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ZIMBABWE

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Stephen and I, Philip, both from Zimbabwe, met in Harare in February 1994 and became 'firm friends' after just 4 days of meeting one another.  We were both born in the same hospital in Harare, Stephen to a 2nd generation family and Philip to Rhodesian first timers.  We had very contrasting upbringings though with Stephen in the city attending a day school living with entrepreneurial parents, Philip, in the African bush attending boarding school along with his two elder brothers.  My father was in the police for 26 years so we were quite used to both stern direction and the love of well trained German Shepherds.

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Stephen, a Chartered Accountant, has over 30 years of Accounting, Finance and Hedge Fund experience across the UK and Africa while I pursued a career initially as a Commercial Pilot and HR Personality Trait profiler in Africa, followed by Software Engineering in the UK upon our move here in 1999. 

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THE UK​​

 

Upon arriving in the UK, we initially stayed with my parents on the banks of the River Thames at Marsh Lock near Henley before buying our first UK house in Martin's Heron, Bracknell, that was later to become famous for being the estate where Harry Potter's Aunt and Uncle lived and filmed.  Their house was just around the corner from ours!

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After just 10 days of living in the house, we quickly decided the 1 hour commute to London on the old Slam Door trains in to Waterloo, was 'not us', so a move to London was actioned where we started off in Pimlico, then Kensington, Westminster and finally Lambeth, Stephen being Chief Finance Officer for a West End Hedge Fund and I, initially working as a Software Engineer for a Greek oil shipping firm.   We also continued our Zimbabwean hobby of property renovation undertaking with me focusing on it full time for the last 5 years there.

 

We spent 15 years in London before deciding it was better to grow older more gracefully in the countryside and as part time property renovators, we were looking for a place within commuting distance of London, on a river that needed work.  It took 3 years of searching before we discovered Mill House while visiting an old Rhodesian childhood friend of mine who lives in Stamford.  Following a protracted 6 month purchase period, we moved here in November 2012 and have been the current custodians of this extraordinary venue since, undertaking many hours of toil to get the property up to what it is today.

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WATER NEWTON

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Prior to purchasing it, Mill House had been empty for 2 years following it being used as a cannabis farm!  Roll forward to 2015, we had the opportunity of purchasing and reintegrate the original hived off barn that had been set up as 3 cottages back in 1989, so we jumped at the chance as it seemed the correct thing to do for this old girl.  Opening our doors to guest on the 16th february 2016 neither of us ever thought our Life's Path would take us down this road, yet here we are.

Now in our 31st year together as a couple and with three decades of shared experiences, we strive to offer our guests the very best of our African hospitality roots while sharing the majesty and magic of our riverside setting; this has become our passion for the last 9 years, having thoroughly enjoyed hosting, chatting with and welcoming our guests both from far flung places such as Australia, Minnesota, USA, Germany, France, Spain, Finland and South America as well as our immediate neighbours who book in their Danish family over the Christmas period.

 

We look forward to welcoming you and sharing this amazing and beautiful treasure with you.  Discover more about it by booking a stay with us at River Nene Cottages.  Stephen will chat with you and guide you through your direct booking that will better than using the popular booking channels.