An historic Estate with a medieval manor house, superb gardens, cottages, buildings, a farmstead (with scope) & organic land. About 270 acres.

Abbots Sharpham, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA16 9SA
An historic Estate near Glastonbury bequeathed to the Abbots of Glastonbury in 1191 by King John. The property has a rich history and is a fine manor house with a deer park, orchards, organic farm and mill. In all about 270 acres.

As a whole or in 4 Lots

Lot 1
Lot 1 comprises a medieval manor house (Grade II*) with glorious gardens an indoor swimming pool, tennis court, outbuildings, 2 cottages, stone stables with residential planning, deer park, cider orchard and meadows.All set in parkland of about 44.4 acres.

Lot 2
The second lot offers a mill, warehouse, office, agricultural buildings, solar plant and yards. Plus - productive organic walnut orchard of over 250 trees, mixed fruit orchard and mirror carp pond. All ideal for current usage, and with great potential for development.In all about 24.73 acres.

Lots 3 & 4
The third and fourth lots total some 201.50 acres of arable and pasture and all classified fully organic for 20 years. Lot 3 being 66.64 acre and Lot 4 being 134.86 acres.

History
Abbots Sharpham is an historic park near Glastonbury dating back to the Bronze Age. The first known reference to Sharpham is a grant by King Edwig to the Thegn (lord or squire) Aethelwold in 957. Sharpham then passed in and out of the hands of the Abbots of Glastonbury for the next 275 years. In 1191 King John bequeathed the park to the Abbots of Glastonbury by placing his bejewelled gauntlet upon the Abbey altar. In 1330 Abbot Walter de Monington enclosed Sharpham as a deer park with an oak and chestnut paling fence of some 4 miles circumference. The park had a rich variety of farming and husbandry with tenants keeping cattle and sheep, whilst the monks had fishponds, farmed rabbits, hawked and produced various crops which would no doubt, have included spelt, providing food for the Abbot of Glastonbury's table.

1512-
In 1512 Abbott Bere, the Papal legate of Henry Tudor (V11) built a magnificent manor on the site of 'but a poor lodge'. Later, Sharpham became the favoured manor of Abbott Richard Whiting. In 1539 Henry V111's commissioners went to Sharpham and arraigned the Abbot in the kitchen - now the drawing room. From there they took him to be tried for treason and he was then hung, drawn and quartered upon Glastonbury Tor. Sharpham was granted to Sir Edward Seymour, the 1st Duke of Somerset, who became Lord Protector to Henry VIII's son, the "boy" King who became Edward V1th. Sir Edward Dyer, the poet and courtier to Elizabeth 1st was born here in 1541. For a hundred years the ownership of the estate was disputed with Sir John Thynne of Longleat, who had been a private secretary to Sir Edward Seymour.

Mid 16600s
By the mid 1600s the estate was heldby the Gould family and in 1707 Henry Fielding was born to Lt. Col. Fielding.He was the author of the satirical novel Tom Jones, and later, founder of the Bow Street Runners. In 1701 Davidge Gould rebuilt the stable block and carried out other substantial works and added the weathervane on the house (1733). There were no male heirs, and a daughter married the Earlof Cavan who in the early 1800s let the property partly to the Laver family (one of the largest cattle dealers in the west country in the nineteenth century) and partly to Thomas Hawkins, the renowned geologist and palaeontologist. His collection, including the much debated, ichthyosaurus, was sold to the Natural History Museum for £3,000 in 1834.

Onwards
The property was let to tenant farmers for many years and was regarded as one of the finest farms in Somerset in the 1880's employing 26 men and 7 boys. Bought by Roger Saul, the founder of Mulberry, and his wife Monty in 1977, the house, garden and parkland have been carefully restored step by step, as they bought successive parts over the following 26 years. In 1993, 4000 English hardwood trees were planted. In 2003 the farmland was taken organic and restored, the deer park created, walnut and fruit tree orchards planted with miles of avenues and hedges put in. In 2007 a purpose-built spelt mill was created with offices and warehouse. The estate is now a wonderful family home and a productive, organic mixed economy farm.

Location
Abbots Sharpham stands in beautiful countryside, a few miles beyond Street and Glastonbury, approached from a small country lane with no through traffic. A drive leads past the deer park to the house which stands in landscaped grounds with splendid views across open countryside directly to Glastonbury Tor. Glastonbury has been a religious centre throughout history and back into the times of legends. The Celtic monastery evolved into one of England's wealthiest and most influential abbeys and the town grew up alongside it. Today it's a small but thriving town and a major tourist venue, welcoming thousands of visitors each year. Medieval Glastonbury - designated a conservation area - clusters around the evocative ruins of the Abbey.

