERE? To stay in a pioneering example of Modernism. Founded to preserve historic buildings, the Landmark Trust made an exception when it acquired this, its first modern property. Why? Partly because this Grade II-listed family house, 10 miles from North Devon’s best surf beaches, is nearly all original, down to the stripy orange curtains from 1971. But more because this is a brilliant manipulation of materials, light and space; almost a Modernist tent in the way its redwood roof appears to float and the interior blurs into a beautiful valley. Only by slowing down and watching the light shift do you really appreciate it. And isn’t that what holidays are all about?
WHAT DOES IT COST? From £418 for five people for four nights.
HOW DO I BOOK? Call 01628 825925 or visit landmarktrust.org.uk.
THE GRANGE, RAMSGATE, KENT
WHY HERE? No living ‘starchitect’ has the A-list status of Augustus Pugin. It was here, in his self-designed family home, that the father figure of Victorian Neogothic drew the House of Lords. Pugin’s monogrammed glass remains in the panelled library where he worked, and the bright wallpaper he designed has been returned to bedrooms. His idealised chapel is still attached and there are the same coastal views from the tower where he watched for ships. Pugin settled here in search of ‘the delight of the sea’ – that remains too: salty Ramsgate and saucy, arty Margate.
WHAT DOES IT COST? From £694 for eight people for four nights.
HOW DO I BOOK? Call 01628 825925 or visit landmarktrust.org.uk.
THE PINEAPPLE, DUNMORE, FIFE
WHY HERE? Sailors in the American colonies used to put a pineapple on their gateposts to indicate their return home. In 1770, John Murray, the fourth Earl of Dunmore, came back from his stint as Governor of Virginia and stuck one on his garden pavilion – 37ft-high and carved from stone. Restored in 2014, The Pineapple is not quite the historical equivalent of A House for Essex, but for eccentricity it comes close. The surprise is that this garden folly, set back from the Firth of Forth and owned by the National Trust of Scotland, offers such a lovely stay in rooms where the earl once hothoused fruits (including pineapples, naturally). Outside, there’ll be daytrippers ambling around the large walled garden by day, but by dusk it’s yours alone.
WHAT DOES IT COST? From £237 for four people for four nights.
HOW DO I BOOK? Call 01628 825925 or visit landmarktrust.org.uk.
WEST BLOCKHOUSE, DALE, PEMBROKESHIRE
WHY HERE? If space and silence feature in your idea of escapism, this is your kind of place. Equally, it’s the ultimate group getaway – a stout Victorian fort, perched on cliffs in the Pembrokeshire National Park, two miles from the neighbours (and pub) in pretty Dale village. Behind the sombre grey façade it’s rather snug: think wood-panelled walls, log fires, leather armchairs and comfy beds. The 40 soldiers barracked here in the late 1800s wouldn’t recognise the old place. Outside there are brilliant views at every turn and splendours like Skomer Island and Marloes Sands beach in the backyard.
WHAT DOES IT COST? From £431 for eight people for four nights.
HOW DO I BOOK? Call 01628 825925 or visit landmarktrust.org.uk.
VISTA POINT, EAST PRESTON, WEST SUSSEX
WHY HERE? To discover Patrick Gwynne, a visionary architect celebrated for his National Trust-owned The Homewood and his buildings in London’s Hyde Park, and to stay in one of our few Modernist houses by the sea. A Grade II-listed architectural treasure and comfy holiday home in equal parts, Vista Point was designed in 1970 as a summerhouse. Light floods into the cedar-clad staircase through a glass dome and unobstructed sea views extend across the first-floor sitting room. There’s also direct beach access, and Littlehampton’s brilliant East Beach Café is just down the road.
WHAT DOES IT COST? From £1,850 for nine people for a week.
HOW DO I BOOK? Visit vista-point.co.uk.
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