Naish Priory

Naish Priory and its associated properties present an opportunity to enjoy all the benefits of an historic country house with the flexibility and manageability of a family house. The house and its wonderfully romantic gardens are approached through ornate iron gates. The appealing accommodation is arranged over three floors within the main house and two separate cottages.
The property is Listed Grade I and believed originally to have been a chantry rather than a priory. As well as providing delightful family accommodation it is a house of immense character, with a sense of English history throughout.

All rooms have character and a wealth of architectural features. The exterior has fan tracery, octagonal chimneys, carved stone corbelled heads and gargoyles. There are also flagstone floors, ceiling beams, arched stone door surrounds, medieval panelled doors, stone mullion windows with leaded lights and a fine oriel window.
There is an excellent balance of accommodation with all rooms benefitting from views across the enchanting gardens or neighbouring countryside. The property was successfully altered and enlarged in the 19th century without compromising the character of the 14th century house. The welcoming hall with its arched stone door frames opens into the library, complete with huge original 14th century entrance door. This room is flanked by the morning room and the drawing room with a door to the garden. The dining room is ideally positioned between the drawing room and the kitchen/breakfast room, adjacent to the spacious rear hall which has a door to the rear drive. The practical rooms of the scullery and boot room are next to the kitchen and both have doors to the garden.

On the first floor, the principal bedroom has an en suite bathroom and the former chapel with its vaulted ceiling is a stunning and most enjoyable room. Of particular note is the oriel window which provides a romantic focus to the first floor landing. There are four further bedrooms and a family bathroom on this floor. The second floor provides two more bedrooms, a shower room and an office.
To the south west of the house are its Grade II Listed cottages, stables and carriage house, all of which are accessed by a rear drive. The thatched stables incorporate a garage and three loose boxes plus a tack room – all with the original divides. The coach house is arranged as a garage/workshop, apple store and garden store.
Naish Cottage

Naish Cottage
A charming two storey Grade II listed semi-detached three bedroomed cottage adjacent to Grade I listed Naish Priory. Built at the beginning of the 17th century as the Gardener’s Cottage, it has been extended and modernised in more recent times. Beside the rear drive of Naish Priory, Naish Cottage has a garden to the west facing front of the cottage with a sunny flagged terrace adjoining the cottage and the garden is mainly lawn, terraced beds with shrubs and mature trees behind. There is a single garage accessing onto King’s Springs Lane - a no through lane.
The property is connected to mains drainage and electricity and a private spring water supply. Heating is supplied by modern electric panels.

Priory Cottage
Tucked away along King’s Springs Lane in lovely countryside with footpaths and bridleways to the village at hand. T S Eliot, the Nobel prizewinning poet, described the pathways and lanes thus: “deep lanes shuttered with branches” in his poem East Coker, one of his Four Quartets.
This charming semi-detached 17th century Grade II listed cottage (formerly Stable Cottage) with an abundance of character is quietly situated alongside Grade I listed Naish Priory’s gardens and orchard.
It is approached at the end of no-through lane, King’s Spring Lane and has its own private gravelled entrance driveway and double garage. There are flagstone steps and pathways leading past lawns, rockery, trees and garden beds down to its front door and, it has a small outbuilding/bicycle shed. The cottage provides approximately 1,635 square feet of versatile accommodation: 3 to 4 bedrooms (one of which downstairs is used as an office or separate dining room). It has a well-fitted eat-in kitchen with a pantry and beamed fireplace. There is a small study/snug opening on to the paved garden. The cottage has two bathrooms, an L-shaped sitting room, three upstairs double bedrooms and many original features including the beamed kitchen fireplace, elm doors and a listed turning elm staircase. There is abundant exposed Hamstone brickwork, flagstone flooring, exposed beams and windows with deep sills.

The property is connected to mains drainage and electricity with private spring water supply and efficient night storage heating. There is a working fireplace in the sitting room.

Both cottages have been let continuously for several years, bringing in a significant income.

The property is situated in the picturesque Somerset village of East Coker set amid unspoiled countryside and described by Pevsner as ‘a lovely village with plenty of attractive houses’.
The village is situated 2.7 miles to the south of Yeovil and 8.2 miles west of Sherborne which both offer a range of recreational, educational and cultural amenities and shopping. The village of East Coker has the 12th century Church of St Michael and All Angels (the resting place of T S Eliot), primary school, The Helyar Arms public house, farm shop and village café. The area is renowned for an excellent choice of schools including Sherborne, Sherborne School for Girls, Leweston School, Millfield School, Hazelgrove Preparatory School, King’s Bruton and Perrott Hill Preparatory School.

Local sporting facilities include horse racing at Wincanton and water sports along the Dorset coastline, as well as sailing on Sutton Bingham reservoir, approximately a mile away. Local hunts include the Portman, Blackmore and Sparkford Vale, South & West Wilts and Cattistock. There is also flat racing at Bath and Salisbury, and National Hunt racing at Exeter. Shooting locally is available on a commercial let day basis and local golf clubs include Cricket St Thomas Golf Club and Yeovil Golf Club. London is 136 miles away and is reached by the A303 and M3 whilst by rail there is a good service of trains to Waterloo from Yeovil Junction in approximately 2 hours 20 minutes. There is also a service from Castle Carey to London Paddington, with journeys taking approximately 90 minutes.

The delightful gardens and grounds extend to just under 3 acres and form an important part of the property.
In the best traditions of the country garden, expansive lawns with colourful borders nestle beneath wonderful trees and combine to create a most romantic and enjoyable set of garden rooms. Approached through tall stone gate piers with ornate iron gates, the gravel drive expands to form a parking/turning area to the east of the house and is bordered by a high stone wall and large lily pond complete with a fountain and Koi carp. A short flight of steps and a path leads beneath a lovely old Judas-tree to the house and formal gardens. Adjacent to house is the terrace garden with its ancient flagstone stone seating area and lawn bordered by established Magnolia Grande Flora and pear trees, with deep colourful and scented beds of climbing roses hydrangea, bergenia and other perennials. From here stone piers with ornate metal gate open into the walled garden. At its centre a large level lawn, ideal for croquet, has deep established flower borders to all sides and incorporates a seating area with a vine covered pergola and a gate to the pond garden, as well as a flight of historic stone steps set into a bank leading to the stables.
A further set of tall gate piers opens into the arbour garden with the arbour of intertwined beeches (the Beech Walk), bordered by deep flower beds with roses, lilies, geraniums, peonies and rhododendrons. An arch in the tall hedge leads into the Smoketree Garden with its weeping birch tree and superb smoketree. A row of tall poplar trees runs along the southern boundary and borders delightful open countryside. The final area of garden is the former orchard with its remaining fruit trees, beech, oak trees and a bluebell wood in spring time. This area of garden is to the south of the outbuildings, cottages and a small kitchen garden with raised beds and a cedar wood greenhouse. The garden affords any number of quiet and private seating areas giving different perspectives of the house, the garden and neighbouring countryside; be it from the south facing terrace beside the house, vine covered pergola, or lawns.

Marketed by: Strutt & Parker, National Country House Department