Description
Summary
Little Culver is a stunning and unique Cotswold stone property, built in 1821. The cottage forms the right hand half of a beautiful castellated Grade II listed building, Culver Cottage. Originally an almshouse, it was built by David Ricardo of Gatcombe Park, and its distinctive architectural style is reflected by its reference in Pevsner's Architectural Guide for the Cotswolds.
The cottage is located in the heart of the charming village of Minchinhampton, which is situated on the eastern edge of the beautiful Minchinhampton Common. Although just a small village, Minchinhampton has a village shop and post office, an independent butcher, and a well regarded café and country pub. The Ragged Cot pub is also on the edge of the village, just over a mile away from the cottage, and the vibrant market towns of Nailsworth and Stroud are both close by, with their wide range of dining options and unique shops. Minchinhampton is in the stunning Five Valleys area of the South Cotswolds, which is also home to Gatcombe Park, the venue for the famous annual horse trials. Little Culver is well located for visiting the spa towns of Bath and Cheltenham, as well as the many picturesque towns and villages of the Cotswolds.
Little Culver has been lovingly refurbished by its owners, in a warm, contemporary style. There are a wealth of character features, including Gothic windows, exposed Cotswold stone, pretty window seats and a wood burning stove. The character of the property is complemented by modern facilities, including wireless internet access, a SMART TV and a stunning kitchen.
The property sleeps five people, in three bedrooms, with a family bathroom, enclosed back garden and free on street parking close by. Little Culver is perfect for a family or group of friends looking for a relaxing break in the beautiful Five Valleys area of the Cotswolds.
Description
Little Culver is located in the heart of the village of Minchinhampton. An ornate arched doorway on the street opens into a lobby, which is shared with the neighbouring property. Little Culver’s front door opens from the lobby into the living room.
The following rooms are on the ground floor:
- Living room: A beautiful, spacious room, adorned with antique maps and artwork, which has a stunning Gothic window with a window seat, and a Cotswold stone fireplace with a wood burning stove. There are two leather sofas, plus a bench seat, and a SMART TV with a Freesat box and a DVD player;
- Kitchen/dining room: A stylish, contemporary room that overlooks the back garden. The well presented kitchen has a range cooker with a five ring gas hob and two electric ovens, two under counter fridges (one with a freezer compartment), a dishwasher, toaster, kettle and a cafetiere. The large dining table has seating for six, and there is also a pew bench underneath a lovely Gothic window. Floor-to-ceiling cupboards provide larder space, as well as storage for coats and shoes;
- Utility room: Accessed from the garden, this useful space contains a washing machine, tumble dryer and microwave, as well as a toilet and wash basin.
Stairs lead up from the ground floor to the first floor landing, off which are the following rooms:
- Master bedroom: A characterful room, with a wooden floor and a Gothic window overlooking the garden, which contains a double bed, chest of drawers and a freestanding wardrobe;
- Bedroom 2: Another lovely room, again with a wooden floor and a Gothic window, as well as a decorative exposed stone alcove. There are two single beds, a chest of drawers, and a white Eames chair;
- Bedroom 3: A charming room, which contains a single day bed, bedside table, desk and chair;
- Family bathroom: Contains a bath with overhead shower, toilet and wash basin.
A door from the kitchen leads out to a patio and a large, enclosed courtyard garden, which catches the late afternoon sun. There is a table with seating for six, as well as a chiminea and a charcoal barbecue. Free on street parking is available a short walk away in the village.
Key Features
Key Features
Booking and payment
Character Cottages is a marketing agency and we do not own any of the cottages listed on our website. We manage a proportion of cottages within our portfolio and the remaining properties are managed by a third party property manager or the property owner – your pre-arrival email will contain confirmation and contact details for your property manager. Bookings made via us form a legal agreement directly between you and the property owner.
For bookings commencing more than 10 weeks in advance, a 30% non-refundable deposit is required to confirm the booking. The balance payment is then due 10 weeks prior to arrival.
All payments are made subject to the cancellation policy set out in the standard Booking Conditions.
Security deposits
Security deposits are not required (please note that guests are still liable for any damage or additional cleaning required as a result of their actions).
Occupancy
The maximum occupancy of the property is five guests, at any point during your stay. Unauthorised over occupancy is a breach of our terms and conditions and may result in the cancellation of your booking and additional charges. Please consult us prior to booking if you wish to discuss the possibility of having more than five guests at the property.
