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Rising Phoenix

Magical country house in Suffolk

After a disastrous fire the owner decided to start again and rebuild a new house on the site of the old. Magically isolated down a long farm track in the Suffolk countryside the house is set in 8 acres of fields and woods and includes a 'dacha' in the garden and further barns and cottages for family and friends. Assisted by architect neighbours she decided to model the plans on vernacular style with barn-like proportions and a courtyard garden, plus a prodigious vegetable patch. She is the owner of the Volga Linen Company based in a nearby village so the house features many of her own fabrics used for curtains, table cloths and upholstery. It is a family home with a pair of Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs, an AGA for cooking and plenty of space for endless visitors who flock to the area during the Aldeburgh Festival and other events. The linen business was founded after the owner travelled in Russia in the 80's visiting places where her grandmother had grown up and improving her Russian language skills. Her thoughts were 'trade not aid' and she began importing products from old fashioned linen mills with hand-stitched embroidery in the old patterns.