Towns and schools
Just 5 miles from Glastonbury is Wells which is the smallest city in England (population 10,000). Its centre is the marketplace (local markets twice a week) surrounded by many medieval buildings including the Cathedral and moated Bishops Palace. Immediately to the south of Glastonbury is Street (2 miles), a small town with Roman origins, a Quaker history linked to the Clark family of shoemakers and now the home of Millfield School. Within an easy drive of Glastonbury is the small but well-known town of Bruton, known for its verdant countryside, the Hauser& Wirth arts centre (hosting modern art exhibitions), the Newt with its splendid country house hotel and magnificent gardens and of course the superb restaurants and varied high street shops. There are other excellent private and state schools including Wells Cathedral School, Downside, All Hallows and the Bruton and Taunton schools.

Communications
Rail: About 12 miles southeast is Castle Cary station with a main rail line to London. Air: About 24 miles north is Bristol International airport. Car: About 11 miles east is the M5 and miles east is the A303 to London (a 2-hour drive).

Lot 1 in detail

Description
Abbots Sharpham. The house is a handsome and historically significant property, Grade II* listed with a unique stepped- down design and a range of distinctive features. Demonstrating its evolution over the centuries, it is a blend of blue lias and Doulting stonework under terracotta pantile roofs of varying pitch with coped verges. Internally there are many architectural details from the various historic periods. These include extensive flagstone flooring, oak, elm and old pine timberwork, plank and muntin screens, diamond paned lights, stone mullioned windows, splendid fireplaces and impressive carved armorial freestone panels bearing heraldic devices. These include the Prince of Wales three feathers, the "cruet" emblem of Richard Bere, the portcullis (Tudor) and the Harlequin, as well as one of the few remaining coats of arms of Glastonbury.

Accommodation
The principal entrance to the house is by a substantial oak door with elaborate scrolled medieval hinges beneath a slab hood. There are six reception rooms, an orangery, a farmhouse kitchen, domestic offices, an estate office, 8 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. The entrance hall has a staircase witha fine balustrade and double doors opening into a music room with an open stone fireplace, elm floorboards, a store cupboard, coving, and stone steps flanked by two pillars into the library. This is a quiet peaceful room with diamond paned windows, oak bookshelves, a concealed cupboard, a massive stone fireplace, a cloakroom and a secret door.

The secret door
This leads into the estate office with high speed internet and monitors for the CCTV network. Approached from this room is a workshop and boot room plus a side door to the gardens. Returning to the library, a door leads to the drawing room with flagstones, fireplace, 16th C oak beams, a wine cupboard and stone mullioned, diamond paned windows with two opening to a terrace. Leading from the drawing room is a sitting room used mainly as a study with doors to both the entrance hall and the kitchen. Leading south from the Drawing room, a timber archway flanked by alcoves opens to a hallway with an outer porch and garden door, flagstones and 17th and 18th century panel screens to the great hall.

The Great Hall
This stunning room has a high vaulted, oak arch braced ceiling, heraldic shields, stone flooring with underfloor heating, a minstrel's gallery leading to a small personal solar with vaulted ceiling. There are stone mullioned diamond paned windows and a massive chimney breast above an inglenook fireplace which is flanked by a staircase with a door off a half landing to a balcony in the orangery. The kitchen has fitted cupboards, carefully constructed from a 19th century pine chemist shop with marble and mahogany worktops with inset double sink unit and gas hob with a converted electric Aga. These are all set around the large central table in the farmhouse style. A hidden door in the panelling allowing direct access to the great hall. Leading off the kitchen is a utility room with adjacent laundry and a rear hall.

Quote from Roger Saul
"The 14th Century stone Manor house inwhich my wife, Monty, and I have lived withour children is more than a home, it is a major source of inspiration for me, my first collections for Mulberry were very much inspired by its traditions, architecture and history"Roger Saul

The Orangery
The Orangery A double story height oak structure with large diamond double glazing, sandstone flooring, underfloor heating and an automatic watering system. It faces southwest with folding doors to a terrace. Upper floors A staircase with Tudor balustrading rises from the entrance hall to a landing on the first floor.

Upper Floors
The first bedroom faces east with views to the Tor and has an en-suite shower room. A passage and steps lead to a second bedroom which has views east and west and a panelled en-suite shower room. The landing continues to the main bedroom, (purported to be the birthplace of Henry Fielding) which is panelled with a fireplace, dressing room, a deep wardrobe, and an en-suite bathroom. The staircase from the great hall leads to a landing with a bedroom with space for a double bed and a built-in bunk bed perfect for a child. This room also has a shower room. The landing continues and serves two other bedrooms and a bathroom and continues through to the main staircase from the hall. There are two large bedrooms on the second floor.

