5 bedroom detached house for sale

‘East Lambrook Manor’ is a very pretty, detached, Grade II* listed Somerset Hall house (8622 square feet in total - including outbuildings) dating back to the 15th century and situated in an idyllic village centre position in a substantial plot and exquisite Grade I listed historic gardens extending to just under three acres (2.75 acres approximately). There are various outbuildings in the groomed grounds with the main outbuilding being the two storey detached old stone Malthouse. There is a huge amount of off road parking areas and driveways plus various outbuildings. The main house is constructed primarily of the local Hamstone – quarried at nearby local beauty spot Ham Hill and also period, handmade, soft red brick. The main house is dripping in exquisite period character features including impressive carved stone fireplaces, plank and muntin panelling, leaded light windows with stone and oak mullion surrounds, flagstone floors, exposed rafters and beams and window seats. The property is heated via oil-fired radiator central heating. The breathtakingly pretty and diversely planted gardens at East Lambrook Manor are rightly listed Grade I owing to its association with the renowned gardener and gardening writer Margery Fish. The gardens, which are famous worldwide and are currently open to the public for nine months a year, were designed to provide year-round interest and are laid out as a series of carefully considered garden rooms. Principal areas include: The Terraces, a series of island beds designed to look good from all sides; The Silver Garden, home to silver-leaved plants of contrasting texture and shape; The White Garden, with its magnificent magnolia and davidia (handkerchief tree) covered in white bracts in May; The Lido, with white flowering wisteria and moisture-loving plants; The Ditch, whose banks are lined with snowdrops in February; The Woodland Garden, with multi-stemmed Himalayan birches and an understorey of shade loving plants including hellebores. There are many climbing and shrub roses and also several areas of lawn with mature trees including gingko, mulberry, Judas trees, a tulip tree and many productive apple trees. This is a one-in-a-million chance to purchase a stunning piece of historical England. It is available to purchase now with no further chain.

Accommodation
The accommodation in the main house is deceptively spacious, flexible and boasts good levels of natural light from sunny aspects. In the main house it comprises entrance reception hall, panelled drawing room, impressive dining hall, sitting room, inner hall, kitchen, breakfast room, utility room, ground floor WC / cloakroom, side hall and two ground floor offices. Two staircases give access to the first floor where there is a large landing area, master double bedroom with en-suite bathroom, four further generous double bedrooms, a family bathroom and shower room / WC.

Malthouse
To the north west of the Manor House is the fine old stone Malthouse, with its café/tearoom, the impressive main Malthouse Gallery, the Studio and the Margery Fish Room (used for teaching horticultural courses). This building has a multitude of possible uses with cloakroom facilities, storage areas and workshop. The separate, detached Malthouse has accommodation extending to just under 4000 square feet and comprises tea rooms, kitchen, foyer, toilets, studio gallery, stock room, workshop and fuel store. On the first floor there is the Malthouse gallery, Margery Fish room and further store. There are also two further mezzanine areas.

Nursery
The Margery Fish Plant Nursery is well known for cottage garden plants, interesting perennials and snowdrops. Comprising a gravelled area with bespoke display tables and sales shed, polytunnels, a large potting shed with office, stock beds and areas for the cultivation of plants. There is vehicle access from Owl Street and car parking. A large visitor car park is situated opposite the garden entrance in Silver Street.

Location
The house is in the pretty village centre amongst other attractive period properties – the idyllic and quintessential Somerset dream! There are countryside walks from the front door – ideal as you do not need to put the children or the dogs in the car! The church of St James and the Rose & Crown public house are very nearby. The nearby, award-winning village of South Petherton provides an excellent variety of amenities including doctors’ surgery, church, pub, The David Hall music and arts venue, several eateries including the renowned Holm restaurant, butcher, greengrocer and baker. East Lambrook has excellent access to the A303 trunk road linking London to the South West. It is situated within a reasonable driving distance of the picturesque abbey town centre of Sherborne with a coveted boutique high street and bustling out and about culture, markets, cafes, Waitrose store, restaurants, world famous private schools, breath-taking abbey building and mainline railway station making London Waterloo in just over two hours. This lovely property is perfect for those aspiring families looking to settle in their ultimate West Country home, cash buyers from the South East and London indulging in the ‘race for space’ and looking for something utterly unique and different, the pied-a-terre market, commercial market and much more.

Historical Note
Margery Fish worked for newspaper magnate Lord Northcliffe from 1912 and became secretary to Daily Mail editor Walter Fish, whom she married in 1933. In 1937 they decided to find a house in the country and settled on a 15th century manor house in the quiet rural Somerset village of East Lambrook. By then in her mid-forties, she had never shown the slightest interest in gardens and was a complete novice, yet she was about to embark on her second career, eventually becoming one of the most influential figures in gardening in the 20th century. While the cottage garden style was apparent at Hidcote and Sissinghurst, these were gardens that required a lot of paid gardeners but, with labour scarce and expensive after the Second World War, she developed a style of gardening that was in tune with the times, creating a grand cottage garden on a domestic scale to which anyone could relate. The garden at East Lambrook Manor was made famous through her many books and articles and she changed gardening from a pastime of the wealthy to a passion for the whole population. So great was her influence on gardening that the garden, which has changed very little over the years, was given Grade 1 status by English Heritage in 1992.

Purchasers' Note
East Lambrook Manor is not being sold as a business. Some of the fixtures and fittings in the Malthouse could be available by separate negotiation as could the display tables in the Nursery. Also garden ornaments are not included within the sale price.