Asking £3.5M, This Legendary Arts and Crafts Estate Started as a Simple Cottage
Designed by famed architect Alfred Powell, Long Copse grew from a four-room summer home into a sprawling retreat with stables, a guest house, and a barn with a theatrical past.
Location: Pitch Hill, Ewhurst, Cranleigh, Surrey, England
Price: £3,500,000 (approximately $4,669,000 USD)
Year Built: 1899
Architect: Alfred Powell
Footprint: 3,301 square feet (6 beds, 3 baths)
Lot Size: 8.63 acres
From the Agent: "Launching for £3.5 million, Long Copse in Ewhurst, Surrey, is one of the finest and rarest surviving houses associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, designed by architect, designer, and ceramicist Alfred Powell. Available for only the third time since it was built in 1899, the Grade II–listed home remains an extraordinarily intact example of one of Britain’s most influential design movements.
Originally commissioned as a four-room summer cottage for Mrs. Mudie-Cooke, Long Copse was conceived by Powell as an elegant country retreat, deliberately disguised as a modest Surrey cottage. As his client fell in love with the house, it was gradually extended into a larger family home, with each addition designed to appear as though it had evolved organically over centuries.
Powell was a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement, which emerged in response to the industrial revolution and championed traditional craftsmanship and natural materials over mass production. Although perhaps best known for his work with Wedgwood, where he helped revive hand-painted ceramics, Powell’s architectural projects are exceptionally rare, making Long Copse one of the most important surviving examples of his work.
The house also features the work of Ernest Gimson, another influential Arts and Crafts architect and furniture maker. Described by architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as "the greatest of the English architect-designers," Gimson designed much of the home’s existing oak joinery, original doors, fireplaces, fitted furniture, flooring, and timber detailing.
The craftsmanship extends throughout the house, from its Bargate stone exterior and leaded windows to exposed roof trusses, handcrafted oak staircases, original fireplaces, and bespoke cabinetry. Decorative sgraffito by Italian artist Cavaliere Formilli appears in the garden room, while a detached thatched guest cottage and timber-framed barn complete the property.
Long Copse has attracted architects and historians from around the world and was featured in Lawrence Weaver’s seminal Small Country Houses of Today. Set high on the slopes of Pitch Hill within the Surrey Hills National Landscape, the property enjoys breathtaking views across the Sussex Weald alongside beautifully established gardens, woodland, paddocks, and direct access to miles of surrounding countryside.
Lindsay Cuthill, co-founder of Blue Book Agency, comments: ‘The Arts and Crafts Movement was founded on the belief that good design enriches everyday life. More than 125 years later, Long Copse still embodies that philosophy. It isn't simply an important historic house; it’s a wonderfully comfortable family home where every beam, fireplace and handcrafted detail continues to serve exactly the purpose it was designed for.’"
Designed by leading Arts and Crafts architect Alfred Powell in 1899 for Mrs. Mudie-Cooke, Long Copse began as a four-room summer retreat that resembled a modest Surrey cottage. As its owner’s ambitions grew, so did the house, gradually evolving into the larger country estate it is today.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
The Arts and Crafts movement emerged in Britain in the late 19th century as a response to the Industrial Revolution and the perceived decline in craftsmanship and quality brought on by mass production. Championing traditional techniques, natural materials, and thoughtful design, the movement sought to improve everyday life for both makers and consumers. Alfred Powell and Ernest Gimson were among its leading figures, and their work at Long Copse reflects those ideals.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Oriented toward the south and west, the drawing room has an original open-hearth stone fireplace, exposed wood ceiling beams, classic oak flooring, and a wide, south-facing window with a stone sill. Adding to the room’s charm are built-in bookshelves, an illuminated display niche, and cleverly concealed radiators.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Serving as "master of the works," Powell purchased the building materials himself and worked alongside a group of university-educated craftsmen, including Ernest Gimson. Writing about Long Copse in Small Country Houses of Today, Lawrence Weaver described the result as "instinct with simplicity while free from affectation."
