About

Talliston House & Gardens was once an ordinary house in an ordinary street, but has now been transformed into thirteen distinct locations each set in a different time and place. Called 'Britain’s Most Extraordinary Home' by The Times, it is also the setting for the fantasy adventure novel The Stranger’s Guide To Talliston by John Tarrow.

We offer three rooms for guests:

The Haunted Bedroom 
Decorated as Edwardian child’s forgotten bedchamber from Scotland in 1911

The Cabin
Decorated as Canadian cabin in the woods of trapper and Cree wife from Saskatchewan in 1948 

The Room Of Dreams
Decorated as Guest room in Moorish Spain from Alhambra Palace in 1977

Unlike other B&Bs, guests who book these rooms also have access to all the rooms in the main house to explore for the duration of their stay. These include a Victorian living and dining room, Japanese teahouse, New Orleans kitchen and Boathouse bathroom. Photographs of the other locations are added to the listing and for a full list or architectural plans of the property, please visit the Talliston website.

WHAT IS TALLISTON HOUSE & GARDENS?
Behind an arched oak door set in a thicket hedge lies Talliston House & Gardens. This once ordinary house hides a magical labyrinth of rooms, each set in a different time and place. Twenty-five years in the making, the project has taken the most ordinary of English dwellings – a three-bedroomed, semi-detached, ex-council house in Essex – and painstakingly transformed it into a wonderland of inspirational locations where time truly has no power.

The finished house and gardens comprises thirteen stunning locations. Each room is infused with a rich story, incorporating almost 2,000 objects sourced from 27 countries around the world – and set in a labyrinth design where guests get to leave behind the outside world and walk between the walls of reality.

Talliston is an exploration of the concept of the extraordinary within the ordinary. It’s about realising how we each have inside us the power to be whatever we want and to live any life we can imagine – and appeals to anyone who yearns an escape from the mundane modern world into a life made magical.

GUEST ACCESS

The house is set on a pleasant green in the ancient market town of Great Dunmow. Free on-street, off-road parking is available outside or in nearby parking bays.

Unfortunately due to steps, stairs and the period nature of the property, there is no access for guests with mobility requirements.

OTHER THINGS TO NOTE

We are currently open for overnight stays on weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights only), though guests booking in on any of these days can extend their stay into the week if required. Just check beforehand to make sure those days are clear with us. We are also open for extended days around Christmas holidays, Halloween and bank holidays.

We will be on hand when you arrive to give you a look around the property and settle you in to what we hope will be the most magical and mysterious night you will ever spend in a B&B.

We offer a unique and handcrafted experience for every guest, but this means it takes a little planning to make that happen. Once your booking is confirmed we will send you full details about your arrival and stay, plus directions, a fact sheet on the story and setting of your room – plus information about some extra special additional experiences to make your stay even more fantastical. These include adding a two- or three-course dinner, served in the splendour of the Victorian Watchtower dining room, or taking a full guided tour by the author and creator of Talliston, John Tarrow.