# Lower Mill Estate: a gated, second-home Cotswold ‘community’. Weird.



## editor (Sep 29, 2011)

This is one of the oddest places I've ever visited. It's a second home gated community for rich people, set in unspoilt (until they turned up) Cotswolds countryside.

Everything's perfect - but there's barely a soul around night or day.

http://www.urban75.org/blog/the-wei...state-a-gated-second-home-cotswold-community/


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## Pickman's model (Sep 29, 2011)

lower stepford mill estate


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## Mapped (Sep 29, 2011)

I thought that'd be at the Cotswold Water Park. I used to go sailing there as a nipper

It doesn't really have the Cotswold charm does it? I'm surprised it got planning to be honest


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## editor (Sep 29, 2011)

N1 Buoy said:


> It doesn't really have the Cotswold charm does it? I'm surprised it got planning to be honest


They waved their vast wad around and dribbled on about 'eco' this and that, I imagine.


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## trashpony (Sep 29, 2011)

They have been advertising houses for sale there for the last few years - perhaps no one actually bought one?


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## Kanda (Sep 29, 2011)

as said elsewhere.. looks like Milton Keynes in the early 80's.


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## Badgers (Sep 29, 2011)

I have quoted to do some work for them before but never got a penny


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## pseudonarcissus (Sep 29, 2011)

so which model did you plump for?

The Contemporay Cotswold Barn?

"Barn conversions have always commanded a premium and so we thought we would reintroduce one of the rarest of all species, the Cotswold barn. But with a contemporary twist."

the twist is, I guess, it's a new build conversion


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## Santino (Sep 29, 2011)

Lots of wealthy Russians live in estates like this, and they are meant to look English. But they are in Russia.


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## pogofish (Sep 29, 2011)

Words fail me!


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## quimcunx (Sep 29, 2011)

I hadn't realised that the Cotswolds were so dangerous.


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## Santino (Sep 29, 2011)

quimcunx said:


> I hadn't realised that the Cotswolds were so dangerous.


Have you ever been bitten by one?


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## quimcunx (Sep 29, 2011)

Santino said:


> Have you ever been bitten by one?



One nearly stung me on the arse while I was enjoying a cream tea in Bourton-on-the-Water.


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## Mapped (Sep 29, 2011)

quimcunx said:


> One nearly stung me on the arse while I was enjoying a cream tea in Bourton-on-the-Water.



Bloody Bourton. I grew up near there and it was turned into a hell hole in the summer because of all the Tourists. You couldn't move in the place. Although we did get to try and chat up lots of young foreign girls on school trips, so that was a plus.


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## fogbat (Sep 30, 2011)

How did the likes of you manage to get through the gates, Ed?


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## stuff_it (Sep 30, 2011)

Does this mean it was a SSSI before they built on it? 

http://www.lowermillestate.com/orchid_village_properties.html

"A collection of 10 homes set within a private world, Orchid village has taken its name from the famous flower that grows at Lower Mill "


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## editor (Sep 30, 2011)

fogbat said:


> How did the likes of you manage to get through the gates, Ed?


A friend of ours had just had a baby and really wanted a break in the Cotswolds. Because the booking was at the last minute, this was all they could find and they didn't really know what they'd let themselves in for! They invited us up to stay for the night.


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## stuff_it (Sep 30, 2011)

editor said:


> A friend of ours had just had a baby and really wanted a break in the Cotswolds. Because the booking was at the last minute, this was all they could find and they didn't really know what they'd let themselves in for! They invited us up to stay for the night.


It's like the start of some horror film...


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## editor (Sep 30, 2011)

When we drove back at night there were no people around: just hundreds of rabbits.


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## stuff_it (Sep 30, 2011)




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## Mapped (Sep 30, 2011)

stuff_it said:


> It's like the start of some horror film...



....or the New Testament. No room at the Inn so you're stuck out in a weird place surrounded by animals


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## editor (Sep 30, 2011)

I have a comment from an owner on my blog!


> These are mainly holiday homes and perhaps you should visit during a weekend when lots of families and friends get together and enjoy what Lower Mill has to offer. You obviously did not go out into the nature reserve!
> We own a home at Lower Mill and it has changed our lives.


http://www.urban75.org/blog/the-wei...estate-a-gated-second-home-cotswold-community


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## ddraig (Sep 30, 2011)

well rah! that's you told! 
would the weirdos let you in of a weekend?


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## equationgirl (Sep 30, 2011)

1) Based on the owner's comments, I can only assume the people were all in the nature reserve. Or should that be naturist reserve?

2) Slight typo in Kevin McCloud's comments under the Press Section of the website:
_'Lower Mill Estate in Gloucestershire where sustainable construction, ecology and design come together in one *fee-good* eco-cuddle'_

3) It's glorified timeshares as well - you can swap your unused weeks for weeks on a yacht or in the Caribbean. And a private concierge service, darling. Super posh. Not for the likes of me.

