Crawford House gallery Gallery
An elegant home with an easy atmosphere – Andrea is a great host. Comfortable bedrooms with window seats overlook the pretty walled gardens
3 rooms
Rooms sleep 2
Children welcome
Pets welcome
Your enquiry details
2 Guests 12 Dec 24 - 12 Dec 24
Enquire through Sawday's
Fill out the enquiry form and we'll pass your questions onto the owner.
What part does Sawday’s play?
£90 - £95 per night
The Experience
Below, the river Stour winds through the valley and under the medieval, nine-arched bridge. Above, an Iron Age hill fort; between is Crawford House. The sun streams through the tall windows of the downstairs rooms and you feel very much at home.Andrea is fun and has lots of local knowledge. There are plenty of historic houses to visit, you can get to Poole with its stunning natural harbour in half an hour, and the gate from her garden leads on to the North Dorset Trailway – useful for dog walking.Sit out in walled gardens full of roses with lemon drizzle cake and tea, read by the open fire, sleep well in warm comfy bedrooms. Andrea’s delicious breakfasts include homemade marmalade and seasonal berries.
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We think you'll love
- The relaxed elegance of this country house
- Wandering the colourful gardens
- Andrea's fresh seasonal fruit salad for breakfast every morning
You should know
- Mobile phone coverage can be variable in the bedrooms
Essentials
- EV charger
- Swimming pool
- Hot tub
- Garden
- Open fire / woodburner
- Breakfast included
- Breakfast available
- Meals available
- Vegetarian meals
- Oven
- Parking on premises
- Free parking nearby
- Accessible by public transport
- WiFi
- Television
- Spa
- Central heating
- Limited mobility
- Wheelchair access
- Mobile reception
- Hob
- Bar
- Barbecue
- Licensed premises
- Paid parking nearby
- Air conditioning
- Relaxation areas
- Washing machine
- Tennis court
- Microwave oven
- No smoking
- Credit cards
- Working farm
- Owner has pets
- Dishwasher
- Pets welcome
Family friendly
- Baby monitor
- Books and toys
- Children welcome
- Babies welcome
- Stair gates
- High chair
- Fire guard
- Cot available
Nearby
- Pub/bar within 3 miles
- Restaurant within 3 miles
- Shop within 3 miles
Activities
- Bikes available
- Food courses
- Kayaking
- Other courses
- Sailing
- Surfing
- Wild swimming
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Accommodation
Pricing
- Nightly price
- from £90
- Surcharges
- Singles £50.
- 1 Twin
- From £90
- 1 Twin/double
- From £90
- 1 Twin
- From £90
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Information
Booking information
- Check in
- Usually late afternoon, but different times can be arranged if necessary.
- Check out
- By 11am.
- Other details
- One night stays available.
- Closed
- Rarely.
- No smoking
- Smoking not permitted anywhere in the property.
- Meals
- Pub 2 miles.
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Reviews
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We spent a wonderful week in this romantico Home with Andrea. She is very friendly , humorous and generosi -the breakfast comprehensive and delicious. We can unreservedly recommend a stay with her!👍😍
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Andrea was a perfect host. She welcomed us with a cup of tea by a roaring log fire. It was a such a pleasure to stay in her characterful country house full of books and paintings.
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Andrea made us very welcome with tea and cake and a roaring log fire. It was a real pleasure to stay in such a beautiful old house with such an interesting and hospitable host.
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It is a treat to stay at Crawford House, as others say Andrea is a wonderful hostess. The house feels Georgian and the rooms and garden are beautiful. It is a lovely base for exploring the surroundings, and again as others mention Andrea is very helpful with suggestions. The breakfast is delicious and the living room with an open fire available for cosy evenings.
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Andrea was a lovely host and did everything to make us feel welcome and comfortable. Warm bedroom, an extra heater and a hot-water bottle should we need them. Cosy log-fires every evening and delicious breakfasts. Andrea catered admirably for my gluten and cow's milk - free diet.We had 4 wonderful nights at Crawford House. Can thoroughly recommend.
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Andrea welcomed 3 generations of my family to Crawford House despite our greatly varying needs! The relaxed atmosphere and beautiful garden contributed to a really lovely holiday. Andrea's warm character, local knowledge and delicious breakfasts were also very much appreciated. I would strongly recommend Crawford House to anyone visiting this beautiful part of the British countryside.
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Ours was a flying visit. My husband was running at Bournemouth Athletics Centre, and we needed to lay our heads down for one night and set off with a hearty breakfast. Andrea was accommodating from the start, and made us feel entirely at ease, greeting us with tea and lemon drizzle cake which never hurts anyone! The beds were cosy and comfortable, and we slept for longer than usual because of it. In fact, The Athlete won his race, such was his rested state. The breakfast was perfect in size for us, and I am now a marmalade convert! We only use Sawdays, and have yet to be disappointed...
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We had an absolutely delightful experience at Crawford House with Andrea, where we stayed for 2 nights in Jan 2017. We had a lovely welcome, with a beautiful ensuite room, overlooking the garden and our 'own' sitting room with roaring fire. The bed was supremely comfortable. The house was elegant and had a wonderful feeling of relaxed, serene warmth. Andrea was clearly interested in her guests and we spent two lovely breakfasts chatting over the superb food. It was one of the most charming and lovely experiences we have had and came away feeling upbeat, restored and refreshed. Thank you.
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Location
The neighbourhood
There are some good walks around the village and through the water meadows; all can be accessed from the old railway line, now a Trailway, through Andrea's garden gate. You can stop at The Woodpecker pub on your way back. Dorset Opera at Bryanston stage two operas at the end of July. Visit the scent farm across the valley at Tarrant Keyneston – you can buy their perfumes and there’s a café. It’s four miles to Blandford Forum, a Georgian town with a farmers’ market, good pubs and independent shops. You can get to Dorchester, Wimborne and Shaftesbury in about half an hour, the beautiful sandy beaches of the Dorset Coast too.
Local points of interest from Andrea Lea
- Gardens: Knoll Gardens, Wimborne; Mapperton House near Beaminster; Compton Acres, Poole; Kingston Lacy House and Gardens, Wimborne: Abbotsbury Sub-tropical Gardens.
- Family days: Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour; The Tank Museum; Monkey World at Bovington, The Swannery at Abbotsbury.
- Walkers: Garden gate directly on to the North Dorset Trailway and Spetisbury Rings .WHS Dorset Coast; lovely inland walks with good local pubs.
- Take a local walk to the fascinating St Mary's Church, Tarrant Crawford with its beautiful 13th century faded murals
- Moreton Church - magnificent etched windows by Laurence Whistler. Well worth a visit. Gold Hill, Shaftesbury.
- Just across the river visit Keynston Mill, where acres of local herbs are grown and distilled to make perfume. Here also is The |Scented Botanist restaurant/café and Parterre gardens. Access by footpath to the River Stour.
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Introducing
Andrea Lea
Andrea is well-travelled and spent a while in Hong Kong; she loves visiting Scotland. She's lived in this area for ages and is involved in the life of the village and the local community. Looking after her garden takes much of her time and she’s been welcoming guests to Crawford House for many years.
We stayed for two nights in this beautiful Georgian house. Andrea the owner met us at the door when we arrived and straight away made us feel welcome. While we unloaded the car, she made us tea and served us delicious slices of apple cake. We had the double room with ensuite bath/shower and toilet. The bed is huge and very comfortable. The room was lovely and spotlessly clean. Breakfasts were delicious and cooked to order. There is a good selection of fresh fruit salad, yoghurt, home made bread and muesli and tea or coffee to accompany. Andrea is the perfect host. Lovely lady.