For gathering
In the end, we’ll look back at the pictures we took beside that fire pit, in that treehouse, dancing around that kitchen island, and we’ll say: “look at us, we always filled those big houses to the rafters.”
Welcome to the family reunion: where kith and kin gather in large houses around the nation. Out on the wind-whipped balcony, an imaginative elder points out to sea and tells concocted stories of fisticuffs with sharks and trading treasures with the Pirates of Penzance. Inside, there’s fresh coffee and sweet apples from the orchard; and fair isle socks muffle the thuds of young ones testing their pillow obstacle course.
This winter is for coming together in luxury, for dogs dodging tumbling stacks of Jenga, for floating in and out of slumber as the stardust-souled play a motion picture, and the whole group gathers in the fire-warmed snug. Tables piled high with crackers and trailing grapes. Cheese boards and nut bowls and jars of fruit chutney; no space left for elbows. Carafes slosh with plummy Malbecs until the last drop is poured, well into the small hours.
Mill of Arun
Billingshurst, West Sussex, UK
Occupying a tranquil spot on the River Arun, Mill of Arun is a luxury country home made up of two properties: Mulberry Mill and Figgy Court. Perfect for families, it offers a hot tub and kayaks in the beautiful West Sussex countryside, near Billingshurst.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
From: £3,250 per week, £2,395 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub, two kayaks for the river, table football in the games room, fishing is available year round outside of April and May
Cadence
A 1970s sci-fi film was the unlikely inspiration for architect-owned retreat Cadence; an award-winning luxury country house in pretty Petworth, on West Sussex's poetic South Downs.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
From: £5,495 per week
Pets: Two well-behaved pets are welcome
Studio Fold
Nutbourne, Pulborough, West Sussex, UK
Modern design and eco creds have seen former water pumping station Studio Fold in Pulborough's sought-after village of Nutbourne transform into an award-winning West Sussex home.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
From: £2,595 per week, £1,950 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Pool table and cinema room
The Gallerist
Haywards Heath, West Sussex, UK
A former brewery, The Gallerist is a luxury country house with a cool streak, where a cinema room and pool call seekers of laissez-faire living to Haywards Heath in West Sussex.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
From: £4,950 per week, £3,750 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Outdoor heated swimming pool (available April - October), woodfired hot tub, tennis court, and cinema room
The Art House
Sutton, Pulborough, West Sussex, UK
The Art House fuses luxury interiors with wellness facilities in a private South Downs setting; a large country house complete with swimming pool, tennis and wild swimming lake ideal for families.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
From: £12,495 per week
Pets: One well-behaved dog is welcome
Features: 17-metre heated outdoor swimming pool (May - September), sauna, 50-metre wild swimming lake with jetty, tennis court, gym, air hockey, pool table and fire pit
Ariabelle
Iping, Midhurst, West Sussex, UK
Found at the end of a sweeping drive, Ariabelle is the ultimate luxury country house, affording a spa-like stay with a lavish indoor pool in West Sussex's glorious South Downs.
Sleeps: Up to 14 guests
From: £19,250 per week, £15,450 per short break
Pets: Pets are considered on prior agreement
Features: Indoor heated swimming pool, hot tub, tennis court, steam room and sauna, gym and bar
