5 bedroom detached house

When Lyddon House was bought by its current owner 24 years ago it was simply a handsome and substantial mid-19th century farmhouse. The house and grounds subsequently underwent a truly remarkable transformation that realised the potential of both the house and its setting. Since then, it has matured into undoubtedly one of the finest country houses in Dorset. Set in nearly 48 acres, the house stands alongside the River Lyddon in beautiful grounds that incorporate a converted mill and mill pond. The house faces south-west and its large rooms, tall ceilings and tall, wide sash windows combine to create a wonderful feeling of light and space throughout the interior. It is beautifully presented with elegant, well-chosen fittings and has clearly been carefully maintained over the years.

The rooms are laid out around a magnificent, central reception hall, which is overlooked by the three-sided galleried landing on the first floor. The house has three main reception rooms, which all face south-west with lovely outlooks across the garden to the property's own woodland and pasture. The drawing room is off to one side of the reception hall and is a very impressive room with French windows opening to the garden flanked on either side by further tall sash windows. Off the other side of the hall is the sitting/dining room with access through a pair of sliding doors to the kitchen and a further door to the study. The kitchen has windows on three sides that look out onto the garden, the mill and mill stream and the parterre garden by the front door and is fitted with beautiful, bespoke, hand-painted units under marble work surfaces.

Upstairs are four, large double bedrooms, each of which has its own bathroom. Both the principal and guest bedrooms have ensuite bathrooms that lead through to separate dressing rooms and the principal bedroom also has two walk-in wardrobes. All bedrooms have views over the surrounding countryside.

On the north-eastern side of the house is a wide turning circle. On one side and a good distance from the main house is a charming, converted mill that now serves as a self-sufficient guest cottage with its own, small garden overlooking the mill stream. It has two reception rooms one with an integral kitchen and three first floor double bedrooms. It would therefore be perfect for an elderly relative, when, if mobility became a problem, the second reception room could be used as a downstairs bedroom with ample space upstairs to accommodate a career.

On the opposite side of the turning circle is a triple garage block with a two-bed, self-sufficient flat above (The Cottage). Immediately adjacent is a triple-bay carport with a large home office above. Within the grounds and behind the house is a pool house with a glazed roof and incorporating a changing room with shower and integral sauna. Also within the grounds are a greenhouse, machinery and log store, timber stable block (requiring re-building) and two modern agricultural barns.

Lyddon House is approached off a country lane via long front and rear driveways and is completely hidden from sight from the lane. The house itself stands in grounds of about 1.71 acres, which are formed around the house and the adjacent mill stream. They contain a southwest-facing formal garden, an orchard, three large ponds along with stands of woodland providing shelter and complete privacy for the house and formal garden. The grounds themselves are enveloped by a horseshoe of woodland and lush pasture totalling 43.71 acres (17.7 hectares). The woodland amounts to 9.03 acres (3.66 hectares) and the pasture, which is divided into eleven enclosures, amounts to 34.68 acres (14.04 hectares). In all the acreage extends to 47.92 acres (19.39 hectares).

Lyddon House is situated alongside a beautiful stretch of the River Lyddon amidst the lush, unspoilt countryside of the Blackmore Vale. It is just under a mile from the small village of Kings Stag, which has a popular pub (The Green Man 4/5 Tripadvisor) and a fuel and vehicle repair garage. For immediate needs Hazelbury Bryan has a Spar convenience store, while most day-to-day requirements can be met in the nearby small market town of Sturminster Newton or further afield in the larger towns of Sherborne, Blandford Forum and Dorchester.

For transport links, the A3030 and A357 are within easy reach to the north as is the A352 to the west and there are regular, direct rail services from Castle Cary, a 30- minute drive, to Paddington taking just 90 minutes. Bournemouth Airport is under an hour's drive away and Exeter, Southampton and Bristol International Airports are all within 90 minutes. The area also offers a wide choice of good schools including Leweston, Milton Abbey, the Sherborne schools, Hanford, Knighton House and Clayesmore, which are all within a 10-mile radius.