The Long Hall
This is an east wing, with a separate oak entrance door and links through internally to the rear hall of the main house. It provides additional accommodation the house and canbe used as a self-contained apartment if required. The hall - another large and splendid room with a stone fireplace, plank and muntin screen, a high vaulted ceiling with beams and a splendid galleried bedroom with steps to a small window, perfect for viewing the Tor. There's also a kitchen and a shower room and the wing has underfloor heating.

Gardens and Grounds
The entrance drive leads over a private stone bridge into the property between the deer park and a meadow, along a 150m tree lined drive to tall stone pillars and shortly beyond onto the gravelled driveway to the house. This driveway forks to the stables and continues tothe rear, with stone garage and potting shed. The front garden being lawned with shrubs and a splendid cedar of Lebanon and weeping willow. Abbots Sharpham has magnificent gardens on the western side of the house. Immediately approached from the house is a wide terraced area with a wisteria clad pergola and lawns together with a stone grotto with dipping tank and Lion's Head feeding a shallow rill.

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The surrounding gardens have many features including the stumpery garden with a well, another rill to a pond and a magnificent horse chestnut. Close by is a wildflower garden with false acacia trees leading to the staddle-stone terrace with a Mulberry tree and an extensive herbaceous border. In front of the dovecote is a box hedge parterre, playing card garden, (look for the joker) and the area sheltered by high stone walls with espaliered cherry trees. Continuing in the garden are a small croquet lawn, the sunken garden and a rose clad pergola. This part of the garden is in the shelter of a stone building and verandas which makes an idyllic retreat.

The pool, tennis court, vegetable garden & paddock
The 17th century 'six eye waggon house' includes a pizza area and kitchen, shower room and loo and a large indoor swimming pool. The pool is heated by an oil boiler and a heat exchanger. The pool is a great place to relax after tennis. The all-weather court being on the south side of the house overlooked by the terrace and orangery. Beyond the pleasure gardens is an exceptional organic vegetable garden with extensive raised beds for vegetables and fruit and a greenhouse with heating and watering systems. Beyond the vegetable garden is a walnut orchard paddock with a field shelter.

Buildings
Adjoining the hall is a range of attractive stone buildings under tiled roofs providing extensive garaging (with electric charging points) together with poultry sheds and workshops which flank a courtyard with a Mulberry tree. Also flanking this through courtyard is the stable block. This is a large stone building with the original cobbles. Rebuilt in 1701, the stalls have been removed and the building is currently used for storage. It has full listed planning and building control permissions for residential use. Beyond the house are a number of stone outbuildings and a range of timber stables including loose boxes and stores with enclosed yards leading to large cattle and sheep sheds.

Land
The land with the house includes about 44.40 acres being mainly permanent pasture with English hardwood trees and includes the oak paling and estate fenced deer park and other meadows. and woodland.

The Cottages
The CottagesThere are two cottages approached from the front drive, Peblars and Edwigs. They each have similar accommodation including a sitting room, kitchen/dining room, glazed utility, ground floor shower room, three bedrooms and a family bathroom. They have parking, areas, garages and neat lawned gardens with good rural outlooks.

Lot 2 in detail

The farmstead and land
Located at the end of a long oak lined private access road there is an extensive range of adaptable modern farm buildings currently providing housing for a spelt mill with associated warehouse and offices, a store for the walnut production and a variety of additional agricultural implement and fodder stores. The buildings all lie within 24.73 acres of land, the land to the south having been landscaped to provide a viewing terrace to overlook a carp pond and summer house. To the west is a productive organic walnut orchard with over 250 trees, a further mixed fruit orchard and to the north a solar array providing support to the buildings. All in all the buildings enjoy the benefit of an independent access and offer enormous potential for future development.

