Country houses for sale

The house where Rupert Brooke lodged and took tea in the garden goes under the hammer

The poet Rupert Brooke lodged at Orchard House from 1909–11 and often took tea in the beautiful orchard.

Cambridge-based auctioneer Cheffins announces the sale by auction, on Wednesday, March 14, of Orchard House at Grantchester, near Cambridge, where the poet Rupert Brooke lodged during his Grantchester Group years in 1909–11 (and often took tea in the orchard).

The house carries a guide price of £950,000, with the vendor reserving to sell privately before the sale date itself.

The Orchard in blossom, c. 1910.

The house, now in need of some TLC, is just 2.5 miles from the city centre in a village which is among the most popular in Cambridge.

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It stands next to the famous Orchard Tea Garden in the heart of this quintessential English village, surrounded by the tranquil Grantchester Meadows leading down to the River Cam, where, according to Brooke, Byron used to swim.

The 2,200sq ft, four-bedroom house is being sold by the executor of the late Robin Callan, the originator of the Callan method for TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language).

orchard house

‘Orchard House is one of the most iconic buildings in the village, with light and bright rooms and huge amounts of entertaining space and significant historical interest.

‘We expect interest from private buyers, investors or even institutions on the day,’ comments Cheffins director Richard Freshwater.

Orchard House is up for auction via Cheffins – see more pictures and details.