A Note on Voewood by Simon Finch

I feel very lucky to be the custodian of this extraordinary house. It was originally built as Voewood, a name that has been re-instated though through much of it’s life it was Home Place and is known as such in the architectural histories.

Voewood was built by E.S.Prior for the Rev. Percy Lloyd between 1903 –5. The Lloyds never lived in the house and after a brief rental period to the Meyrick Jones family, there followed a boys school and various rest homes spanning over seventy years. The Meyrick Jones’s kindly gave me one of their photograph albums which was of great help in the task of restoration.

My passions in life are books, buildings and art. The work I have done at Voewood has satisfied every part of me. I have been generously supported by numerous people. Indra Strong has put back the garden with considerable flair and runs the place with calm efficiency. Annabel Grey was instrumental in the decoration creating wonderful fabrics and mosaics. My neighbours Roger and Sylvia Akling have been more than perfect neighbours.

The intrinsic beauty of the building and the efforts of all those involved have made it a restful and stimulating place to be. I never imagined it as my exclusive castle so it is a pleasure to share it with those that appreciate it’s beauty.

We are constantly improving things when we can and have recently opened a small gallery in The Garden Room. In many ways it reflects the spirit of the house. We are dealing in arts and crafts furniture, books, modern prints and pictures. We also have craft from Africa and items from the garden.

My central business has been dealing in antiquarian books which I have approached in a very visual way. The gallery is an extension of that business. We also have the bookshop at 5, Fish Hill, Holt which is renowned for it’s antiquarian and secondhand books.

We are open to different usages for Voewood from location filming to retreats. Indra and Josie will be happy to help you in any enquiry. When you visit Voewood I trust you have an enjoyable stay and like myself, leave with a longing to return.

Simon Finch
January 2008

Photograph of Simon Finch © Jeremy Hilder 2006