Detached house for sale in Shaftesbury SP7, 7 Bedroom

The Great House dates from the 17th Century with a magnificent 20th Century wing and is a wonderful family home combining open-plan living space with superb historic character. It is built of dressed Marnhull stone, brick and chequered flint and stone under reed straw and clay-tiled roofs. Internal features mentioned in the listing include the beautiful 17th Century staircase and chamfered ceiling beams.

The property has been extensively refurbished in recent years with a scheme of improvement including a new plumbing system, underfloor heating in the principal reception rooms and kitchen, new electrical and communications systems and re-thatching. Excellent care has been taken to ensure a warm and well-insulated home through the combination of integral double glazing and a wood-pellet biomass boiler which has 17 years remaining of a commercial rhi grant.

The principal reception rooms are found in the 20th Century wing which provides elegant lateral living space, ideal for entertaining and including a beautifully designed bespoke Guild Anderson kitchen. The house sits beautifully within the surrounding landscape with many pleasing vistas through the house and gardens beyond. The older part of the house includes a large study, sitting room and boot room with the principal bedroom accommodation on the first and second floors. A superb guest wing is found on the ground floor providing three en suite double bedrooms.

Set in a quiet and picturesque hamlet, The Great House sits in the heart of the Blackmore Vale. The market towns of Shaftesbury and Sturminster Newton are both nearby and provide an extensive range of everyday amenities and the area is also home to a selection of gastropubs and restaurants. Further shopping and recreational opportunities can be found in Sherborne, the Cathedral City of Salisbury or in Bath.

The surrounding area is renowned for its selection of well regarded preparatory and public schools including Port Regis, Sandroyd, Hazelgrove, St Mary’s Shaftesbury, Bryanston, The Sherborne Schools, Clayesmore, Millfield and King’s Bruton.

There are good transport links to destinations around the country including rail services to London Waterloo from Gillingham, arriving in approximately 2 hours and to Paddington from Castle Cary arriving in approximately 1.5 hours. The A303 is 12 miles away, providing an east/west link to the M3 for London and the M5 at Taunton (via the A358). Four airports (Southampton, Bournemouth, Bristol and Exeter) are just over 1 hour away offering connections to International and UK wide destinations.

Secondary Accommodation and Outbuildings
The property is approached via a gravel drive which opens into a wide parking and turning area beside the house. The coach house is across the drive with a large games room and a car port on the ground floor and a self-contained 1 bedroom annexe on the first floor. Adjacent to the annexe is the 3-bay garage block.

Gardens and Grounds
Adjoining the house are walled formal gardens with deep herbaceous borders adding colour and terraces and lawns accessed from the kitchen and hall. The heated swimming pool, pool house and tennis court are found to the east of the house, in a further walled garden with and an orchard beyond. Additional grounds comprise further lawns, woodland, paddocks and pasture.