She's right tbh! A home shouldn't look like packaging materials. If you/she wants characterful use of wood, check out the villages in the Weald of Kent for a picturesque, quintessentially English, aesthetic, featuring close studded timbering, with decorative patterns in the framing. All within easy commuting distance (35-40 mi) on South Eastern into London Bridge, Charing Cross or Cannon St. I can recommend particularly Pluckley (setting of the Darling Buds of May), but anywhere beyond Tonbridge/Paddock Wood will do. Given the TIM piece on Country piles going for a song, you might pick up a bargain. All the advantages of the best of British countryside, and you can be in central London in a hour.
Yeah, I've been looking all along the coast that direction in Essex and Kent in the past couple of years too. I could see myself ending up there, wood or no wood!
I now see that they're plans to build a whole new city (1 mn people) south of Newmarket/ Cambridge apparently made out of wood (Forest City in Suffolk farmland, perhaps @ermine knows more): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjw97nlq8q7o
(also in the Telegraph this weekend but paywalled).
If you're looking around Essex and Kent you might want to check out the smallest "towns" (technically, they more like villages FAPP) with direct rail into the capital, Sturry (/Fordwich) in Kent and Manningtree in Essex.
I can't speak for the latter, but Sturry's immediately neighbour (three quaters of a mile from Sturry station, from which is only 1 hour 8 mins to St. Pancras on Southeastern) is the beautiful traditional Kentish village of Fordwich.
Fordwich is tiny. You can walk the whole place in minutes. There’s no “high street” in the modern sense, just a short stretch of old houses, the town hall, and a couple of pubs near the river. Ancient rather than miniature, timber-framed buildings, some medieval, 13th-century Town Hall, beautifully preserved, riverside cottages that make it feel unchanged for centuries.The River Stour runs right through it, giving ducks, willows, and slow moving water. Canoes and kayaks drifting past. A sense of calm that makes the place feel almost frozen in time. A couple of pubs like the George & Dragon act as heart; all old, low ceilinged, traditional English inns.Woodlands and nature reserves nearby with walking routes like the Stour Valley path and los of birdlife and greenery. Sleepy, postcard like, lived in rather than curated.
Of course, if you want a countryside vibe and HS1 fast (frequent Southeastern Javelin services) into London, then there's always Canterbury West.
Cheers for the forest heads-up, I actually saw that a week or two ago too but decided not to include in WR/here (IIRC?) because it seemed too speculative. At the moment I think they are still trying to drum up funding. (Haven't read your new link, racing about etc ;) )
I don't think that's cork on the walls, it's OSB https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriented_strand_board. I don't know about London Village, but in the uncultured North every barbers and bottled beer shop has been kitted out with this look for a few years now. It doesn't really do anything for me; if it was birch plywood that might be a different story.
Hmm, I think you might be right @CoffeeAndTV! Should have looked more closely at the photos again (the debate I referenced was a few weeks ago…)
I guess OSB has the virtue of being unornamented (like all that exposed functional industrial stuff) and also presumably more environmentally friendly (because you're not adding a surface layer just for prettiness).
Unfortunately I don't think it looks very good. At least not everywhere all at once like this!
She's right tbh! A home shouldn't look like packaging materials. If you/she wants characterful use of wood, check out the villages in the Weald of Kent for a picturesque, quintessentially English, aesthetic, featuring close studded timbering, with decorative patterns in the framing. All within easy commuting distance (35-40 mi) on South Eastern into London Bridge, Charing Cross or Cannon St. I can recommend particularly Pluckley (setting of the Darling Buds of May), but anywhere beyond Tonbridge/Paddock Wood will do. Given the TIM piece on Country piles going for a song, you might pick up a bargain. All the advantages of the best of British countryside, and you can be in central London in a hour.
Yeah, I've been looking all along the coast that direction in Essex and Kent in the past couple of years too. I could see myself ending up there, wood or no wood!
I now see that they're plans to build a whole new city (1 mn people) south of Newmarket/ Cambridge apparently made out of wood (Forest City in Suffolk farmland, perhaps @ermine knows more): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjw97nlq8q7o
(also in the Telegraph this weekend but paywalled).
If you're looking around Essex and Kent you might want to check out the smallest "towns" (technically, they more like villages FAPP) with direct rail into the capital, Sturry (/Fordwich) in Kent and Manningtree in Essex.
I can't speak for the latter, but Sturry's immediately neighbour (three quaters of a mile from Sturry station, from which is only 1 hour 8 mins to St. Pancras on Southeastern) is the beautiful traditional Kentish village of Fordwich.
Fordwich is tiny. You can walk the whole place in minutes. There’s no “high street” in the modern sense, just a short stretch of old houses, the town hall, and a couple of pubs near the river. Ancient rather than miniature, timber-framed buildings, some medieval, 13th-century Town Hall, beautifully preserved, riverside cottages that make it feel unchanged for centuries.The River Stour runs right through it, giving ducks, willows, and slow moving water. Canoes and kayaks drifting past. A sense of calm that makes the place feel almost frozen in time. A couple of pubs like the George & Dragon act as heart; all old, low ceilinged, traditional English inns.Woodlands and nature reserves nearby with walking routes like the Stour Valley path and los of birdlife and greenery. Sleepy, postcard like, lived in rather than curated.
Of course, if you want a countryside vibe and HS1 fast (frequent Southeastern Javelin services) into London, then there's always Canterbury West.
Cheers for the forest heads-up, I actually saw that a week or two ago too but decided not to include in WR/here (IIRC?) because it seemed too speculative. At the moment I think they are still trying to drum up funding. (Haven't read your new link, racing about etc ;) )
I don't think that's cork on the walls, it's OSB https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriented_strand_board. I don't know about London Village, but in the uncultured North every barbers and bottled beer shop has been kitted out with this look for a few years now. It doesn't really do anything for me; if it was birch plywood that might be a different story.
Hmm, I think you might be right @CoffeeAndTV! Should have looked more closely at the photos again (the debate I referenced was a few weeks ago…)
I guess OSB has the virtue of being unornamented (like all that exposed functional industrial stuff) and also presumably more environmentally friendly (because you're not adding a surface layer just for prettiness).
Unfortunately I don't think it looks very good. At least not everywhere all at once like this!
Cheers for commenting! :)