Cottage spotlight: Raven

Grand and spacious, Raven boasts an idyllic location at Old Grimsby. Considered interiors, a peppering of antique furnishings, and absorbing original artwork all add to its character. Light, roomy bedrooms, a vast oak-floored lounge and a modern kitchen combine to create a stylish holiday spot.

Gardens encircle the house – decking and patio space are plentiful, and the bordering plant life lends privacy. A set of wooden steps leads directly from the master bedroom into the garden, for those days when you need to capture the first glimpses of morning sun.

Raven is particularly special as the Sea Garden spa, the Ruin Beach Cafe and some of the island's best beaches are all on the doorstep yet, when you are nestled on a lounger in the archipelago sunshine in Raven garden, you could be a million miles from anywhere. It is incredibly private whilst also providing panoramic views of the islands and in May and June - with floral colour on every corner - it is quite something to behold.

Islander Henry Birch and his late brother Edward spent much of their childhood living in Raven. As such, they spent their youth on and around the sea.

In Edward's obituary, Al Moore wrote of his early years in and around Old Grimsby. "A fond family memory is of the day a young 14-year-old Edward took his eleven-year-old sister Mary out for a row to St Helen’s, where they found, washed up on the water’s edge, a great piece of timber; precious potential fuel for the hearth of Raven Cottage. This flotsam needed to be brought home and the only way was to tow it back to Old Grimsby but they had no rope. Sometime later, Edward appears back on Tresco at Raven Cottage, looking for some tow rope. “Where’s your sister?” asks Mother Birch. “Oh I left her on St Helen’s.” replies Edward. Mother’s wrath ensues. Edward (with tow rope) rows smartly back to St Helen’s for his sister – and the wood. Family drama averted, many days firewood is brought ashore, and Eddie has his initiation into the sometimes-tricky world of island transportation and logistics."

This history is just the tip of the iceberg for Raven - a cottage that has been part of the Tresco landscape for a long time. Over the years, thousands of boats will have passed through the harbour it overlooks, hundreds of tales of the sea will have been told around the dining table, and hundreds of families will have made memories in this warm inviting space... why not make your family the next one to experience it.