Newland, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire,GL16 8NQ Guide price £1,500,000

Situation

Newland lies between the beautiful landscapes of the Lower Wye valley and the woodland of the Forest of Dean. Life in this historic hillside village centres around the local church known as the ‘Cathedral of the Forest’ with its handsome pinnacled church tower, (Grade 1 star) as well as the Ostrich, well regarded for it’s real ales and gastro food. Four miles away Monmouth offers an extensive array of shops, (including Marks & Spencer & Waitrose) and restaurants. Schooling is well catered for locally with the highly regarded Haberdashers Girls and Boys school at Monmouth. Easy access to the M4 , M50 & M5.
For outdoor pursuits, there are a number of excellent walks, bridal-paths, river sports and golf courses nearby.

Description

Accommodation

Tan House is a special example of Post-Restoration architecture, built during the reign of Charles 11 for an eminent local tanner, William Probyn before 1671. From 1820 to 1979 it was designated as the prime farmhouse of the extensive Newland Valley estate. The current owners have painstakingly restored it during the last 30 years in a sympathetic and traditional manner
taking it from a basic farm house to an idyllic family home with enchanting grounds.
Its strikingly handsome façade, built of local sandstone under a hipped roof with sprockets, has the symmetry and period features drawn from England’s response to the Italian Renaissance during the Commonwealth years. The property has a simple but elegant feel and shows its history well with many details including stone fire- places, panelled formal rooms, oak staircase,
flagstone and oak floors, intricate plasterwork and even finger-hole door openers. It is listed grade 2. The house has an informal feel throughout and has many exceptionally light rooms benefiting from substantial double aspect windows enjoying many pleasant views.
The flow throughout the house is excellent with the ground floor providing four inter-linking rooms each with its own unique feel. The main drawing room exemplifies the property’s elegance with a fine fireplace and three large windows all with beautifully maintained shutters affording some lovely views of the superbly maintained formal gardens.
The kitchen/breakfast room, fitted with a number of bespoke units, is the real heart of the house, with a wood burner in the large stone fireplace and adjoins the 17th. century panelled dining room. There is also a cosy snug/study complete with wood burning stove.
The first floor has four bright and airy bedrooms, two benefiting from en suites, as well as a main family bathroom. The top floor provides four further generous bedrooms, two with en suites, as well as a further family bathroom.
The annexe, which pre-dates the main house, could easily be further linked in to provide one combined dwelling, significantly increasing its usable space. Currently used as a separate dwelling with its own sitting room, kitchen/breakfast room and dining room as well as 5 bedrooms (one with en suite) a family bathroom and a shower room.
The real joy of Tan House is in its setting. It is in an enchanting open valley within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Situated on the edge of the popular village of Newland, around which every point of the compass presents peaceful walks and rides. There is no through traffic to interrupt the delight of the garden and grounds, approximately 14.2 acres about the
house. These include excellent grazing land with a number of dedicated paddocks with water, an idyllic formal walled garden complete with an ornate pond, a meandering stream and extensive planting. Further areas include an orchard, a habitat pond, vegetable garden, maturing woodland and a number of spinneys. These plantings have encouraged bird-life, a March to November
count produced 67 species including kingfishers, dippers, and herons. After haymaking one of the fields hosts the annual village cricket match.
The house and outbuildings are centred around the impressive courtyard which provides access to all parts. Whilst most of the outbuildings are empty spaces, they have been meticulously maintained. Here there is a huge potential for growth. Some uses could include (stpp) holiday accommodation, games-room, gym, further garaging and studio/workshop areas. Mostly two storey, they include a fine detached stone arched carriage house, (former Bark House), two single garages, twin stables, tack-room, tractor shed, workshops, store and a variety of other usable areas all surmounted by extensive hay lofts.

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