OUR MISSION

Habitat First Group is a development company founded on the principle of creating holiday home communities that share a deep love for Mother Nature.

Combining excellence in architecture, interior design, state-of-the-art facilities, security and service, Habitat First Group creates an oasis of space where families can holiday comfortably and responsibly, while safely exploring the great outdoors.

Habitat First Group is a family-run business. Having launched Lower Mill Estate in 1999, the company has now spread its wings with the launch of Silverlake, Dorset and has a number of other exciting projects in the pipeline.

We combine location, ecology, knowledge and grounded luxury to enable us to give your family a habitat to thrive.

HOW IT STARTED

25 years ago, on a hot summer’s day, Jeremy Paxton saw an enticing spot by a lake in The Cotswolds, whilst he was flying his helicopter. The area was clear and he landed for a sandwich, a swim and a snooze.

A chance lunch with a friend led Jeremy to discover that the plot was for sale and three weeks later Jeremy was the owner of what is now known as Lower Mill Estate.

After many years of enjoying the estate with his family he looked at the possibility of sharing it with other people and building a limited number of vacation homes that harmonised ecology, architecture and people. After many years of developing a master-plan Jeremy and his family achieved permission to build 575 vacation homes across the site. Only one third of the site is developable leaving two thirds as untouched nature reserve and lakes.

The group is still run by the Paxton family who strive to lead the way in building award-winning vacation communities where families can make memories.

LOWER MILL ESTATE
BRINGS PEOPLE, ECOLOGY AND
AWARD-WINNING ARCHITECTURE
TOGETHER IN PERFECT HARMONY

OUR DEVELOPMENTS

AND SUPPORTING BUSINESSES

Habitat First creates private, vacation home communities that share a love for mother nature. By combining excellence in architecture, interior design, facilities, security and service, home owners can escape from the rigours of city living.

Habitat First offers an oasis of space where families can holiday comfortably and responsibly, safely explore and re-energise in acres and acres of natural habitat.

In 2011 the Paxton family purchased this quarry, now known as Silverlake. Situated near Dorchester and Weymouth and previously a WW2 air base, the site is perfectly located for the UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coastline. Silverlake’s first village, Beaumont Village along with The Hurricane Spa, is now complete and work on the site’s second and third villages, Wakeling and Overton Island, is well underway. Whilst the concept is the same as Lower Mill, the product and location is very different.

Please click on the link below to discover more about the location, the site’s heritage and its incredible facilities.

VISIT THE WEBSITE +

PLAY FILM +

News

Tour de HFG – Cycle hats at the ready

Between 7-10th September, the Habitat First Group challenge team; comprising team members from across Silverlake and Lower Mill Estate, embarked on the first edition of Tour De HFG. Inspired by the Tour De Britain, this…

Read More

Introducing the Tour de HFG 2022

Rory Paxton explains the story behind the Tour de HFG: After our father Jeremy, founder of Habitat First Group, passed away in 2013, we wanted to set up a foundation in his memory regarding a…

Read More

Are holiday homes a good investment?

Holiday lets are likely to be an expanding market and now could be a fantastic time to invest. With a great deal of uncertainty in the travel industry over the last few years due to…

Read More

Sustainability

We strive to have a positive impact in everything we do, respecting nature and the wider community, as well as enhancing the health and wellbeing of families who invest in and enjoy our unique natural retreats.

Habitat Zero is Habitat First Group’s commitment to deliver an environmentally-responsible, carbon neutral business by 2030.

VISIT THE WEBSITE +

PROPERTIES

Having worked with some of the world’s leading architects, Habitat First Group are at the forefront of vacation home architecture and nowhere in the world can you find such an eclectic mix of designs and materials across a single development.

BROWSE SILVERLAKE PROPERTIES BROWSE LOWER MILL PROPERTIES

HABITAT HOUSE

The Habitat House is a ground-breaking design by award-winning architects Featherstone Young. With a distinctive wildflower sloping roof, it blends in beautifully with the natural environment.

These homes provide the very best in sustainable luxury.

JOIN OUR TEAM

If you share our passion for creating something uniquely special, then we want to hear from you!

Browse Vacancies

OUR PEOPLE

We’re a family business with roots in the South West, since we purchased our first estate in 1996. The Paxton family are at the helm, working alongside a committed team who are all considered to being ‘part of the family’.

Find out more about our working as part of our team

Meet the team

PERKS

We offer outstanding benefits in stunning environments. Discover more about how you could benefit from becoming part of the Habitat First Group family.

Learn more

CONTACT

For further information contact
Lower Mill Estate
Lower Mill Lane
Somerford Keynes
Cirencester
GL7 6BG
live@habitatfirstgroup.com
Tel:+44 (0)1285 869 489

MEDIA ENQUIRIES

For media enquiries, please contact
marketing@habitatfirstgroup.com

HOLIDAY ENQUIRIES

For holiday enquiries, please contact us at
www.habitatescapes.com
stay@habitatescapes.com
T: 0333 241 6616


Privacy Policy