House for sale in Great Elm, Frome, Somerset, BA11 3NW - 6 bedrooms, 5 reception rooms, 5 bathrooms

• 5 bedrooms, 4 baths
• 5 reception rooms
• Flat (6th Bedroom) & bath
• 3 bedroom coach house
• Renowed gardens

Situation

The village of Great Elm is situated to the north west of Frome. The neighbouring village of Mells has a post office, general store, the renowned Talbot Public House, as well as an excellent nursery and primary school. The ancient market town of Frome has a collection of delightful shops, cafes, pubs and hotels. There is ample opportunity for walking and riding in the surrounding countryside and along the banks of The Rivers Mells and Frome. Food is a particular attraction in this area. Both The Frome Farmers' Market and Ivy House Farm at Beckington are award winning farm shops within about a 15 minute drive. Babington House is only 4 miles away. In addition to the gourmet delights of Bath are the Grange Restaurant (15 minutes away), Archangel in Frome (15 minutes) and the much-feted Chapel in Bruton (25 minutes). Great Elm is a relatively short drive from Bath, renowned for its wide range of restaurants, shops, cultural activities and tourist attractions including the Roman Baths, Holburne Museum, The Royal Crescent, Prior Park Gardens, and the Theatre Royal. There is racing at Bath, Newbury, Cheltenham, Wincanton and Salisbury and golf at The Player's, Doddington, The Manor House at Castle Combe, as well as on the Mendips. Around Bath there are numerous sporting clubs, including premier division Rugby clubs at both Bath and Bristol.

Description

The Grade II* Listed house has early Nineteenth Century origins and is constructed of rendered stone and ashlar under a hipped slate roof. All the principal reception rooms and bedrooms face south and overlook the stunning, mature garden. The property is approached through a pair of wrought iron gates and the private drive leads to a courtyard parking area in front of the Coach House. Stone steps lead to the main house across the garden. The entire southern façade and wrought iron veranda are adorned with roses and wisteria. The gothic-arched sash windows and a series of French doors leading onto the veranda all compliment the classical architectural appeal.

Accommodation

The three main reception rooms have retained many of their fine original Regency features including chimney pieces and ornate mouldings, architraves and pediments. The drawing room has stunning and intricate double vine ceiling cornicing, a large and impressive marble fireplace and a bay window with French doors leading onto the veranda. The dining room (Chinese Room) has magnificent, hand-painted, gilt-edged murals depicting Chinese scenes and Acanthus and Dentil ceiling mouldings. The sitting room (Gothic room) has a large bay window with French doors and the entire ceiling is adorned with a breath-taking and unique canopied ceiling with drop-down, gilded capitals.The kitchen leads directly into the large, double-height conservatory which, in addition to the hall and the kitchen, has under-floor heating. On the first floor, three of the five bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms and a family bathroom serves the other two. As part of the ground floor accommodation there is a very useful, self-contained annexe with a bathroom, kitchen area and hallway. The annexe has its own separate access. Constructed of stone under a slate roof, the Coach House provides excellent and very private secondary accommodation. There are three bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, one of which is en-suite. In the centre of the building is a kitchen area which opens out to a large, double reception room. The impressive gardens and grounds at Hapsford House have been Listed Grade II due to their significance and have been laid out on a grand scale. There are a large number of original trees, bushes and shrubs including beeches, oaks, chestnuts and sycamore trees. These form part of the picturesque riverside woodland, orchard and formal gardens. A gentle sloping lawn runs away from the house into a wooded glade which dominates the garden. A magnificent laburnum walk leads from the formal lawn to the many areas of wild grass, herbaceous borders, flowers and specimen trees to a tennis court beyond. Within the woodland is a secret garden with a pizza oven and seating area. An ornamental bridge crosses the river to Flowery Mead Island complete with a Hermitage style grotto and fireplace. Opposite this is a natural pool that has been created by changing the course of an old weir off the River Mells. A delightful boathouse sits on the opposite side of the river bank which has a first floor studio accessed by a fascinating, solid oak tree trunk with carved-out steps. A secondary gated drive to the east of the gardens leads to a parking area with garaging. Near to this is a fantastic kitchen garden with a range of stone outbuildings and stores which have been recently and meticulously renovated.
Lot 2
To the north of the house is a 7.66 acre paddock with post and rail fencing and mains water trough.
Lot 3
The 50% share in a hydro-electric turbine business is situated below the lower parking area and garaging. The 59.5 kW Ossberger system was installed in 2010. The electrical feed-in tariff runs until 2035. At full operating capacity the hydroelectric power plant will produce enough electricity to power about 70 houses. The generator and energy production does not form part of the Hapsford House property and is located within the neighbouring property.

Directions

Take the M3 out of London. At Junction 7 take the A303 towards Andover. Go straight over the Amesbury roundabout and then, after about 1 mile as the road goes into a single lane, fork right just before Stonehenge onto A360. Leave Stonehenge on the left towards Shrewton. Just past the village of Shrewton turn left onto B390 towards Chitterne, driving over Salisbury Plain. Go through village of Chitterne and follow the road all the way to a T junction. Turn right onto A36 signposted Heytesbury/Warminster. At the roundabout take the second exit, following signs for Longleat. Go straight over next roundabout. At the next roundabout turn left signposted to Frome/Longleat. After several miles turn right also signposted to Frome. On entering Frome bear right at the traffic lights. At the T-junction turn right and then immediately left at the mini-roundabout, signposted to Radstock. At the next roundabout turn right, signposted to Radstock on A362. After approximately 1 ½ miles turn left at a small sign for Great Elm. After approximately 1 ½ miles Hapsford House will be found on the left at the top of a hill. Turn left through the large, black, wrought-iron electric gates.