Edwardian country house on Dorset's Jurassic coast

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5.0

Outstanding(20 Reviews)

House in East Devon District

20 guests · 9 bedrooms · 6 baths

Reasons to book

Guests love it hereGuests give this property a top rating

Free cancellationFull refund if you change your mind

Great for petsBring all your friends and family, even the furry ones

About this house rental

Rushay is a big Arts and Crafts house, filled with natural light, enhanced by its beautiful decoration and surrounded by greenery, perfect for large parties looking to explore the Jurassic Coast and the historic sights of Dorset. It has huge gardens and a hard tennis court, just 20 minutes' walk from the beach. The main house was architect-designed for the estate in 1906, and there is a converted stable cottage across the yard. There's so much for guests to do, inside, outside, and in the local area, from mini-football in the games room to swimming, fossil-hunting or just lazing on the lawn.
This is a traditional English country house, but with a contemporary feel. Kate and Jason have lived in the country for thirty years, and her houses have appeared in World of Interiors, The Bible of British Taste and Ben Pentreath's book English Decoration. Jason writes mostly about Ottoman Istanbul, and has a column on Country Life magazine.
Under huge swooping tiled roofs the principal rooms face south and west, bay windows overlooking the garden to the unspoilt countryside beyond.
Arriving at the front door, you can drop your wellies, beach bags, snorkels and coats in the sizeable boot room, and enter a study/play room. Beyond is a big sober hall, and off it are the drawing room with a log fire, and the dining room. The dining room opens into the kitchen, which has with plenty of prep space on the island and the counter-tops (made of mahogany), all kept cosy by the traditional two-oven Aga stove. There's an induction hob and electric oven, too (ask us about hiring a private chef). A door opens into the laundry and another into the pantry, with an American fridge freezer.
At the top of the oak stairs, five bedrooms along the first floor corridor have white painted floors and clean white walls that redouble the sense of air and space. At the top of the back stairs, a broad and winding flight of stairs takes you to the attic dorm.
Across the yard, the charming self-contained cottage annexe has three double bedrooms, kitchen and sitting room. One of the double bedrooms is en suite and on the ground floor, for easy access. The other two doubles are upstairs, and share a bathroom. It's a snug retreat for perfect multi-generation holidays, and has been made over in 2023 to match the style and setting of the main house.
The surrounding garden is mainly lawn and trees - we have beech, oak and ash, cherry, walnut and hazel, as well as an apple orchard, paddocks and a stone terrace to the west, for those long Dorset evenings. There you can enjoy cooking on a professional-grade Argentinian 'asado' BBQ.
A full-sized hard tennis court behind the cottage is for your exclusive use.
There's a lovely walk down to the sea, straight from the garden in twenty minutes. Charmouth has two beaches, one perfect for families and the other the jewel in the Jurassic coast's fossil crown - not to mention two great pubs and a proper fish'n'chip shop.
Lyme Regis - with the Cobb, and dinosaur museums - is two miles away and Bridport, with its lively shops and market, ten minutes in the other direction. Axminster is a sleepy town ten minutes over the Devon border, with a mainline railway station.
Aside from chefs like Mark Hix in Lyme and Cass Titcombe in Beaminster, West Dorset's sophisticated food scene is sustained by wonderful places to buy local produce, meat and seafood. In the village, a tiny hut with an honesty box is kept supplied with seasonal organic vegetables (and a healing herbal salve to be recommended). Just up the road Felicity's Farm Shop sells wonderful local rare breed pork, raised by her brother, as well as really good meat, cheese, and everything else - vegetables, bread, tea, milk, beer, dried beans...
You can leave it all behind in a moment by walking up into the surrounding hills, crowned by Iron Age earthworks, part of a chain of hill forts across the Marshwood Vale, itself still dominated by small fields and ancient woodland. You get uplifting views to the sea, and into two counties. Fishing is available locally. There's much to explore, and whether it's walking or swimming, cooking or exploring, or just relaxing with family and friends, Rushay makes the perfect base.