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Architect and furniture maker Ernest Gimson designed the woodwork throughout Long Copse, from its substantial oak doors and fitted furnishings to wooden fireplace lintels and floors. Known for combining traditional joinery with understated forms, he also drew on vernacular building traditions by setting the leaded windows flush with the stone facade. Much of his original work survives today.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Just off the dining room, the small garden room features a pink sgraffito wall decoration by Italian artist Cavaliere Formilli.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
The kitchen has quarry tile flooring, patterned wall tiles, and a gas-fired Aga stove that also provides the home’s hot water. A large wooden table and pine Welsh dresser furnish the space, while an adjoining utility room can double as a walk-in pantry, complete with cold slate shelves. A back door leads from the main house to a rear yard, with storage for logs and other supplies.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Exposed ceiling beams and another stone fireplace can be found in the dining room, along with oak strip flooring and built-in cupboards. A serving hatch connects it to the kitchen, while an oak door leads to the garden room. Nearby, the study has a chimney with an old-fashioned bread oven.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
The entrance hall includes wine storage and cupboards tucked beneath the stairs. A wide oak staircase with shaped balusters leads to a galleried landing above.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Architect and furniture maker Ernest Gimson designed the woodwork throughout Long Copse, from its substantial oak doors and fitted furnishings to wooden fireplace lintels and floors. Known for combining traditional joinery with understated forms, he also drew on vernacular building traditions by setting the leaded windows flush with the stone facade. Much of his original work survives today.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Originally designed to accommodate five bedrooms, the main house’s upper floor now has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a walk-in airing cupboard. A housemaid’s lobby with a sink opens onto an exterior wooden staircase leading to the adjoining cottage.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
The principal bedroom has polished oak floors and a dramatic exposed timber roof truss, with white-painted rafters overhead. The room also has a fireplace, built-in kneehole dressing table with drawers, wardrobe, and concealed cupboard.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Ernest Gimson (1864–1919) trained under architect John Dando Sedding and was strongly influenced by William Morris and the Arts and Crafts ideals of simplicity and skilled workmanship. He later established workshops in the Cotswolds, collaborating with craftsmen including the Barnsley brothers. A member of the influential Art Workers’ Guild, Gimson believed that good design and the act of making could enrich everyday life for both makers and clients. Architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner called him "the greatest of the English architect-designers."
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Beneath the sweeping thatched roof, walls of carefully coursed rubble Bargate stone feature flush dressed-stone mullions framing leaded windows set level with the facade. With the glass and stone sitting on the same plane, the exterior takes on an unusual sense of solidity. The simple mullions are a practical choice, too, since Bargate stone doesn't lend itself to elaborate carving.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
The second bedroom has a raftered ceiling, fireplace, kneehole dressing table, and wardrobe and concealed cupboards. The third bedroom has oak flooring, a deep trunk cupboard, and additional storage and drawers.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Just steps from the house, a detached barn has brick and weatherboard walls beneath a tiled roof. Its soaring timber-framed interior has the feel of an old village hall, and the space has hosted theatrical performances over the generations.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
A large brick fireplace sits at one end of the barn, which has its own gas central heating system. Currently used as a library and music room, the space could also be converted into a second cottage.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
When Mrs. Mudie-Cooke decided to make Long Copse a more permanent home, a kitchen wing was added at right angles to the original four-room thatched cottage, with a roof of large Horsham stone tiles. A later addition extended from the kitchen beneath a shallower-pitched roof.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Originally built to accommodate household staff, the thatched cottage beside the main house has sandstone walls, a kitchen with quarry tile flooring, a sitting room, a workroom, and a ground-floor bathroom. A stone spiral staircase leads to the upstairs bedrooms, while an exterior oak staircase provides separate access to a third bedroom that could also serve as an office.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Wisteria spills across the stone facade each spring. A sweeping drive leads to the house's forecourt and broad, stone-paved entrance porch.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Beneath the sweeping thatched roof, walls of carefully coursed Bargate stone rubble feature flush dressed-stone mullions framing leaded windows set level with the facade. With the glass and stone sitting on the same plane, the exterior takes on a sense of solidity. The simple mullions are a practical choice, too, since Bargate stone doesn’t lend itself to elaborate carving.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
The formal gardens slope south from the house, with lawns, a rock garden, and gravel paths winding through herbaceous borders, azaleas, and rhododendrons.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Although trained as an architect, Alfred Powell (1865–1960) became best known for his collaboration with Wedgwood, where he designed and hand painted ceramics decorated with stylized flowers, leaves, and birds. He also helped revive hand-painted pottery in Britain by training a new generation of decorators and championing the social value of good design and skilled craftsmanship.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Wisteria spills across the stone facade each spring. A sweeping drive leads to the home’s forecourt and broad, stone-paved entrance porch.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Around 70 oak trees grow across the grounds, alongside ash, beech, and birch. Elsewhere on the property, a stable yard has three cedar horse stalls and a tack room, with a separate feed shed and hay barn nearby.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Beyond the formal gardens are two paddocks, a greenhouse, two cold frames, and a potting shed. In spring, the wooded grounds fill with daffodils and bluebells.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Set on the slopes of Pitch Hill within the Surrey Hills National Landscape, Long Copse looks out across the Sussex Weald.
Photo by Freddie Ardley
Long Copse in Ewhurst, Surrey, England, is currently listed for £3,500,000 by Lindsay Cuthill at Blue Book Agency.
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