Infants who sleep in a cot do not count towards the occupancy figure, however, due to space restrictions, the occupancy figure may only be exceeded by one additional infant.
Pets
One medium sized dog is accepted, at a cost of £20 per booking.
For the comfort of future guests, we ask that your dog remains downstairs, stays off the furniture and that no trace of a dog remains after your departure.
Bed linen and towels
Bed linen and towels are provided for guests.
Arrival and departure times
Arrival time is after 4pm and departure time is by 10am. Access is via a key safe, therefore it does not matter if you are arriving late at night.
Bed sizes and configurations
- Master bedroom: Double bed
- Bedroom 2: 2 x single beds
- Bedroom 3: Single bed
Bathrooms
- Family bathroom: Bath with overhead shower, toilet and wash basin
Heating, fuel and logs
The property has a gas central heating system.
Electricity is included in the rental price. From October to April, an initial basket of logs is provided for the wood burning stove, and further log supplies can be purchased locally.
Services provided
The property has free wireless internet access and a SMART TV, with a Freesat box and DVD player.
There is no telephone at the property.
Mobile phone reception is variable in the property and is typically better outside and in the village.
Parking
Guests can load and unload cars opposite the property, and free on-street parking is readily available close by, however please note that parking is not permitted on the road the property is on.
Housekeeping
Where a letting exceeds nine nights, a mid-stay clean, bed linen and towel change may be included in the price. Please check with us to confirm. Additional housekeeping services may be available on request.
Child friendly facilities
Regrettably, due to the absence of window restrictors on the original timber-framed windows, Little Culver does not accept children under the age of 5. Babies who are not yet walking are accepted and a travel cot (without linen) and high chair are provided.
Initial consumables
A small quantity of initial consumables is provided for your convenience (eg. tea, coffee, sugar, dishwasher tablets, washing up liquid, soap, washing powder, toilet rolls, etc), however, you should not expect the quantity of these provisions to be sufficient for the duration of your stay.
Accessibility, health and safety
This is an old, Grade II listed property and has a number of character features, including some low door frames and steps into some rooms, as well as being laid out over two floors, which could pose difficulty to guests with limited mobility, or carrying babies, both in terms of their general movement and their ability to quickly exit the property in the event of an emergency.
There are no locks on the original timber-framed windows.
Bedrooms 2 and 3 open onto the first floor landing, next to the top of the staircase, therefore guests should be careful exiting these bedrooms, particularly at night time.
The smoke and CO detectors operate on a sound only basis and, therefore, those who have serious impairment of hearing may not be able to hear the alarm systems and could be at risk.
Smoking
No smoking or vaping is permitted throughout the property.
Photographs
In order to provide you with as much detail of our properties as possible, we sometimes use wide angle photography, which can make certain rooms, or spaces, appear larger than they actually are. Wherever possible, we try to include a floorplan, with detailed dimensions of rooms and areas.
If you have any queries regarding the size of any rooms or spaces, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Reviews
Little Culver was launched as a Holiday Let with Character Cottages in March 2018. Customer reviews and feedback for this lovely property are provided below:
Other Guest Feedback:
-"We would really recommend a stay at Little Culvert - the house is lovely, good size, nice outdoor space and really well equipped. We also loved the local area - fantastic butchers and dairy within 2-3 mins walking distance as well as lots of great places to run, walk and cycle (such as Minchinhampton Common just a five minute walk up the road). We're looking forward to going back to the area in the future.", Sarah, March 2020
-"We had a lovely stay at Little Culver for a long weekend, and the cottage is perfect for a weekend get away. Lots of stunning, long walks around the common, and a nice log fire to come back and enjoy in the evenings. The garden is lovely for enjoying a cup of tea in the sunshine and we will hopefully be back again soon!", Rachel, March 2020
-"Had a lovely stay in Little Culver. All was as advertised - plenty of space for 5 people, very comfortable and stylish. Loved the original features of the house. Thoughtful touches like chocolates and biscuits on arrival were appreciated and the key safe made our arrival stress-free as travelling from London. Would definitely stay again if travelling to the Cotswolds.”, Emma, March 2020
