Longacre

Thought to date from the 18th century, Longacre is an unlisted house situated in a beautiful and private position
amidst unspoilt, open countryside and is set well back off a peaceful country lane. It is constructed of pale, local Marnhull stone under a clay tiled roof and has been sympathetically renovated over the past ten years and is now presented to a high standard. At the heart of the renovations the centre of the ground floor has been opened up to create a fantastic reception hall/entertainment space with a timber floor and windows on two sides that flood the interior of the property with natural light, whilst providing views over the garden and grounds.

Off to one side of the hall is the charming sitting room which has a fireplace fitted with a wood-burning stove and is also light and airy with windows on three sides including a bow window overlooking the terrace and a glazed door to the garden. The kitchen/dining room is on the opposite side of the hall through a set of double doors. This also has a bay window with countryside views providing a lovely outlook for the dining area and has a timber floor and a ceiling with exposed, whitepainted beams creating a rustic feel. The kitchen is fitted with a range of bespoke painted timber units, electric cooker and hob and a 2-oven AGA. On one side are a large, walk-in larder and adjacent pantry and a door through to the playroom/snug. Beyond the kitchen is a boot room leading to the second cloakroom, a good-sized storage area and the freezer room/wine store and with access to both the parking area at the front of the house and the rear terrace.

On the first floor off the centrally positioned landing are the principal bedroom with en suite bathroom, five further double bedrooms and two further bathrooms. All the bedrooms have views over the surrounding countryside.

Longacre is approached via a gravelled driveway entrance leading to a broad gravelled turning circle/parking area in
front of the house that provides parking space for several cars. On one side is a 4-bay carport/hay store behind which
is a T-shaped range of timber outbuildings on a concrete apron incorporating two single garages, four loose boxes,
tack room and a good-sized home office which looks out across the property's paddocks.

Adjacent to the outbuildings are an all-weather manége and a fenced poultry run around a pond. A paved, south-facing terrace runs along the rear of the house with a level lawn extending out on two sides with a variety of interspersed mature trees including two elegant weeping willows. On the far side of the lawn to the south are a heated swimming pool, garden store and greenhouse and on its eastern edge an all-weather tennis court. Between them in the south-eastern corner of the garden is a summerhouse that currently serves as an artist's studio. Beyond the garden to the west and south are two interconnected paddocks enclosed by stock-proof fencing and equipped with field shelters and mains-fed water troughs. In all about 9.12 acres (3.69 hectares).

Marnhull 1 mile, Sturminster Newton 4.2 miles, Gillingham (Waterloo 2 hours) 6.4 miles, Shaftesbury 6.5 miles, A303 9.2 miles, Castle Cary station (Paddington 90 minutes) 18 miles, Bournemouth International Airport 29.4 miles.
(Distances and times approximate)

Longacre is one of a small group of scattered houses forming the hamlet of Moorside and overlooks unspoilt countryside about a mile east of the large village of Marnhull. The village has an active community with excellent amenities including three churches, village hall, two primary schools, combined GP surgery and pharmacy, garage, two pubs and several local shops (see www.
marnhullmessenger.org.uk). More extensive shopping, business and recreational facilities are available nearby in Sturminster Newton (4.2 miles), Gillingham (6.4 miles), and Shaftesbury (6.5 miles). There are direct rail services from Gillingham to Waterloo (2 hours) and from Castle Cary (18.1 miles) to

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