The Marlings

Introduction

If only these old stone walls could talk, we’d hear how rye gave way to russet yarn and ink prints. Atop slabbed floors and Swedish checkerboard rugs, The Marlings unfolds across four dwellings on a foliate parcel of edge-of-Cotswolds land in Standish. Made for multi-generational family trips, it comes with a heated pool, tennis court, a playpark, and a handful of farm animals for good measure (mangalitza pigs and ducks). With storied lintels, velveteen loungers, and lofty halls that could fit the Brady Bunch three times over, this luxury farmhouse is Gloucestershire’s retort to “We Are Family”, a place for true R&R and reading books at the poolside.

Inside

Think of it as the grown-ups’ answer to “that room’s mine!” With vaulted rhubarb suites, garden cottages, and attic dens up for grabs, a stay of fine slumbers is yours for the taking once you pick a nook. Be you seven or seventy, yarn-spinner or tea-swiller, you’ll find no end of gathering spaces and hiding places here. Made up of a five-bedroom farmhouse, three-bedroom barn, two cottages, and a banquet hall fit for nostalgic family suppers, the entire country pile is taken as a private estate. Filled from granary to gable with secret snugs and meditative spaces, The Marlings offers a Narnia-esque adventure for little ones and a health club experience for grown-ups.

Outside

Family holidays are different at The Marlings, the luxury farmhouse that’s one part playground, one part countryside retreat. Here, farm animals whinny the children out to play, camembert galettes are eaten on picnic blankets, and the only sticky wicket for waterfolk is whether the pool or hot tub sees first splash. On clement eves, have half the crew assemble on the tennis court for a sundown game, while the resident pizzaiolos perform alchemy with mozzarella and basil at the pizza oven. Throw in daisy chain-making walks in the Gloucestershire plains and a curveball breakfast barbecue, and this might be the great escape that your inner child always wished for.

• PricingFrom £7,795 per week, £5,895 per short break for up to 25 guests
  An alternative group size of up to 14 guests is available during selected periods at a reflective rate
• FeaturesHeated outdoor pool (available April - October inclusive) with pool house, hot tub, tennis court, wooden playpark
• PetsThree well-behaved dogs are welcome
  Each pet is charged at £60 per week or part thereof
• FamilyChildren and babies are welcome
• PracticalitiesThere is off-road parking for ten cars in the courtyard and on the driveway. The Farmhouse’s kitchen has a five-door Aga, French-style fridge-freezer, storage pantry, and dishwasher; there is also a utility area with boot room, washing machine, and tumble dryer. The Stone Barn’s kitchen has an Aga, freestanding fridge-freezer, and dishwasher; there is also a utility with washing machine and tumble dryer. There is underfloor heating in the Stone Barn. Both cottage kitchens have an electric oven and four-zone induction hob. Please note that there are farm animals in the adjacent fields (including pigs and ducks) so please exercise due diligence if you are travelling with dogs and young children; the animals are tended to twice daily. If booking the smaller group option of fourteen people, guests will stay in the Stone Barn and Cottages, whilst retaining exclusive access to the pool, pool house, hot tub, pizza oven, and barbecue
• Private cateringSeeking a celebratory dinner or fully catered escape? Our recommended caterers will work with you to create personalised menus for your stay
• RestrictionsStag and hen do’s are permitted with prior permission only. Candles are not permitted in the property and fireworks are also not permitted

Standish

All at once a faraway pasture town and easily reachable from London, Standish embodies easy Gloucestershire living on the outskirts of Stroud; dotted with clusters of ancient cottages, wise old manors, and lazy water meadows where swans come to rest.

View property location Destination guide

Getting there

• On the map This luxury farmhouse is in Standish near Stroud, within the green Gloucestershire hills, ideally located for visiting the Cotswolds, Gloucester, and Cheltenham.
• By car The Marlings is around 15 minutes from Stroud, 40 minutes from Bristol, just over an hour from Birmingham, and two-and-a-half hours from London.
• By train Stonehouse Train Station is 10 minutes away, and Stroud is 15 minutes away by car. There are regular trains from London Paddington with a journey time of one-and-a-half hours on Great Western Railways.
• By air Cotswolds Airport is 40 minutes from The Marlings by car, while Bristol and Birmingham Airports are each around one hour away. For guests wanting to arrive by helicopter, please enquire for further details.