title: England's Hideaways: Discovering Enchanting Rooms, Stately Manor Houses, and Country Cottages
author:  Meg Nolan Van Reesema 
description: &ldquo;Looking for some R&amp;R in the UK? Then do check into Meg Nolan van Reesema&rsquo;s <i>England&rsquo;s Hideaways </i>for inspiration on where to stay. Chosen for their d&eacute;cor and ambiance&mdash;and evocatively showcased in Tim Clinch&rsquo;s 250 photos&mdash;the thirty featured historic lodgings range from comfy-luxe castle to cozy B&amp;B, with all manner of inviting manor houses and hotels in-between.&rdquo; ~<i>24th Letter</i><br><i>&#160;</i><br>&ldquo;England&rsquo;s finest guestrooms come alive, lavishly illustrated by over 200 interior photographs&hellip;.Buy this book to plan for your next vacation across the pond; keep it to inspire your next design project.&rdquo; ~<i>Metrosource LA</i>
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  _For the inimitable and remarkable SJV_
  
  1
  
   **Friday, 13 January 2017**
  
   **London, 12.30 p.m.**
  
  She must be mistaken, but it looks exactly as if someone is moving into her
  house.
  
  The van is parked halfway down Trinity Avenue, its square mouth agape, a large
  piece of furniture sliding down the ribbed metal tongue. Fi watches, squinting
  into the buttery sunlight – rare for the time of year, a gift – as the object
  is borne shoulder-high by two men through the gate and down the path.
  
   _My gate_. _My path_.
  
  No, that’s illogical: of course it can’t be her house. It must be the Reeces’,
  two down from hers; they put their place on the market in the autumn and no
  one is quite sure if a sale has gone through. The houses on this side of
  Trinity Avenue are all built the same – red-brick double-fronted Edwardians in
  pairs, their owners united in a preference for front doors painted black – and
  everyone agre