A period cottage in the village of Studland

A early-nineteenth-century cottage of local Purbeck stone, set behind a low wall on a lane that runs down toward the bay. The roof is thatched and recently re-coated, the windows are timber, and the proportions are modest in the way of the village — rooms that hold warmth, ceilings that ask you to slow down.

The interior has been kept honest. Flagstone floors and an inglenook with a wood-burner anchor the sitting room; the kitchen is simple and hand-built in painted timber, with a range and a window over the sink that looks onto the garden. A second reception room serves as a study or snug. Throughout, the walls are lime-plastered and left a chalky white, and the original beams have been left as they were found.

Upstairs are three bedrooms under the eaves, two of them with a glimpse of the sea over the rooftops, and a bathroom with a roll-top tub. The cottage is small and complete; it does not pretend to be anything other than what it is.

The garden is the surprise — deep and south-facing, walled on two sides, with an old apple tree, a gravel terrace and a timber outbuilding currently used as a studio. The beach at Studland Bay and the heath beyond are both within a few minutes on foot.