House For Sale £750,000
A substantial and imposing Grade II listed property in typically Georgian style set in a plot of 0.44 acres (0.18 hectares) within walking distance of the pretty town centre. Believed to date from the mid 1800s, it offers incredibly spacious and characterful accommodation with many elegant period features still in situ.
The Property
Listed Grade II for its architectural importance, this attractive period home with its mellow local hamstone frontage offers so much potential. Perhaps you are needing a substantial family home with space for different generations to live together or are looking for something large enough to entertain guests, work from home or generate additional income.
Whilst retaining the feeling of a cosy period home, it is rare to find a property locally that offers quite such good proportions both in terms of the floor space and such excellent ceiling heights. The property is currently laid out as seven first floor bedrooms. However, one of the bedrooms can be accessed from the garden at first floor level giving potential for other uses, and other bedrooms could be “combined” to create suites with dressing rooms. No doubt a busy family would be only too pleased to gain a study each, a snug or a games room.
On the ground floor the property is set back from the road, with steps up to the Tuscan style doorway with original decorative stained glass fan light. The reception hall is as impressive as you would expect of a house of this era, with beautiful tessellated encaustic tiled floor and elegant sweeping staircase with huge arched window on the rear flooding the room with gentle light from the north. Beneath the stairs, modern fretwork panels screen a storage area but the pretty floor seems to extend beneath the stairs if you’d prefer to open this up. Throughout the property much of the original cornicing, decorative mouldings, stained glass and picture rails remain. The drawing room on the west side of the house is no exception. It also boasts an original marble and granite open fireplace and period shutters to the french windows that open onto the side garden. Across the hall is a generous formal dining room, and beyond is a lobby with the original butler’s pantry and what we believe to be a rear servants corridor connecting the “working” end of the house to the hall. The spacious kitchen / breakfast room may have been a slightly later Victorian extension but still offers character features by way of a substantial hamstone lintel, panelling and traditional arches. A dual aspect room it is particularly bright in the mornings. Currently fitted with a range of modern units incorporating space for a dual-fuel range cooker. To one corner a door opens to a separate boiler room housing the wall mounted Worcester boiler and providing space for an extra appliance such as fridge / freezer. A further Utility Room to one side lies adjacent to the butler’s pantry and houses plumbing for washing machine.
To the rear of the reception hall a further door opens to a rear lobby with WC and access to a third ground floor reception room. This would be an excellent home office or library perhaps, with independent access to the side garden.
The first-floor landing retains some of the original plaster arches. To the east side of the house is a particularly spacious bedroom fitted with Sharps bedroom furniture. A further double room adjacent to this one could make the ideal dressing room, as it sits next to a separate shower room fitted with double shower, WC and vanity wash hand basin. There are two more sunny double bedrooms on the south side of the landing, and a very generous family bathroom with cupboard to one corner housing hot water cylinder. Another generous bedroom lies on the south-west corner of the house with pretty cast-iron feature fireplace. Just like the other front bedrooms it has nice views across town towards the rolling countryside beyond. There are two further en suite double bedrooms at the west side of the house, the rear bedroom opening onto the elevated back garden via french doors and stone steps.
Outside
The house sits in a plot of 0.44 acres (0.18 Hectares). Access is via a shared driveway to one side, leading past two allocated parking spaces belonging to this property and onto a further driveway area in front of the garage with up and over door located at the rear of the house. Steps lead down through an area of orchard with trees including Pear, Victoria Plum, Apple and Walnut. To one side is the original pump for the well, which has been relocated as a garden ornament. Decorative gates lead through stone pillars to a lower lawn where the remains of the original orangery and summerhouse can be seen. Mid-19th century railings extend across the front of the property set on hamstone plinths and ornate double gates lead up from the pavement onto a path leading to the front door. The lawned front garden continues around the east side of the property where the former external brick-built bakery is now in disrepair. This does offer scope for renovation and repurposing as a studio or home office perhaps. Beyond a path leads to the rear of the house where the external wine cellars are built into the land at the back, under the rear garden (see agents note). Steps lead up to a currently uncultivated area of garden with trees and saplings including a Magnolia and Cherry for Spring colour.
Agents Note
The property itself, the adjoining external walls and railings are Grade II listed.
The vendor has made us aware that a small number of bats hibernate in the old wine cellar under the back lawn between November and February each year. Bats are a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and the Conservation Regulations 1994.
The property is located on Station Road and lies within easy reach of the pretty town centre with its good variety of independent stores centred around the market square and 15th century Minster church. These include an award-winning butchers, delicatessen, cheese and dairy shop, super hardware store, homewares, antiques stores, clothes boutiques and gift shops. Temperley of London have recently relocated to the town centre and adjoining their studio is an artisan bakery and cocktail bar. Ilminster is well served by a town-centre Tesco store with ample free parking, as well as a Co-op grocery store. Alongside Tesco is a bowls and tennis club and close-by a town library. Ilminster Arts Centre is a vibrant arts venue with a licensed café and there are plenty of other places to eat, including pubs, cafes, takeaways and restaurants. There is also a very well supported local theatre off Brewery Lane. The town has several hairdressers / beauty salons, a dental surgery, and a modern health centre with two doctors' surgeries. There is also a regular Berry’s Superfast bus service to London Hammersmith. Further down Station Road there is the local Texaco Filling Station and spar grocery store. A handy store for when you need those little extras at short notice.
The nearby market town of Crewkerne houses a local Waitrose store (which delivers) and a railway connection to London Waterloo. There are an excellent range of state and independent schools locally, most notably Perrot Hill School at North Perrott. Further independent schools include Chard Independent, Millfield School at Street, Kings Bruton and Hazelgrove, and further options at Wellington and Taunton - all within c.30-45 minutes’ drive or with local drop off options. The first and middle school in Ilminster have recently merged to create a Primary School and there are also well-regarded local nurseries.
