Throwing out the formula

Mary Wilson meets farmer-turned-developer Mark Cherrington, who constructs top-end country homes that are individual, inside and out

For 18 years, Mark Cherrington owned a mixed farm with 800 acres in north Hampshire, but after his divorce in 1988 the farm had to go and he was left wondering what to do next. "We had a shooting school on the farm, which used to attract property people from London, including Peter de Savary," says Cherrington. "On our last shoot, one of his employees, Colin Banyard, asked me what I was going to do. When I told him I didn't know, he said, 'Why don't you come up and help us on the planning side of things?' So I did."

Mark had always had an interest in building and planning. "I had done quite a lot of building work on the farm. In 1985, I applied for planning permission for the shooting school and, later on, to put in a country pursuits centre. Farming is a terribly lonely profession and you are at the mercy of the elements.

"I don't think I was very good at it and I wasn't happy being involved in a business which was so reliant on subsidies. So I did a couple of years with Peter de Savary and then came back to Hampshire and started developing for myself, with my company MA Cherrington."

He began by doing small blocks of flats and renovations and then started producing new-build houses, gradually building up the company. Five years ago, however, he and Brenda, his second wife whom he married in 1995, decided to go upmarket.

"We couldn't compete with the large-scale builders, so decided to concentrate on building country houses of the highest quality. Because of my contacts in agriculture I knew farmers who wanted to diversify and we were able to offer an attractive package to them. Over the years, I also had built up good relations with the planners. Planning is a long, slow process. You need to talk to the local people to explain what you are trying to do and understand what parameters will be acceptable - what environmental gains to offer and the impact of highway improvement."

On one of the sites that MA Cherrington is working on, he is offering to reinstate a historic path in return for being able to put electronic gates at the end of a very long lane leading to what will be a stunning house. At the moment, the site contains an old bungalow and two huge, dilapidated, chicken-rearing sheds. "Conservation elements of planning are becoming very much more important," he says. "We spend a lot on planting and putting in special mixed conservation hedging. I can't deny that we are obliged to look at environmental issues, but I must admit I do enjoy that aspect of my work."

The end product is a superbly built property, designed with a traditional look, but with a decidedly London feel to the interiors. "That is all down to Brenda," Cherrington says. "I'd be no good at all that finicky design stuff. I like dealing with the planners, overseeing the architects, looking after the workmen building the house and keeping everyone up to scratch. If we let our standards slip for a second, we would lose all that we have worked for so hard over the last 10 years."

The firm tries to use local craftsmen and tradesman, and all the joinery they fit into their homes is made for them. At South Lodge, a six-bedroom house in a stunning location on the edge of Longstock village in Hampshire, there is an exquisite curved staircase in American white oak ("nothing else would have had the same effect," says Brenda); each room has high ceilings, deep covings and skirtings made up locally. The verandah is in slate, with iron latticework made by a blacksmith in the village.

The ultra-modern touches include a very high electrical specification, halogen lights, limestone floors and although there is a traditional Aga cooker, behind it is a pale-blue glass splashback. The guest cloakroom is fabulous, with black slate work surfaces on cherry wood, a large, circular ceramic basin and Philippe Starck taps.

"We don't like to stick to formulas, like some developers," says Brenda. "All our houses are individual, inside and out. Each of the bathrooms are different to give them character and I like to put money into the quality fittings, the best valves and taps. We don't use any materials which are not top of the range. It's what our clients want," she says.

The house is now occupying the site of an old and very dilapidated cob cottage. When Mark first came to inspect the original property he had to fight his way through the brambles to get into the house. "And when I climbed up to the first floor, I had to push away the cobwebs to see out of the window. But once I saw the view over the River Test and the countryside all around I knew I had to have it."

The couple make a good team. Mark has an eye for picking dilapidated sites that have promise, Brenda has a flair for giving each home that little extra. "We also like doing the viewings ourselves," she says. "No one else knows the houses as we do."

South Lodge has five reception rooms, underfloor heating, home networking system and its own water supply. It is in 2.6 acres and is for sale through FPDSavills, 01962 841842 with a guide price of £2 million.

MA Cherrington, 01264 735544