Rushay is a beautiful 9 bedroom Edwardian country house and cottage, with a tennis court and huge gardens, which sleeps 20 and stands just a mile from the beach at Charmouth. 

With four reception rooms, open fires, two fully equipped kitchens, and excellent shopping in the lively market towns of Bridport and Lyme Regis, there’s a huge amount for family groups and holiday makers to enjoy.

We have a tennis court, an Argentinian ‘asado’ barbecue on the terrace, table football, loads of board games and the inevitable TV in both house and cottage, with fast wifi connections everywhere. 

Built for the agent of this Dorset estate in 1906, with a converted stable cottage across the yard from the kitchen, Rushay’s principal rooms face south and west, with high ceilings and waxed wooden floors. Their bay windows overlook the garden to the unspoilt countryside beyond, and fill with light.

Wellies, beach bags, snorkels, coats, live in the boot room, with tennis racquets and balls (provided). From the boots, you cross the study-cum-sitting room, with its piano and well-stocked bookshelves, into a handsome hall. Beyond the hall lies the drawing room, with a log fire and lots of comfortable places to curl up. Another door opens into the dining room.

The dining room was opened into the kitchen in the 1960s, and we have updated the kitchen with plenty of prep space on the mahogany island and counters, a two-oven Aga, an electric hob and oven, microwave, and all the equipment you could need, from big pots and pans to colanders, utensils and scales. Two doors lead into the laundry, or the pantry with its big American-style friedge-freezer.

It’s a great house for cookery (but ask about hiring a private chef for an evening, too!)

At the top of the oak stairs, five double bedrooms off the landing corridor have white floors and walls, emphasizing the sense of air and space. At the top of the back stairs, a broad winding flight takes you to the attic dorm with four single beds (and a shower room en suite).