6 bedroom detached house

Set on the edge of a tiny hamlet, Higher Farmhouse nestles amidst rolling, peaceful countryside with views out to Glastonbury Tor and Cadbury Castle. It is a fine example of a Somerset farmhouse built and altered over the 17th and 18th centuries, with an east/west axis enabling the kitchen/breakfast room and dining room at the back of the house to catch the morning light, whilst the drawing room and snug at the front look out over the property's walled garden to woodland and pasture beyond. The house is built of local Cary stone under a Welsh slate roof with an early 19th century lean-to side extension, small pane casement windows and a front door with a fanlight above and a carved stone surround. It is Grade II listed retaining many original architectural fittings including impressive Blue Lias flagstone flooring, an Adamstyle fireplace in the drawing room, two inglenook fireplaces (one with a bacon-curing chamber) now fitted with wood-burning stoves, picture rails and working shutters. The current owners have undertaken sympathetic refurbishment and today the house is immaculately presented. It has three good-sized reception rooms with the drawing and dining rooms linked by folding doors that create a wonderful space for entertaining when open. The kitchen/breakfast room and back kitchen are both fitted with bespoke painted timber units from deVol and Belfast sinks and the kitchen has a re-conditioned, now eco-electric, 1950s AGA.

The house incorporates a lean-to former cart store with a hay loft above that has been converted into a lovely, south-facing garden room with a large loft storage room above.

There are four large double bedrooms off the first-floor landing, which is well-lit by natural light streaming through a tall, west-facing landing window that provides a fantastic view of the surrounding countryside.

The attics have been fully converted incorporating a walk-through study, ensuite double bedroom and self-contained suite of rooms ideal for a teenager or nanny.

Outbuildings, Garden & Grounds
Higher Farmhouse stands in grounds amounting to just over 16.3 acres and is approached via a driveway that sweeps round to a large, gravelled parking area to one side of the house. Between the parking area and the house is the stable block, which consists of three loose boxes and a tack room. Extending out from the front of the house is a walled garden containing a lawn fringed by narrow borders and divided into quarters by crossing gravel paths. To the rear is another area of lawn with a terrace in one corner alongside a stone-built outbuilding with log store below. On one side of the drive is a hard tennis court and on the other a wildlife pond. In all the garden and associated grounds extend to about two acres. Beyond are two large paddocks bound by a mix of post and rail fencing and field hedges and containing three blocks of mixed woodland. The land rises to a ridge line above the house from where there are gorgeous, southerly views to Cadbury Castle. Within one area of woodland is a site for a shepherd hut with miles of uninterrupted countryside stretching out below it.

Higher Farmhouse is situated on the edge of the hamlet of Woolston and is surrounded by a swathe of blissfully unspoilt, open countryside between the towns of Sherborne, Bruton and Castle Cary. The nearby village of North Cadbury is about a mile away with excellent local amenities including a parish church, pub, primary school, village shop and Teal's Farm Shop. Sherborne and Castle Cary both have a wide range of shops and local businesses including a Waitrose in Sherborne and can meet most normal day-to-day requirements. Local transport links are excellent with easy access onto the A303 and a choice of direct rail routes to Paddington and Waterloo from Castle Cary and Sherborne respectively. The local area is also blessed with a wide choice of popular schools from the state and independent sectors. These include Hazlegrove (only a 10 minute drive away), King's Bruton, the Sherborne Schools, Leweston, Millfield, all Hallows and Port Regis, all of which are within a 13 mile radius.