Natural world meets modernist design at Lower Mill Estate
Tuesday, 11 October 2011 4:41 PM
Awaking to the chatter of swifts and house martins is an increasingly rare experience in the sprawling suburbia of modern Britain with its busy roads, noisy neighbours and 6am radio alarm clocks.
That is what Jeremy Paxton, the former magazine publisher, was hoping to avoid when he built Lower Mill Estate in the heart of the Cotswolds.
A passionate environmentalist with 23 years experience in the self-build vacation home market he has created a setting in which residents can enjoy the comforts of the modern world, but with nature right on their doorstep.
His Lower Mill Estate community perches on the banks of a river teeming with otters and beavers, against a backdrop of woodlands.
Otters live within 30 metres of homes, as part of a 'disturbance zone' building plan, allowing people to get close to them - but not too close.
Community spirit is in abundance, but there are also walking trails, boating lakes and ready access to nearby villages.
Jeremy Paxton, born in Hackney 51 years ago and a one time champion water-skier, brings dynamism to the project and a boundless enthusiasm for nature.
He said: "I want people coming here who are interested in owning a second home in the heart of a professionally tended nature reserve.
"Unless you appreciate the surroundings, the flora and the fauna, you won't understand what Lower Mill Estate is all about."
He has invited the world's top architects to build one-off modernist homes on the 550 acre site and that policy has paid off with plentiful awards.
Sarah Featherstone's groundbreaking, eco-friendly and distinctly odd looking 'Orchid House' sold for £7.2m recently and a contemporary lakehouse was given the Telegraph's "best small building" award.
However there are properties available on a much more realistic budget, with average prices ranging from £250,000 to £2m.
Buyers are encouraged to take a role in house design, giving them the opportunity to realise their dream holiday home.
Lower Mill Estate is a triumph of nature at one with modernist design and well worth a look for any prospective second home buyer, best demonstrated by the pictures below:
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