In the UK there are apparently so many treehouse hotels that The Times Travel section recently issued its list of the 12 latest and greatest. At the top? The Quist, a Covid pipe dream project of a young couple: Harriet Churchward and Matt Pescod live with Minnie, their three-year-old, in Herefordshire on the grounds of Brinsop Court, the 800-acre estate complete with moated manor that Harriet’s parents own and operate as a wedding venue.

Matt is a musician and carpenter—he trained at a boat-building academy—Harriet is a self-described “sleep-deprived entrepreneur” with a penchant for design. “When Matt and I fixed up our first place together, we discovered we work well as a team.”

At Brinsop Court, Matt hiked to the bracken-filled meadow atop Merry Hill, the highest point on the property, and suggested it as a prime spot to built a hideaway to run as a retreat. A very arduous year later, they unveiled their high-style aerie: a hand-built, two-bedroom cabin that rests on stilts amid old-growth forest.

London designer Matilda Goad recently checked in with her family and pronounced The Quist “The King of Treehouses.” Come see.

Photography by Luke Atkinson unless noted, courtesy of The Quist (@the_quist_treehouse).

“A lot of the design came out of material we had available,” Harriet continues. “Those log ends in the gable were the final construction detail—we made them from leftover wood. I wanted texture and details that signify this is not just any cabin.”