-"Great location, right in the centre of the village. Had a great stay and would love to go back one day. Sad to have to leave at the end of the holiday.", Colin, March 2020
-"Lovely property, cute area and thoughtful touches. A great break from the city with family!”, Skye, February 2020
-"Beautiful place in the Cotswolds. Very charming, and spacious enough for our family of 5. We would definitely go back.”, Jim, January 2020
-“The perfect pad to explore the Cotswolds, set in a cute little village. Loved the treats and the garden was so beautiful to sit in and enjoy the rest of the British summer.”, Leo, September 2019
-“A beautiful house In the quiet quintessential English village of Minchinhampton. We rocked up with 5 people and found there to be plenty of room for everyone. The Garden was well kept and a really chilled out place to hangout in the sunshine. No negative comments here! The one thing I would say is to bring cash with you because many of the local establishments don’t take cards.”, Jonny, August 2019
-“Lovely place, deserves a 5 star rating as could not fault it in any way. Very much appreciated the extra touches. The weather was wet almost the entire week, but the cottage was so comfortable it didn’t matter, it was a luxury just being there. Would love to go back. Will highly recommend.”, Sarah, June 2019
-"Wonderful week with family and friends. A true home away from home and an excellent base for exploring the Cotswolds. Thank you!", Rosie, June 2019
-"Little Culver was perfect for a short break, it was lovely to be able to walk to get everything that we needed as the weather was horrible! The cottage is really well equipped, we particularly appreciated that the kitchen equipment is of very good quality which is great if you are keen cooks. The surrounding area is lovely, lots and lots to see and do, but we mostly sat by the fire! Particularly recommend the Jolly Nice farm shop, great produce and also have firewood and food to take away.” Keri, April 2019
-"Really wonderful stay I couldn’t recommend it more, amazing house with wonderful decor, all the amenities that you could need and want. Amazing quality linen, furniture and welcome notes and suggestions to help you feel immediately at home. Well done on the best ‘home away’ that we have ever stayed in! Ps The Kitchen cafe was amazing for breakfast the Irish lady was fab, the butchers also very affordable (cheaper than a supermarket in my eyes). Henry’s was closed but looked lovely. One of the nicest and most original towns of those locally. Glad we stayed here!", Becky, February 2019
-"Thanks for everything it was an amazing stay.", Ben, October 2018
-"What a fabulous place to say! Minchinhampton is such a gorgeous place with friendly locals and incredible cafe called The Kitchen and lovely walks in the common! I highly recommend and we really loved using the fireplace!", Campbell, October 2018
-"Great place to stay - pretty location though not many attractions in the village itself. Plenty to do within a short car journey. The cottage is very well stocked, attractive property - we loved the old windows. A slightly later check-out time would be appreciated though!", Ian, August 2018
Floorplan
Inventory
Our aim is for you to enjoy Little Culver as if it was your own home and this information is provided to ensure that you are aware of, and are able to use, all the facilities that are available.
| Main appliances, furniture and facilities |
|---|
| Small charcoal barbecue (charcoal not provided) |
Bed linen, bath towels and hand towels |
DVD player |
| Five ring gas hob |
2 fridges (one with freezer compartment) |
Cafetiere |
| Kettle |
Microwave |
Outdoor table and seating |
| Toaster |
Range cooker with double electric ovens |
SMART TV with Freesat box |
| Washing machine |
Wireless internet |
Dishwasher |
| Travel cot (without linen) |
High chair |
Tumble dryer |
| Selection of DVDs, books & games |
Chimenea (fuel not provided) |
|
| General provisions |
|---|
| Bin bags |
Dishwasher tablets |
Hand soap |
| J cloths & scourers |
Salt and pepper |
Small quantity of instant coffee |
| Small quantity of sugar |
Small quantity of tea bags |
Toilet roll |
| Washing up liquid |
|
|
| Other equipment and facilities |
|---|
| Pegs for clothes line |
CO detectors |
Smoke alarms |
| Fire blanket |
Fire extinguishers |
First aid kit |
| Hair dryer |
Iron |
Ironing board |
Travel
Little Culver is located in the beautiful market town of Minchinhampton, approximately two miles away from Nailsworth and four miles away from Stroud.
Travelling by car
Little Culver is easily accessed by car, being located approximately eight miles away from the M5 and approximately 17 miles away from the M4.
Travelling by train
The nearest railway station to Little Culver is Stroud (approximately four miles away), which has regular, direct services to London Paddington, with a typical journey time of just over 90 minutes.
Travelling by plane
Little Culver is within easy reach of a number of international airports:
- Heathrow International Airport: 90 miles, approximately 90 minute drive;
- Birmingham International Airport: 76 miles, approximately 80 minute drive.
