Goodwood

Goodwood Holiday Cottage is on the right-hand side of the courtyard as you go in, and was one of the two luxury holiday cottages built for the stable grooms. It is warm, inviting and cosy without being either cramped or self-consciously quaint.

The front door opens into the 19' square drawing-room/dining-room, painted a warm off-white, with thick mustard curtains at its four windows. Fabrics are olive green, yellow and off-white - a Mulberry olive velvet on the ottoman, Lelievre velvet on one of the chairs, and an off white sofa. In front of the open fire, there's a needlepoint copy of an 18th century rug in greys and yellows. To the right is a green-and-white painted bookcase and on the left of the room, by the circular mahogany dining-table, an antique Irish dresser is packed with Masons Ironstone dishes. Behind the chesterfield sofa facing the fire is a butler's tray for drinks, and there's also a large, handsome desk with telephone, perfect for planning trips or writing novels.

The pale green painted kitchen next door, presided over by a large stuffed trout above the window, is floored in terracotta tiles and curtained in off white. There's a sturdy old pine table, big enough for informal meals, and all the machines and gadgets you could want. Worktops are in granite and there is a butler's sink. Opening out of the kitchen is the lobby to the back door, the utility room and downstairs lavatory, and the stairs leading up to the first floor.

At one end of the corridor above is the master bedroom, its handsome mahogany four-poster hung in whiteand green walls. The ensuite shower-room is white-tiled from floor to ceiling and has a vast washstand running its entire length, with a battery of film-star-dressing-room lights around the enormous wall-to-wall mirror.

At the other end of the corridor, there's a twin-bedded room with two handsome wrought iron beds and several black-and-white prints.

In the middle is the single bedroom with a faux bamboo four-poster bed curtained in green-and-white toile de jouy. They share a bathroom, which has a power shower, lavatory and washstand.

Goodwood has its own enclosed garden, with a lawn, yew hedges and also a terrace with garden furniture, which is surrounded by yellow and cream roses, honeysuckle, lilies, lavender and pinks. It faces south-east towards the entrance of the Abbey, which is framed by two enormous copper sycamore trees. Opposite the terrace is a romantic arbour, with its back to the yew hedge.