Semni Valley Bungalow, Tyford Estate, Kerala.

This ranch home was built in between 1919 and 1923 by the founder of the Semni Valley Estate, Mr. Frank Bisset who established himself as a pioneering planter by opening up the initial clearing in 1907. Now the estate is owned by the Hailey Buria Tea Company Ltd. Who took over it in 1923.Today the bungalow is painstakingly well kept by its present owners, the Dugar Group. The bungalow is placed on a site cleared with good view in all directions.

We drive in from the east to enter the driveway to the front of the westward facing bungalow. The graceful arches, resting on rock columns holding the medium pitched sheet roofs, are gabled at the front above the porch. The tiny steps with scalloped edges leads up into the grand interiors. A long passage is seen straight down towards east, and on either sides of the passage are the main bedrooms.

There were open verandas on the northern and western sides of the building earlier. Now large expanses of glass windows run the full length. But the open verandah on the east gets filled with the country air so that one can enjoy the scent of this land. The living room is neatly placed just behind the open verandah on the south, which is elegantly arranged with comfortable sofas and furniture of solid wood. The huge bay window that opens to the Verandah from the drawing room lets in a lot of light. In all the three bedrooms there are wooden fireplaces carved out in the finest designs. .

There is bedroom adjacent to the drawing room on the southeast. Of the two bedrooms on the north one is a cute little room best for total privacy for the daydreamers. Adjacent to that room, is huge bedroom, which has bay windows with large glass mirrors with wooden beading. The unique cots in these bedrooms are very peculiar in their design fitted with reading lights, which pop out on touch of a button. Tucked away in the corner of the south eastern bedroom there is large pentagon shaped floor cot kept as a play room for the children.