Bourton House

Starting life as a much smaller house built in 1820 and then substantially enlarged in 1899, Bourton House is situated on the edge of the village in an elevated position facing east with a lovely outlook over its garden and grounds towards the unspoilt countryside below Shaftesbury. With old world charm, the house is built partly of local stone and partly of mellow red brick all under a clay tiled roof and has tall windows and excellent ceiling heights throughout. It has also retained a wealth of period fittings including fireplaces in many rooms, attractive polished elm floorboards throughout much of the ground floor, several windows seats and a wealth of period joinery including many built-in cupboards. A particular feature of the house are the wide bay windows in the drawing room, dining room, principal bedroom and main guest bedroom which provide far-reaching views in clear weather. The house has been the much-loved family home of its current owners for the past 43 years and is well-presented but could now benefit from some updating.

The centre of the house is dominated by the reception hall that also serves as a snug and succeeds in linking the house together with the impressive drawing room on one side and the large dining room, study and the rest of the house on the other. At the back of the house is the kitchen/breakfast room which is fitted with bespoke timber units and a 4-oven AGA. Off one end of the first-floor landing and above the drawing room is the principal bedroom with its own adjacent bathroom. At the other end are the guest bedroom suite with en-suite/dual access bathroom, three further double bedrooms, family bathroom and separate WC. A narrow flight of stairs rises into the roof space to a large attic room, whose two halves are separated by the stairwell, with sufficient room to accommodate a double “bedroom” on each side or well suited for children's space.

Bourton House is approached off a peaceful lane via two entrances. Below the house is a vehicle entrance onto a large, gravelled parking area with sufficient space for several cars, a vehicle entrance to the paddock and a flight of steps and paved path leading up to the house. In addition and closer to the house is direct pedestrian access from the lane to the front door through a gate set in a tall yew hedge that provides year-round privacy from passers-by on the lane. The garden extends out from the east and south-facing sides of the house. On the southern side is a lean-to covered seating area opening to a further hedge-enclosed seating area beneath a mature beech tree. Most of the garden extends out to the east and overlooks the paddock, with both sides of the house draped in mature wisteria and a level lawn flanked by a raised path and yew hedging on one side and fringed with several richly stocked borders. Behind the house is a walled courtyard incorporating a log store, workshop and garden store with pedestrian gates to the garden and lane. In all about 4 acres (1.62 hectares).

Zeals 0.2 mile, Mere 3.3 miles, Gillingham 4.1 miles (Waterloo 2 hours) Shaftesbury 8.4 miles, Castle Cary station 12.5 miles (Paddington 90 minutes) Bath 25 miles, Salisbury 27 miles, Bristol Airport 36.9 miles (Distances and time approximate).

Bourton House is situated on the edge of the village of Bourton which adjoins an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is at the northern most point of Dorset. The village is a vibrant community and is also juxtaposed next to the village of Zeals. Between them the two villages have two parish churches, two pubs (the popular White Lion Inn is within easy walking distance), two post offices, petrol station and a doctor's surgery (see most day-to-day requirements, Mere and Gillingham between them have a good range of shops including a Waitrose supermarket in Gillingham along with dental and veterinary surgeries. The village is also well-positioned for transport links. The A303 is easily accessible

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