Lockwood’s Abbey Hill Cottage
by Kassadee Marie, HSM team writer
The English countryside can be quite beautiful — in a pastoral, softly rolling hills sort of way. There are stone cottages there that were built several hundred years ago. Their floors often have grooves where thousands of steps have worn away brick or even stone over the passage of time. Heavy wood beams that support the upper story have been blackened by years and years of sooty coal and wood smoke from the many fireplaces, used for heating and for cooking. Even the glass in the windows has thinned at the top, while thickening at the bottom, due to the pull of gravity. The gardens of these rustic cottages are often a feast to the eyes, with flowers of every sort growing in profusion in well-planned styles. Strolling through the gardens on a fair evening and sitting and conversing in small enchanted hideaway spaces was a common activity at the time these structures were built.
Indeed, the country life of the upper-class English of this era was idyllic in many ways, at least in how it has been romanticized. They lived life in a leisurely way, visiting friends, writing long letters, attending parties and dances, reading, riding, and playing board games. At the time when many of these cottages were built, women wore a style of dress known as the “Empire Silhouette”, characterized by high waistline just under the bust. The skirt of this style was loose and skimmed lightly over the body to the floor. The tops were usually short-sleeved, but shawls and short jackets were worn for cooler days. For daytime the material was light and flowed softly as she moved, while somewhat heavier materials were used for evening wear. The men of this era were wearing trousers for the first time and several styles of coats, including tailcoats and overcoats. There was a new emphasis on tailoring and having immaculate linens for the men of the upper class.
This era can now be re-created in Home with a bit help from Lockwood.
The Abbey Hill Cottage personal estate has not only the named cottage, but also a lovely and expansive garden on several levels. The cottage is quite large, with two stories and seven or more rooms altogether, depending on how you choose to decorate. There are views in all directions and a near-by stream with a slowly-turning water wheel. There is even a walk passed the gardens which leads to a small camping spot. Reward furniture and decorating items are being offered to the owner each day, in Lockwood’s usual manner. The estate is being offered for sale on its own or in several bundles.
Two super bundles that are particularly outstanding offer male and female versions, in which you can choose to buy the cottage and clothing for one gender or the other. You can choose to buy either the estate or clothing separately, of course.
In addition, there are suitable companions from this era of two coat-colors of English Setters (Molly and Rosie) and a frolicking lamb, named Libby. Ladies in this time rode side-saddle and Lockwood has thoughtfully provided several side-saddled mounts for their use. These are a palomino, a chestnut and a black trotter and you can pick them up in a bundle or separately. The ladies also often carried parasols to protect their complexions from the sun and fans to “hide their blushes”. These have also been provided for sale to the ladies, as locomotion items.
If you have a friend who owns the cottage, be sure to look over the items in Lockwood’s gift machine for themed presents you might like to send them, such as a wishing well, a table and chair set for the garden, and perhaps, a little black lamb. Of course, both the male and female outfits are offered in second colors in the gift machine, also. If you already own the cottage, you may want to exchange some or all of these items with a trusted friend.
This brand-new themed estate is a refreshing change from the many repeats we’ve seen on Home previously. Be sure to attend the Abbey Hill Garden Party public space for a close up view of the exterior of the cottage and a small reward. Ask a friend for a tour, if you can. I’m sure you’ll be delighted with this prize of an estate.
November 18th, 2013 by Kassadee Marie | 1 comment
Home is endlessly entertaining to this California girl. Kassadee has been in Home for about four years, and loves almost everything about it (with a few notable exceptions). She spends way too much money there, and perhaps too much time... Someday she will travel the world and write about the people she meets and the places she sees.
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This is a really nice space so much detail has gone into it and is worth getting
It also looks like there is a winter addition coming soon same cottage but with a winter theme(Lockwood said it would be coming)