Sam Whigham and Mike Perry began to feel that London wasn’t working for them anymore when they considered how mad it was that, in order to take their dog out for a good long walk, they first had to drive him out of Zone 1, often spending more time on the road than they actually out walking.
But they also didn’t want to compromise on the little day-to-day luxuries of London life – a proper flat white, a great dinner.
And that could mean only one thing: the Cotswolds.
In November the couple returned the keys to the ultra-modern house in Shoreditch which they had rented for three years and set off with Archie, a rescued Airedale terrier, for a new life in a 600-year-old cottage in one of the Cotswolds’ prettiest villages.
Not only is their new home bigger and cheaper than their London property, but — somewhat to their astonishment — the couple have discovered that their diaries are actually fuller now that they live in the sticks.
“We are more social here than we were in London,” says Whigham. “People here just have the attitude that they want to make new friends, whereas in London people can be a bit stand-offish.”
The move was made feasible by an earlier career change. Whigham, 36, an advertising creative, and Perry, 42, who used to run websites and digital campaigns for fashion brands, set up Wilton London (wiltonlondon.co.uk) around four years ago, designing a range of botanical laundry products.
As the company took off they quit their day jobs, and now run the company remotely from home, which in London was a five-storey, three-bedroom modern house at the top of Brick Lane which cost them £3,900pcm. “To be honest, it wasn’t really us,” says Whigham.
They wanted to remain within easy reach of London, and they chose the Cotswolds having visited regularly.
“It has that really nice blend of being in the countryside, but also all the pubs cook really fantastic food, it is really social, and there is lots going on,” says Whigham.
Aware that weekending in a place is not the same as living there full time the couple agreed to rent initially, to dip their toes in the water.
“This was a big change and a big risk,” says Whigham. “We had spent time here and we have got some friends here, but we didn’t really know it.”
Their new home is an ancient cottage in the village of Ascott-under-Wychwood, some 20 miles north west of Oxford and just over an hour by train back to London.
“It is a funny old place, and a bit tired, but full of character,” says Whigham. The property, which has five bedrooms giving them plenty of office space, costs £2,500pcm, a saving of almost £17,000-per-year compared to their London rent.
There have been some culture shocks — the need to duck under the cottage’s low ceilings, the lack of taxis and shops open in the evening – but nine months in the couple have no intention of ever returning to the capital.
Their time is spent dog walking, decorating, getting to grips with the cottage’s garden, playing padel at Daylesford Organic, up the road, and hanging out with new friends.
“We haven’t had the big chat yet about whether we are staying, but we have started to look on Rightmove to see what is available to buy,” saysSam. “We moved as a test and we are loving it.”
