Our cottage is set in a peaceful corner of the village of Minstead, in the heart of the New Forest. It is a Victorian farmhouse overlooking fields with some beautiful original features and it comfortably sleeps up to 6 people (+ 2 children) with a large mature garden, perfect for families, extended families, friends as well as couples. The interior is really spacious with a kitchen and dining area as well as three separate living areas, so guests can spread out, and then all come together.
It's so tranquil here, hardly a car goes by, but you will see ponies, donkeys, pigs and cows roaming up the lane while the wild forest itself is 10 mins walk away.
Minstead is one of the New Forest’s most stunning villages with a renowned pub - The Trusty Servant, a community village shop and beautiful ancient Norman church within 15 minutes stroll down a quiet country lane and footpath, or 5 minutes drive away. There is also a local farm shop 10 minutes walk away at Acres Down, one of the most beautiful parts of the Forest.
The cottage was originally the heart of a fruit farm spread across all the surrounding fields, but these were divided and sold in 1938. Today the cottage sits in a large garden and sheep, horses and cattle now graze the fields. The garden is full of birds and there are plenty of butterflies in the summer. Just ten minutes walk up an unmade track is the open Forest, with miles and miles of wild open countryside for walking and cycling.
Peppa Pig World is 15 mins drive away, the fantastic Highcliffe Castle beach is 25 mins away and Lyndhurst, capital of the New Forest with shops and restaurants is only 10 minutes away.
Our cottage has been our family’s home for over 60 years. It is a Victorian farmhouse with some beautiful original features, including a huge brick fireplace and original braced doors. There are 1970’s additions built on by my parents which gives the place some large, bright and open rooms alongside the charm of a New Forest cottage. We have recently extensively restored the cottage and hope you will find it comfortable and spacious.
When you arrive, there is parking for 3 cars on the drive. The cottage is approached across the lawn and you enter through the back door to a small glass conservatory and utility area with space for boots, shoes and coats. Just by the back door is an outside eating area with table and chairs and there is a large Weber BBQ for guests to use. It’s a lovely sunny area first thing and ideal for breakfasts in the garden.
The kitchen is in a modern extension with a well equipped cooking area - we love to cook when we are here and have tried to think of everything you might need for your preparing meals during your stay.
Appliances include a 90cm Smeg electric range cooker, microwave, coffee machine, slow cooker and dishwasher, fridge freezer and washing machine. There will be some teabags, coffee, condiments, cooking oils, herbs and spices available for your use.
The adjoining open plan dining area has a large farmhouse table and beautiful oak bench with huge picture window overlooking the garden and outdoor seating area. The table comfortably seats 6, and
can seat 8 at a bit of a squash!
There are three living rooms on the ground floor which all run from one to the other. The first sits at the back of the house and looks out over a rose garden and ancient cherry tree. It has a sofa and drop leaf table with chair and is a peaceful place for reading, working or studying. The sofa can be made up into a comfortable pocket sprung small double bed and is useful for someone with limited mobility. The downstairs bathroom is close by, just across the hall and has is a large freestanding shower
(step in), toilet and basin.
The next room is a snug lounge room with a large corner sofa, plenty of cushions with 40” smart Android TV with Chromecast, and a huge inglenook fireplace. The original front door is here and opens onto
the garden. The snug in turn leads into the main living room which was built on in the 1970s where large French doors overlook the garden. On the patio outside is an area for seating, ideal for an evening drink. The room has an enormous sofa, two armchairs and a small comfy
sofa loveseat – room for everyone staying!
The cottage has super fast 500mbps WiFi and there are some toys for younger children and plenty of board games and puzzles for everyone in our lovely Gordon Russell sideboard.
The stairs are part of the old cottage and are rather steep, but they are located are behind a cottage door so young children would need this opened to get upstairs and we have a safety gate that can be installed at the top. Other child friendly additions are a high chair, baby bath, sink step, high chair, Bumbo seat and a travel cot – please just ask us to prepare these if you need them!
Upstairs are simple but comfortable bedrooms. The main bedroom with a queen size bed is double aspect overlooking the fields and beyond to the church in the centre of the village. There is a small saniflo toilet and basin located just next to this bedroom.
There is another peaceful bedroom with standard double bed at the back of the house entered through an adjoining room with armchair and sofa bed, perfect for a toddler or small child. In addition the third bedroom is an airy room with two single beds to which an additional single sofa bed can be added for a third child.
The family bathroom upstairs has a bath, separate walk in shower, toilet and basin and overlooks the rose garden and out over the fields.
Upstairs are a couple of hairdryers and a fan for guests to use. Bath and hand towels will be left in the bedrooms and bath mats in the bathroom. But please bring your own towels to take to the beach.
The garden at the cottage is about a third of an acre with a few slopes – great for rolling down! However please also be aware that at the bottom of the garden behind the drive is a ditched shallow stream and there are also a couple of open water butts for birds and wildlife, so children must not be left unsupervised in the garden.
The spacious garden has wild plants including some brambles, gooseberry bushes, stinging nettles and potentially poisonous plants such as foxgloves and euphorbia - that means we normally have lots of bees and butterflies in the summer!
There is a summerhouse and old stables so we have room for bike storage – please ask. Please do not let children climb on or play in the green house by the stables.
We would like to welcome as many people as possible to Newtown Farm House and are aware that different families and groups can have different needs and access requirements.
The paths that approach the house are slightly sloping and are comprised of stepping stones in the grass and there are two steps up to the outdoor seating area and a further two steps to the entrance door at the glass conservatory, although the door at the side of the house can be accessed with only two shallow steps. Inside in the old part of the cottage there are some low doorways, and some have slightly raised thresholds and as mentioned the stairs are steep and narrow, although there is a rope handrail. There are two steps between the cooking and dining areas as
they are on different levels.
The house is therefore sadly not ideal for wheelchair users, but can accommodate people with limited mobility as there is a comfortable sofabed downstairs, although this is not in a separate bedroom. There is a bathroom downstairs – although the shower does require
a step into it but it is roomy and we can arrange a shower chair if needed.
Although we usually use the back door which is accessed across the garden, for those with less mobility, one can use the garden gate and enter through the side door. This however is not wide enough for a wheelchair and there are a couple of shallow steps on
the path up the garden. Please let us know if you would like a key left for this door. Please enquire if you have any questions about access.
Please note: the cottage is in a quiet and peaceful hamlet so please be considerate of our neighbours, and absolutely no parties are allowed.
