House For Sale £1,350,000
Believed to date back originally to the 17th century, Rectory Cottage began life as the village pub called The Cock Inn. It is unlisted and is built of local stone under a plain clay tile roof and has a fabulous position set well back from and in an elevated setting that borders a quiet lane on the edge of village. Its large garden is bound by a mix of stone walling, mature trees and tall hedging that combine to provide a high level of privacy. The cottage is positioned with one gable end facing Rectory Lane, a short, no-through lane that serves just three properties. The cottage has been in the same ownership since 1984 and over the period has been extended, improved and has clearly been carefully maintained. It is unlisted and has great charm and character with many original architectural fittings including beams, several window seats and a lovely, open inglenook fireplace in the sitting room with an integral bread oven.
The ground floor has three well proportioned reception rooms: the charming sitting room in the centre of the cottage, a cosy snug at one end with French windows that open onto the terrace and garden and a dining room immediately adjacent to the kitchen. As was common in cottages of the period Rectory Cottage is linear in layout and one room thick, so several of the rooms have windows on two or more sides providing good levels of natural light throughout the day. The kitchen overlooks Rectory Lane, has a tiled floor and is fully fitted with bespoke, painted timber units under timber work surfaces and a Falcon electric range cooker. Upstairs there is a part-galleried landing well-lit by natural light that leads to the cottage's four double bedrooms and family shower room. The main bedroom is generously sized with views out over the garden and a walk-through dressing room to its own ensuite bathroom.
The garden and grounds of Rectory Cottage amount to about an acre and extend out on three sides providing a peaceful and private setting. The cottage is built into a gentle slope and the more formal areas of garden in front and behind have been levelled and lawned with the original slope retained out to one side to provide a “wilder” area of grass studded with several mature trees. The front garden is enclosed by stone walling and contains a paved path to the front door and adjacent lawn fringed with narrow rose borders that repeat flower throughout much of the summer. At one end of the cottage is a sheltered and paved terrace hugged by a richly planted border that provides a lovely spot for barbeques and outside entertaining in fine weather. Behind the cottage is a further lawn that leads to the heated swimming pool and the double garage block, which incorporates a billiard room/home office looking out across the garden and towards the back of the cottage. Outside the boundary wall of the garden and in front of the garage block is a tarmac parking area with space for several cars plus a vehicular access to the garden.
The ground floor has three well proportioned reception rooms: the charming sitting room in the centre of the cottage, a cosy snug at one end with French windows that open onto the terrace and garden and a dining room immediately adjacent to the kitchen. As was common in cottages of the period Rectory Cottage is linear in layout and one room thick, so several of the rooms have windows on two or more sides providing good levels of natural light throughout the day. The kitchen overlooks Rectory Lane, has a tiled floor and is fully fitted with bespoke, painted timber units under timber work surfaces and a Falcon electric range cooker. Upstairs there is a part-galleried landing well-lit by natural light that leads to the cottage's four double bedrooms and family shower room. The main bedroom is generously sized with views out over the garden and a walk-through dressing room to its own ensuite bathroom.
The garden and grounds of Rectory Cottage amount to about an acre and extend out on three sides providing a peaceful and private setting. The cottage is built into a gentle slope and the more formal areas of garden in front and behind have been levelled and lawned with the original slope retained out to one side to provide a “wilder” area of grass studded with several mature trees. The front garden is enclosed by stone walling and contains a paved path to the front door and adjacent lawn fringed with narrow rose borders that repeat flower throughout much of the summer. At one end of the cottage is a sheltered and paved terrace hugged by a richly planted border that provides a lovely spot for barbeques and outside entertaining in fine weather. Behind the cottage is a further lawn that leads to the heated swimming pool and the double garage block, which incorporates a billiard room/home office looking out across the garden and towards the back of the cottage. Outside the boundary wall of the garden and in front of the garage block is a tarmac parking area with space for several cars plus a vehicular access to the garden.
Templecombe 1.5 miles (Waterloo 2.25 hours), Charlton Horethorne 3 miles, Wincanton/A303 3.5 miles, Sherborne 7.5 miles, Castle Cary station 9 miles (Paddington 90 minutes), Bristol Airport 36 miles. (Distances and time approximate).
Rectory Cottage is situated off a peaceful lane on the edge of the small village of Horsington, which is a thriving, friendly community surrounded by beautiful, unspoilt countryside in the heart of the Blackmore Vale. The village has a church, CofE primary school (Ofsted-rated 2/Good) and nearby tennis and football clubs. Templecombe is close by providing a selection of shops, sports club, GP's surgery and railway station with regular services to Waterloo (2 hours 24 minutes) (see ). The A357 runs through the village giving quick access to Wincanton, Sherborne and Yeovil, which can all meet most day to day needs. Other nearby transport links include Castle Cary station (Paddington 90 minutes) and the A303 and Bristol Airport (37 miles) is about an hour's drive away. The local area also has an excellent selection of schools from both the state and independent sectors. These include the Gryphon School (OFSTED rated 2 Good) for secondary education as well as several excellent independent schools including the Sherborne schools, Leweston, Hazlegrove, King's Bruton and Port Regis all within a 10-mile radius.
