The rise of the eco-mansion

In a wide clearing in woodland in a county of southern England that shall remain unnamed, a very unusual property is being built from brick and wood. When complete in a couple of years’ time, a lost rambler who stumbles across it may think he has found an old country house dating from the early 18th century, perhaps even the late 17th. With its classical proportions and time-honoured elegance, the building could be mistaken for an unadvertised outpost of the National Trust, the ancestral home of minor gentry, or even the setting for Bridgerton or some other regency drama.

Yet this will be a thoroughly modern home, albeit one that embraces certain ancient methods to achieve its agenda: being as eco-friendly as possible. The owner, like most of those who commission properties of this size and price, does not welcome publicity, so much of it is shrouded in secrecy – but certain details of its design can be shared.