Amenities

Pets allowed

Kitchen or Kitchenette

Internet / Wifi

Fireplace

Parking

Laundry

Balcony or Patio

Dishwasher

Garden

Family friendly

Map of East Devon District

Nearby attractions

Paignton Zoo Environmental Park

60 mi

Babbacombe Model Village

52.8 mi

Pennywell Farm

69.7 mi

Kents Cavern Prehistoric Caves

52.8 mi

Edwardian country house on Dorset's Jurassic coast

5.0

Outstanding(20 Reviews)

House in East Devon District

20 guests · 9 bedrooms · 6 baths

Reasons to book

Guests love it hereGuests give this property a top rating

Free cancellationFull refund if you change your mind

Great for petsBring all your friends and family, even the furry ones

About this house rental

Amenities

Pets allowed

Kitchen or Kitchenette

Internet / Wifi

Fireplace

Parking

Laundry

Balcony or Patio

Dishwasher

Garden

Family friendly

Map of East Devon District

Nearby attractions

Paignton Zoo Environmental Park

60 mi

Babbacombe Model Village

52.8 mi

Pennywell Farm

69.7 mi

Kents Cavern Prehistoric Caves

52.8 mi

Reviews

5.0

Outstanding(20 Reviews)

5.0

Jun 2024

Jason gave us great recommendations. The house was perfect. Beautiful location with so much to do around it. Everyone loved it!

5.0

Jun 2024

Lots of space for our family gathering. Light airy and spacious really clean and well kept. The two buildings were a bonus a real bonus. Easy walk to the beach.

5.0

May 2024

Fabulous large property for a large group, lovely gardens, tennis court and surrounding fields with sheep, very peaceful. Large bedrooms, comfy beds. Bathrooms need to be updated with showers and property felt a little "tired" We all had a great time and would stay again in the future.

5.0

May 2024

We had a wonderful long weekend at the house. 4 families, lots of kids. It was a wonderful weekend and perfect for get together with friends. It’s also so close to the beach!

5.0

Apr 2024

We had a lovely stay at Rushay. Very well equipped for our long weekend and set in beautiful grounds and countryside. Would highly recommend.

5.0

Oct 2023

We had a lovely, lovely time at our stay! The house is absolute magic, and ideal for large family gatherings. Jason has a great eye for design. Ample space, with a great floor plan. The kids loved playing tag from room to room and the adults enjoyed that we didn’t feel on top of one another. The house is well stocked, we were a group of 20, and had enough silverware and plates- not to mention the large gathering table which worked just as well for meals and late nights games. The tennis court was a bonus, it was well kept. The location is great, nothing was too far and I had an easy time communicating with Jason. Couldn’t recommend it enough. We had the odd spider web, and flies inside the home but nothing to ruin the experience. Fabulous stay. Thanks for sharing your home with us.

5.0

Aug 2023

This beautiful house was the perfect place for our family gathering. Spacious, well equipped and comfortable. Set in the middle of stunning countryside with plenty of outside space for relaxing and playing it couldn’t have suited us more. A truly wonderful place to spend a holiday.

5.0

Aug 2023

Rushay is a charming spacious property, even the adults were still getting lost by the end of the week and for the children 4,5 and 8 it was perfect for hide and seek and treasure hunts! The dining room worked beautifully for large gatherings in the evenings, and with the help of the second kitchen in the stable block we were able to cater for all. The tennis court was well used when weather permitted. All in all it was a lovely base to explore the local area and to retreat to at the end of the day.

5.0

Aug 2023

Lovely setting and ideal for a reunion of old friends. Comfy and spacious with everything we needed for the trip.

5.0

Nov 2022

We had a fabulous long weekend celebrating my 50th birthday at Rushay. The house is beautiful & location perfect, Jason was welcoming and a great host. Comfy beds, well equipped kitchen and lovely big dining table, house was warm plus plenty of wood for the fire. Loved the walk to Charmouth beach from the house. Thank you for a lovely stay!

5.0

Nov 2022

5.0

Sep 2022

This house is packed full of charm and character, with everything we needed for our stay. The wonderful grounds and tennis court kept the children entertained for hours and we loved being able to walk directly through the fields to Charmouth. Jason is an excellent host, nothing was too much trouble and we would highly recommend this property.

5.0

Jun 2022

Fabulous week for Jubilee

Fabulous week for Jubilee

Great house and super location. Lovely long walk to beach. Excellent hosts.

5.0

Apr 2022

We enjoyed a fantastic few days away. Rushay is idilic & the perfect property for our group

We enjoyed a fantastic few days away. Rushay is idilic & the perfect property for our group

Rushay was perfect!! Thank you for our lovely break

5.0

Jan 2022

Memorable stay at Rushay!

Memorable stay at Rushay!

We have just enjoyed a brilliant family Christmas at ‘Rushay’ in Dorset, a large Edwardian house with stunning pastoral views, a fireplace, an aga, and a big family dining room. Outside there is a courtyard, a huge garden, with a stile leading to fields and a coastal walk. The children were in seventh heaven, and the adults found it welcoming and relaxing, with a tempting array of good reads, including the owner’s own published thriller. Many thanks to Jason for a memorable stay!

