Curious country homes

Homes of makers, artists and bon vivants, here lie escapes made by those who dare to dream beyond the realms of normality. Each home within this collection holds a story. Some that can be told and others that will remain unearthed, like diamonds buried deep beneath the earth's surface. In one, an eccentric Welsh stamp collector lived, his hundreds of stamps purportedly lost in a house fire and last seen billowing out of the chimney like confetti over the hills of Snowdonia.

In another, concealed by Italian-inspired gardens, a famous London dandy created his secret retreat from society, only discovered decades later in a forgotten Devon valley. Like all fairytales, in each narrative lies a moral to be discovered. So throw caution to the wind, dive down that rabbit hole and explore wonderlands created by some of Britain's biggest dreamers.