3 bedroom house

Keepers Cottage is a very pretty house of green sandstone elevations under a reed thatch roof. Built in circa 1700, the cottage was extended in 1976; points of note include a large inglenook fireplace with bressummer beam above, flag stone hearth beneath and adjacent bread oven, exposed beams, American oak floors throughout much of the ground floor and a wood burning stove. Good ceiling heights and large timber framed windows create light and bright living space, and the sensibly configured accommodation makes for a practical home. The vendor will be replacing the thatch with a tiled roof.

There are a number of options to expand the accommodation; the floorplan shows permitted development (shaded blue) for which consent has been granted. Other alternatives include linking and incorporating the double garage to provide ancillary accommodation or alternatively extending to the north at both ground and first floor levels, all subject to the usual planning consents. Alternatively, there is scope for a replacement dwelling.

A front lawn, with a stone beehive-well built in 1863 in its centre, is enclosed by two well stocked shrub borders and the drive. A stone flag terrace with a millstone water fountain in its centre, is surrounded by a half height stone wall and provides a suntrap between the cottage and the garage. The main garden surrounds the three sides of the cottage and includes lawns and a range of beds, borders and shrubberies stocked with echinops, indigo, hydrangeas, pineapple broom, cotoneaster, weeping buddleia and a corkscrew hazel, to name but a few. Beyond is another lawn which drops down to an apple and pear orchard and a large fruit cage with gooseberry, redcurrant, blackcurrant and raspberries among others. The garden and orchard enjoy breath-taking views towards King Alfred’s Tower, Kingsettle Wood and the surrounding valley.

OUTSIDE
A large double garage built of the same green sandstone as the cottage provides ample parking for two large cars and additional storage for garden equipment and tools. This building also incorporates a utility/boot room and a WC. Above the garage is a full height storage loft, accessed via a drop-down ladder. Garden shed.

THE LAND
There are just under 14 acres of pasture land, (with agricultural holding numbers) which are divided into three enclosures; all have piped water supplies, and offer good grazing for livestock and a potential rental income. A footpath (FP12) has been diverted away from the cottage – please contact the agents for more details.

AGENTS NOTE The internal photographs used were taken in 2016; since then, some internal redecoration has been carried out.

The access is a private single track, please do not proceed down without a prior appointment. VIEWINGS STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

Keepers Cottage lies on the hillside above The Hollows overlooking Motcombe, a thriving village with a community shop/post office, a primary school, a church and a village hall. Shaftesbury, an ancient Saxon hilltop market town, lies a mile to the south east and has an excellent range of facilities including a variety of shops, a hotel, a delicatessen, supermarket, a health centre, a small hospital, a library and an arts centre. More comprehensive facilities can be found in Salisbury, Bath and Sherborne. There is a main line railway station at nearby Gillingham (London Waterloo). The A303 lies some six miles to the north giving access to the south west and London, via the M3.



Marketed by: Jackson-Stops, Shaftesbury