The Property
Listed Grade II for its architectural importance, this attractive period home with its mellow local hamstone frontage offers so much potential. Perhaps you are needing a substantial family home with space for different generations to live together or are looking for something large enough to entertain guests, work from home or generate additional income.
Whilst retaining the feeling of a cosy period home, it is rare to find a property locally that offers quite such good proportions both in terms of the floor space and such excellent ceiling heights. The property is currently laid out as seven first floor bedrooms. However, one of the bedrooms can be accessed from the garden at first floor level giving potential for other uses, and other bedrooms could be “combined” to create suites with dressing rooms. No doubt a busy family would be only too pleased to gain a study each, a snug or a games room.
On the ground floor the property is set back from the road, with steps up to the Tuscan style doorway with original decorative stained glass fan light. The reception hall is as impressive as you would expect of a house of this era, with beautiful tessellated encaustic tiled floor and elegant sweeping staircase with huge arched window on the rear flooding the room with gentle light from the north. Beneath the stairs, modern fretwork panels screen a storage area but the pretty floor seems to extend beneath the stairs if you’d prefer to open this up. Throughout the property much of the original cornicing, decorative mouldings, stained glass and picture rails remain. The drawing room on the west side of the house is no exception. It also boasts an original marble and granite open fireplace and period shutters to the french windows that open onto the side garden. Across the hall is a generous formal dining room, and beyond is a lobby with the original butler’s pantry and what we believe to be a rear servants corridor connecting the “working” end of the house to the hall. The spacious kitchen / breakfast room may have been a slightly later Victorian extension but still offers character features by way of a substantial hamstone lintel, panelling and traditional arches. A dual aspect room it is particularly bright in the mornings. Currently fitted with a range of modern units incorporating space for a dual-fuel range cooker. To one corner a door opens to a separate boiler room housing the wall mounted Worcester boiler and providing space for an extra appliance such as fridge / freezer. A further Utility Room to one side lies adjacent to the butler’s pantry and houses plumbing for washing machine.
To the rear of the reception hall a further door opens to a rear lobby with WC and access to a third ground floor reception room. This would be an excellent home office or library perhaps, with independent access to the side garden.
The first-floor landing retains some of the original plaster arches. To the east side of the house is a particularly spacious bedroom fitted with Sharps bedroom furniture. A further double room adjacent to this one could make the ideal dressing room, as it sits next to a separate shower room fitted with double shower, WC and vanity wash hand basin. There are two more sunny double bedrooms on the south side of the landing, and a very generous family bathroom with cupboard to one corner housing hot water cylinder. Another generous bedroom lies on the south-west corner of the house with pretty cast-iron feature fireplace. Just like the other front bedrooms it has nice views across town towards the rolling countryside beyond. There are two further en suite double bedrooms at the west side of the house, the rear bedroom opening onto the elevated back garden via french doors and stone steps.
Outside
The house sits in a plot of 0.44 acres (0.18 Hectares). Access is via a shared driveway to one side, leading past two allocated parking spaces belonging to this property and onto a further driveway area in front of the garage with up and over door located at the rear of the house. Steps lead down through an area of orchard with trees including Pear, Victoria Plum, Apple and Walnut. To one side is the original pump for the well, which has been relocated as a garden ornament. Decorative gates lead through stone pillars to a lower lawn where the remains of the original orangery and summerhouse can be seen. Mid-19th century railings extend across the front of the property set on hamstone plinths and ornate double gates lead up from the pavement onto a path leading to the front door. The lawned front garden continues around the east side of the property where the former external brick-built bakery is now in disrepair. This does offer scope for renovation and repurposing as a studio or home office perhaps. Beyond a path leads to the rear of the house where the external wine cellars are built into the land at the back, under the rear garden (see agents note). Steps lead up to a currently uncultivated area of garden with trees and saplings including a Magnolia and Cherry for Spring colour.
Agents Note
The property itself, the adjoining external walls and railings are Grade II listed.
The vendor has made us aware that a small number of bats hibernate in the old wine cellar under the back lawn between November and February each year. Bats are a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and the Conservation Regulations 1994.
The property is located on Station Road and lies within easy reach of the pretty town centre with its good variety of independent stores centred around the market square and 15th century Minster church. These include an award-winning butchers, delicatessen, cheese and dairy shop, super hardware store, homewares, antiques stores, clothes boutiques and gift shops. Temperley of London have recently relocated to the town centre and adjoining their studio is an artisan bakery and cocktail bar. Ilminster is well served by a town-centre Tesco store with ample free parking, as well as a Co-op grocery store. Alongside Tesco is a bowls and tennis club and close-by a town library. Ilminster Arts Centre is a vibrant arts venue with a licensed café and there are plenty of other places to eat, including pubs, cafes, takeaways and restaurants. There is also a very well supported local theatre off Brewery Lane. The town has several hairdressers / beauty salons, a dental surgery, and a modern health centre with two doctors' surgeries. There is also a regular Berry’s Superfast bus service to London Hammersmith. Further down Station Road there is the local Texaco Filling Station and spar grocery store. A handy store for when you need those little extras at short notice.
The nearby market town of Crewkerne houses a local Waitrose store (which delivers) and a railway connection to London Waterloo. There are an excellent range of state and independent schools locally, most notably Perrot Hill School at North Perrott. Further independent schools include Chard Independent, Millfield School at Street, Kings Bruton and Hazelgrove, and further options at Wellington and Taunton - all within c.30-45 minutes’ drive or with local drop off options. The first and middle school in Ilminster have recently merged to create a Primary School and there are also well-regarded local nurseries.