Farmstead Buildings (see block plan in photos)
A Mill Building with warehouse and offices Loading bay - 8.8m x 7.0m Storage barn - 17.8m x 7.0m Mill House - 10.4m x 7.0m Warehouse - 25.7m x 7.0m Constructed of steel frame under a pressed steel roof with block and timber clad walls and concrete floor. Note: On a lower level is a meeting room, offices, reception and cloak rooms. B Implement store and fodder store 21.5m x 7.5m 21.5m x 10.7m Construction - steel and fibre cement with render block and timber clad walls. C General purpose store 27.8m x 20.0m Constructed of timber and pressed steel construction with concrete floor. D Walnut store 17m x 5m Timber and fibre cement construction with timber and steel panelled walls. E Fodder store 13.75m x 6.0m Steel and fibre cement with timber clad walls. F Cow kennel house 23m x 7.5m Timber and galvanised construction. G Concrete storage bunker 23m x 10.2m Concrete panelled walls with concrete floor. H Silage clamp 23m x 13.5m Concrete panelled and sleeper walls with concrete floor. I Silage clamp 20.7m x 21.25m Concrete panelled walls and concrete floor. J Summer house 5m x 5m Timber framed under a tiled roof with brick terrace.

Lot 3 in detail

64.64 acres
An excellent parcel of good quality arable land divided in to well maintained manageable enclosures enjoying access off the private drive situated on the northern boundary. The land which has been maintained to a high standardhas been farmed for 20 years withinan organic rotation having grown crops in the recent past of spelt, naked oats and clover leys. In total the land extends to 64.64 acres.

Lot 4 in detail

134.86 acrres
Enjoying access off the private entrance drive located on its southern boundary, this parcel is also registered as organic and totals 134.86 acres and is capable of supporting a wide range of arable or livestock enterprises.

Method of sale and other details
The property is offered for sale by private treaty as a whole or in four lots. TENURE & POSSESSION The property will be sold with vacant possession available on completion. LISTING STATUS Abbots Sharpham is Grade II* listed. There are two ancient monuments located within lot 4. SERVICES The property is serviced by mains water, three phase mains is connected to the mill building and other farm buildings. There is a private drainage systems. DESIGNATIONS The property lies outside of but adjoining to the Ham Hill National Nature Reserve SSSI Listing SPORTING, TIMBER & MINERAL RIGHTS All sporting is in-hand. RIGHTS OF WAY A right of way for all purposes is enjoyed by Meadow Farm which lies within the boundary of the holding.

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WAYLEAVES EASEMENTS & RIGHTS OF WAY The property is being sold subject to and with the benefit of all rights including; rights of way, whether public or private, light, sport, drainage, water and electricity supplies and otherrights and obligations, easements and quasieasements and restrictive covenants and all existing proposed wayleavesfor masts, pylons, stays, cables, drains, water and gas and other pipes whether referred to in these particulars or not. EPC Ratings Abbots Sharpham: Rated E Edwigs Cottage: Rated D Peblars Cottage: Rated E LOCAL AUTHORITYSomerset Council VIEWINGS BY PRIOR APPOINTMENT WITHTHE VENDORS AGENT:Roderick Thomas[use Contact Agent Button] OR Carter Jonas[use Contact Agent Button] orWHAT3WORDS Bolsters.ecologist.tonight

CONTACTS
Roderick Thomas[use Contact Agent Button] - [use Contact Agent Button] 1 Priory Road, Wells, BA5 1SR Carter Jonas Taunton[use Contact Agent Button] - [use Contact Agent Button] 4000, Blackbrook Park Avenue, Taunton, Somerset TA1 2PX Carter Jonas National Rural Agency[use Contact Agent Button] - [use Contact Agent Button] 18 Davies Street, Mayfair W1K 3DS carterjonas.co.uk OFFICES THROUGHOUT THE UK

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These particulars are for general information purposes only and do not represent an offer of contract or part of one. Carter Jonas and Roderick Thomas have made every attempt to ensure that the particulars and other information provided are as accurate as possible and are not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely as being factually accurate. You should not assume that the property has all necessary planning, building regulations or other consents and Roderick Thomas and Carter Jonas have not tested any services, facilities or equipment. Any measurements and distances given are approximate only. Purchasers must satisfy themselves of all of the aforementioned by independent inspection or otherwise.

Important Information
IMPORTANT INFORMATION These particulars are for general information purposes only and do not represent an offer of contract or part of one. Carter Jonas and Roderick Thomas have made every attempt to ensure that the particulars and other information provided are as accurate as possible and are not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely as being factually accurate. You should not assume that the property has all necessary planning, building regulations or other consents and Carter Jonas have not tested any services, facilities or equipment. Any measurements and distances given are approximate only. Purchasers must satisfy themselves of all of the aforementioned by independent inspection or otherwise.

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Although we make reasonable efforts to update our information, neither Roderick Thomas nor Carter Jonas LLP nor anyone in their employment or acting on their behalf make any representations warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, in relation to the property, or that the content in these particulars is accurate, complete or up to date. Our images only represent part of the property as it appeared at the time they were taken. If you require further information please contact us.

Council Tax Band: H
Tenure: Freehold