In the interests of balance I read your blog and looked at the website. It sounds weird and looks weird. I am surprised they got planning permission - bet they were restricted in keeping so much of it countryside that they had to go the super high-end route to make any kind of profit. I don't like the architecture at all. Give me scots baronial gothic anytime.


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## editor (Oct 1, 2011)

The comments section on my blog post is getting a little bit interesting. Feel free to respond!

http://www.urban75.org/blog/the-wei...tswold-community/comment-page-1/#comment-2909


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## pinkmonkey (Oct 1, 2011)

Has anyone ever been to Bermuda?  We had a client there and I visited.  The whole island is like that - gated developments with security guards that are empty most of the year.  It's like a virus wiped the entire population out.  Our client ran  a real estate rentals business.   Berlusconi's house was pointed out to me. He uses it once a year.  For a week.  The rest of the time it is empty. Very weird.


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## chintz (Oct 3, 2011)

Badgers said:


> I have quoted to do some work for them before but never got a penny


I quoted them for some work at the spa and never heard from them again


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## Idaho (Oct 5, 2011)

The Cotswolds has to be one of the most overrated places in the country. The countryside is fairly dull, the towns are twee and dull, and it's full of stockbrokers.


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## editor (Jan 30, 2012)

A Tory writes:


> Lower Mill Estate (where I have stayed twice, and recently bought my own holiday home there) is a wonderful place – beautiful, relaxing, stunning buildings. How can anyone object to such a lovely place? True, not everyone can afford a second home there, but then not everyone can afford a lot of things – are we really going to say that no one should treat themselves to anything unless everyone in the world can also afford it?



http://www.urban75.org/blog/the-wei...state-a-gated-second-home-cotswold-community/


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## Spud Murfy (Feb 1, 2012)

You have a typo in that post:



> The pictures don’t really *sure* how weird the place is: everything is picture perfect



It does look pretty weird from your photos, it's like some expanded sheltered housing development for the elderly. J.G. Ballard would have found it interesting.


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## ymu (Feb 1, 2012)

pinkmonkey said:


> Has anyone ever been to Bermuda? We had a client there and I visited. The whole island is like that - gated developments with security guards that are empty most of the year. It's like a virus wiped the entire population out. Our client ran a real estate rentals business. Berlusconi's house was pointed out to me. He uses it once a year. For a week. The rest of the time it is empty. Very weird.


No, but your post reminded me of something shocking. There was some sort of TV reality show family exchange programme between a middle-class English family and a poor Jamaican family. The Jamaican kids went to the beach for the first time ever when they were in England. Most of the Jamaican coastline is privately owned and inaccessible to them.

Gobsmacked.

Can't google for a link because it's chock full of swanky beach holiday adverts whatever search terms I use.


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## editor (Aug 8, 2013)

Fighting talk from a commentator on the blog entry: 


> I work at this place and as part of the team that looks after the grounds, its only the people who haven’t GOT the back bone to give it a go that hate… its not JUST a second home resort, its there for all to try and as far as most of the feedback your just a few that can’t take 2 seconds off your digital world to realise there is more to life and for that I’m sorry!!! Get a life…. you got a problem with this message come see me at lower mill estate the names mark thomas and bring your towel because your going in the lake. X


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## William of Walworth (Aug 11, 2013)

'mark thomas'


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## Brixton Hatter (Aug 27, 2013)

Missed this thread first time around.



Mapped said:


> I thought that'd be at the Cotswold Water Park. I used to go sailing there as a nipper
> 
> It doesn't really have the Cotswold charm does it? I'm surprised it got planning to be honest


Yeah this is at the Cotswold Water Park in South Cerney - I used to go there to swim as a kid.

As for planning permission, there was a long-running saga featuring dodgy local tory councillors, illegal building works and breached environmental regulations. Locals complained about disruption & traffic. There was loads about it in Private Eye in the Rotten Boroughs section. The local papers in Gloucestershire covered it quite a bit IIRC but I can't seem to find much on Google - I expect the owners got a web company to clean up. I'll see if I can dig out some old copies of PE....

editor


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## Brixton Hatter (Aug 27, 2013)

They have a Facebook page - the groundsman is called Bob Iles, not Mark Thomas!

https://www.facebook.com/lowermillestate


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## free spirit (Aug 27, 2013)

South Cerney?

My aunty lives there, not in the gated place this thread is about mind. Might take a wander down next time I'm there and see if the offer of a swim's still open.


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## Brixton Hatter (Aug 28, 2013)

free spirit said:


> South Cerney?


Yeah - Wiltshire/Gloucestershire border, between Cirencester & Swindon. I think the actual place is called Somerford Keynes, but we always used to call it South Cerney.

The water park is old gravel pits which was turned into various boating lakes and a fake gravel beach which was great for going to in the summer when you didn't have a real beach nearby! I'm pretty sure the water park is still open (you can go for walks, bird watching, fishing etc) but I think this development stole some of the lakes/ponds.

It's a massive place...you can spot the new buildings in this pic.


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