A House for Essex

Wrabness, Essex
Self-catering
+44 (0)203 488 1584
Visit owner's website

From
£495 - £530
per night
From
£3000 - £3700
per week

A colourful modern folly, designed to surprise and celebrating the life (and death by motorbike) of an imaginary Essex woman called Julie

Bed

2 beds

Bedroom

2 bedrooms

Sleeps

Sleeps 4

£495 - £530 per night

£3000 - £3700 per week

The Experience

The main living space is open to the roof, from which hangs a moped, the walls are covered in huge murals and cartoon strips by the wonderful Grayson Perry and there are many nods to Julie in the form of large figures inside and her grave in the garden. You can read Julie’s books and listen to her music – all this was conceived by Julie’s second husband we learn. Two bedrooms have views across fields to the wide and placid river Stour beyond.

The kitchen cupboards are painted in a shade you won’t want to look at if you’ve got a hangover but you will find some basics in the cupboards and a lovely table to eat at. There’s a very modern wood-burner and two sofas facing each other across a large expanse of zig-zag tiled floor. The house is playful, unpredictable and will delight lovers of design.

Horses stroll past the windows, grasses sway in the breeze, Felixstowe dock with its cranes and container ships hovers in the distance.

A House for Essex - Gallery

We think you'll love

  • Spending hours discovering Julie's story through a booklet, her music, her books, the whole house and her garden grave
  • The remoteness of this spot with its limitless horizons
  • Taking a picnic down to the river, saying hello to horses, listening to birdsong
A House for Essex - Gallery

You should know

  • Sorry, no dogs
  • No children under 10

Essentials

  • EV charger
  • Self check-in
  • 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
  • Central heating
  • Limited mobility
  • Wheelchair access
  • Mobile reception
  • Hob
  • Barbecue
  • Paid parking nearby
  • Air conditioning
  • Relaxation areas
  • Washing machine
  • Tennis court
  • Microwave oven
  • No smoking
  • Credit cards
  • Working farm
  • Owner has pets
  • Electricity included
  • 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

Pricing

Nightly price
from £495
Weekly price
from £3000
Damage deposit
£300
1 House for 4
From £4952 beds2 bedrooms

Information

Booking information

Check in
3pm
Check out
11am
Other details
Minimum night stay: 2 nights.
Closed
Dome maintenance tbc.
No smoking
Smoking not permitted anywhere in the property.

Reviews

This is unquestionably special, unlike anything else, and absolutely faithful to its own terms and the ideas behind the project. If you don't like Grayson Perry then this is definitely not for you. But if you love challenging architecture and love Grayson Perry, you will be astounded.

Peter, Sawday's Inspector

Read more reviews

Location

The neighbourhood

The house is down a narrow track and on a slight headland overlooking the river. At the top of the lane is a village shop which becomes a pop-up pub at weekends. Manningtree is six miles for shops, pubs, some charming Georgian buildings and historical links to Matthew Hopkins, the self-appointed Witchfinder General. There's a small museum to visit and the oldest Methodist chapel in Essex.

Local points of interest from Judith Simo

  • Walk around Wrabness Nature Reserve surrounding the house, down to the beach on the estuary
  • Visit the old town of Harwich
  • See the Mistley towers and the lovely town of Manningtree
  • Visit the famous Beth Chatto Gardens
  • Check the exhibitions at Firstsite cultural centre
  • Go seal watching at Walton-on-the-Naze

Introducing

Judith Simo

A House for Essex was designed by FAT Architecture and Grayson Perry. It is both an artwork in itself and the setting for a number of works by Perry exploring the special character and unique qualities of Essex. The building has been designed to evoke the tradition of wayside and pilgrimage chapels. It belongs to a history of follies, whilst also being deeply of its own time.