5.0

Nov 2021

October break

October break

A beautifully situated property within easy reach of country walks and sea . The house is beautifully spacious and thoughtfully furnished. Jason was welcoming and quick to respond to requests.

5.0

Sep 2021

Great Location and Landlord

Great Location and Landlord

This is a lovely, very well equipped house, which is light and airy and in a lovely position. Jason, the landlord, couldn't have been more helpful and friendly, and our family party of 16, whose ages range from 14 to 80, all had a great time. I agree with one of the previous holiday makers that it would have been nice to have more showers, even hand held showers over each bath would be good! Our only gripe, and this applied to every house we looked at in England, is the price - it was as third as much again as the house that we'd booked in Tuscany where all the 6 bedrooms were ensuite and there was a pool, a gardener and a cleaner. But that's the market, so I don't blame Jason for responding to it!

5.0

Aug 2021

Wonderful week in the country

Wonderful week in the country

We had an absolutely fantastic week staying at Rushay in early August, 2021 along with a group of university friends and their children. We feel extremely fortunate to have stumbled across Rushay having all but given hope of finding somewhere suitable of accommodating our group during the summer of 2021. For a couple of the nights we were running at capacity including children but never felt remotely cramped owing to the wonderful size of the house, including the cottage. The garden was fantastic for entertaining the children and we loved the section that had been left uncut and untrimmed which provided ample opportunity for exploration and adventure. The views from the western part of the house over the rolling hills made for a perfect afternoon BBQ. The location of the house was excellent with just a short jaunt to Charmouth beach and the lovely town of Lyme Regis which everyone in the group enjoyed. Thought we weren't able to enjoy any of the nearby country walks with small children I can only assume they would be fantastic diversions with unbelievable views of the Dorset countryside. Jason was a brilliant host throughout. Extremely responsive before our arrival and very accommodating. We had a change over between some guests and he helpfully put us in contact with the cleaner to facilitate a tidy up. His suggestions for the local area were always spot on, we particularly enjoyed the produce from the local farm shop and the little honesty stall in Wootton Fitzpaine. If there was but one small issue among the group, the house only contains one shower (albeit an excellent shower) along with several baths. This caused a bit of a crunch in the mornings with a large group, but obviously easily remedied and didn't materially impact our stay. Overall we could not have been happier with our week in the Dorset country. If you're fortunate enough to be able to spend time at Rushay I'm confident you would not regret it.

5.0

Aug 2021

A perfect spot for our four generation family holiday

A perfect spot for our four generation family holiday

We loved this house, loads of indoor and outdoor space and a great location - quiet but within easy reach of coast/countryside and local attractions - all of which suited us perfectly. Nesting swallows and house martins were fledging when we were there and we enjoyed the walk into Charmouth from the house.. A great deal of care has been taken in equipping the property, making for a comfortable stay. Jason couldn’t have been more helpful, both before and during our holiday with suggestions. We are so glad we took the chance and booked it - as a new property there were no reviews - and would love to return.

FAQs

How much does this house cost compared to others in East Devon District?

The average price for a rental in East Devon District is £117 per night. This rental is £689 above the average.

Is parking included with this house?

Yes, parking is listed as an amenity at Edwardian country house on Dorset's Jurassic coast . For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.

Is there a pool at this house?

We didn’t find pool listed as an amenity for this house. It may be worth double checking if a pool is important for your stay.

Is Edwardian country house on Dorset's Jurassic coast pet friendly?

Yes! This house is pet-friendly. For more information, we recommend contacting the booking provider about animal policies.

What amenities are available at Edwardian country house on Dorset's Jurassic coast ?

We found 11 amenities for this rental. This includes pets allowed, kitchen or kitchenette, internet / wifi, fireplace, and parking.

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Edwardian country house on Dorset's Jurassic coast

House in East Devon District

Reasons to book

About this house rental

Amenities

Map of East Devon District

Nearby attractions

Edwardian country house on Dorset's Jurassic coast

House in East Devon District

Reasons to book

About this house rental

Amenities

Map of East Devon District

Nearby attractions

Reviews

FAQs

How much does this house cost compared to others in East Devon District?

Is parking included with this house?

Is there a pool at this house?

Is Edwardian country house on Dorset's Jurassic coast pet friendly?

What amenities are available at Edwardian country house on Dorset's Jurassic coast ?

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