Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you will have noticed that Jilly Cooper’s iconic 1980s novel Rivals is being brought to life in a suitably risqué eight-part series airing on Disney+ this week. The raunchy tale sets its scene in “Rutshire”—a fictional town based in the picture-perfect Cotswolds—so then, how about some luxury Cotswolds homes to remake the scenes in...however you please?
The Studio in Upper Slaughter
This converted barn may be nestled in a like-butter-wouldn’t-melt, honey-hued Cotswolds hamlet, but behind its Crittall doors lies a design scheme with a real East London edge. With punchy modernist art from Frieze London, a neon wall light, and a glass-framed bedroom pod, The Studio is a Cotswolds bolthole but not as you’ve seen before.
The Marlings in Stroud
A sprawling Cotswolds estate sleeping up to 25 guests, The Marlings could easily double as the residence of Rupert Campbell-Black himself. Spread across four dwellings including a farmhouse, converted barn, two sets of cottages and a banquet hall, this is a place made for hobnobbing—with twelve bedrooms to sneak off to when the party’s over.
Four Hundred Summers in Bibury
As sweet as gingerbread, made from traditional Cotswolds stone, this charming cottage has a real The Holiday quality about it. From stargazing at midnight in the hot tub to roaming through the pretty courtyard garden; lounging around the log burner to cooking ragu on the Aga, true romantics at heart will love this home-away-from-home.
Gulliver’s Hall in Stroud
Set within 320 acres of private Gloucestershire farmland, this grand stately home will surely rival any in all the land; complete with ornate four-poster beds, gold-framed ancestral family portraits, and a luxury spa—with outdoor swimming pool and spa bath, and indoor sauna and steam room. But, hey, there’d be no story without a bit of healthy competition, right?
Filly Island in Cirencester
What’s more romantic than a hideaway for two on your own island? This streamside cottage has a real escapist feel about it: a place you stow away in for the weekend after throwing together a few essentials in an overnight bag. Where everything after hours is done by candlelight, and the trees' shadows waltz across the walls at twilight.
