Ringwood Guide price £2,600,000

Enjoying a beautiful lakeside location, Avon Manor is a stunning home, designed and built by the current owners two years ago. Inside there are five fabulous bedrooms, four reception rooms, a cinema room and a magnificent indoor pool complex with a gym. Outside you will find a quadruple garage and immaculate landscaped gardens with a Koi pond, terraces and decking.
The Story
When the owners designed Avon Manor they were creating nothing short of a dream home.
Highly experienced in building houses, they not only planned a home of leisure, with a swimming pool and gym complex, cinema room and games room, but they also designed areas for working, relaxing quietly and entertaining.
Our vision was to create something unique – something with an attractive, traditional look but with all the modern conveniences, said the owner. We spent a long time considering exactly how the house would work, as well as what it would look like.
Everything was very carefully thought-out to ensure it all flowed beautifully.
LAKESIDE LIVING
The couple, who had already built houses in the sought-after Avon Castle area, were drawn to the delightful lakeside location of the leafy plot, which offered privacy and seclusion. Here they created a substantial home, with a handsome and impressive exterior, which now opens up to reveal sumptuous spaces and interiors.
The owner said the situation of the house had a major influence on its design, with windows positioned carefully to optimise the glorious views out across the water.
When you step in through the front door, you can see right through to the lake, he said. We can sit in the conservatory or on the balcony and watch the herons as we have a cup of tea.
LIFE OF LEISURE
The couple agree there is so much to enjoy about their exquisite home today. From the immaculate swimming pool and gym complex, where they can exercise or relax with friends, and which can be opened up on to one of the terraces when the weather is warm, to the main cinema room, where they often head in the evening to watch a movie on the big screen, the house has been designed to offer all manner of leisure possibilities.
We have the choice of spending time in the downstairs cinema room in the evening and watching a film, or heading upstairs with a glass of wine to the top floor, where there is another cinema area and a games room, said the owner.
It is like a five star hotel – everything has been designed to ensure the house is easy and enjoyable to live in. There are areas for entertaining and for relaxing.
PARTY PALACE
Avon Manor has been simply superb for entertaining. The stylish reception areas are bright and spacious, and were designed to be ideal for large parties as well as more intimate gatherings.
The house flows so well and is fabulous for entertaining, she explained. All of the ground floor rooms have French windows that open out on to a terrace. We have had lots of great parties here.
When I had a big birthday recently, we dressed large tables in the swimming pool area and had 30 for a sit-down meal. It was wonderful.
RELAXING IN THE SUNSHINE
Bi-folding doors between the kitchen, dining room, drawing room and sitting room – all rooms that have exquisite marble flooring – can be pulled back when large numbers of visitors are in the house.
The expansive kitchen, which was intricately designed to be as practical as possible, as well as aesthetically pleasing, is perfect for preparing for parties, as well as being a magnificent family area.
The owner said the spacious study, which has been fitted out in solid oak, is a great place from which to work.
It is lovely, she said. It opens up on to the terrace so we can sit out and have a cup of coffee in the sunshine before getting down to work.
ACCOMMODATION
GROUND FLOOR
From the large central reception hall with Italian marble flooring, an oak door leads into a superb bespoke study with a selection of solid oak cabinets, office desks and storage, a great place for those wanting to work from home. Moving on, the double aspect drawing room is sumptuous and boasts a wall mounted Esse Firewall gas fire and views out over the gardens. Returning to the hall double doors open through to the media room/sitting room which has an inbuilt surround sound system. This impressive space is glazed to the rear elevation with a part vaulted glazed roof and doors to the adjoining terrace. The terrace enjoys external speakers which are wired into the television and central sound system. At the heart of the home is the traditional kitchen/family room where you will find an array of hand built bespoke pantry cupboards, granite work tops and a central solid oak island with integral steamer and a microwave. Additionally there are two integral fridges and two freezers, a dishwasher, Quooker hot tap and a six hob Range with a hot plate and double oven.
The kitchen cabinets continue into the separate utility room where there is also a concealed Maytag upright drying cabinet. Double oak doors guide into the dining room, a grand open area perfect for entertaining, with far reaching views across the gardens and lake.
A breakfast room/bar room flows from the kitchen to the magnificent indoor swimming pool room which has a glazed vaulted roof, matt finish Italian marble flooring with inset halogen lights, a glass mosaic tiled pool with automated safety cover, shower room and a large seating area. This is a splendid space for entertaining vast numbers of guests and there is also a glazed wall with doors to the gardens generating a lovely social flow. A further door gives access to the gym and garage complex. One of the four garages is currently being used as a plant room and boot room. The plant room houses a Calorex Variheat dehumidifier and Ozone water purification system for the pool, along with two boilers for the house and pool. Italian marble flooring and under-floor heating extends throughout the ground floor. Completing this floor is a cloakroom.
FIRST FLOOR
A solid oak staircase ascends to a galleried landing where five inviting bedrooms and the family bathroom are waiting to be discovered. The master bedroom suite is dual aspect and has a private balcony providing glorious views over the lakes and garden. There is also a sitting area, a walk in dressing room/wardrobe and a fully marble tiled en-suite bathroom with walk-in wet room, Victoria and Albert roll top bath, basin and a wall mounted recessed plasma television screen, a relaxing haven in which to unwind. The guest suite also has a balcony with views of the lake, while the three remaining bedrooms are well proportioned, two having en-suite wet rooms and either a dressing room or built in wardrobes. Under-floor heating extends throughout the first floor.
SECOND FLOOR
The second floor comprises a large galleried area, ideal as an entertainment zone or annexe, with hot and cold air conditioning, a bar, cloakroom and a door through to a cinema room. This room has a 2.5 metre wide screen and projector, bespoke inbuilt surround sound and Lutron lighting.
SETTING THE SCENE
The garden at Avon Manor was designed and landscaped to fan out beautifully from the house while also being easy to maintain.
The house is surrounded by mature trees with a feature island, various decking and stone terraces and a Koi pond.
We wanted to reflect the style of the house, she said. We made it quite elegant, with lots of big trees, as well as little pathways.
Then there are the decked areas, with their views of the lake.
She added: There are three different terrace areas that lead on to the lake. It is lovely to sit there and watch the ducks, geese and other waterfowl.
The gardens enjoy a south westerly aspect with the sun setting over the lake at the end of the day. Additionally a block paved driveway offers extensive parking and guides to a quadruple garage.
WITHIN EASY REACH
The market town of Ringwood is approximately two miles away and offers a weekly market, supermarkets, plenty of pubs, restaurants, specialist shopping and local schools. For the theatre, larger shops and further entertainment you can choose between the cathedral city of Salisbury, Southampton or Bournemouth. There are a number of private schools nearby including Castle Court, Canford and Moyles Court.
A host of activities can be found close by including horse riding, pony trekking, tennis, a gym and a full range of other sporting pursuits, as well as the world heritage sites of the Jurassic coast and Stonehenge.
We do enjoy living here and are planning to stay in the area, he added.
The couple enjoy the tranquillity of their lakeside home but also relish its ease of access to major routes across the country.
The M27, linking to the M3, and on up to the M25 is a short drive away.
We are not too far from the main road here and it is very easy to get to London, he said. Ringwood is easy too – we often walk or cycle there on a path that runs along an old railway line.
There are international airports at Bournemouth and Southampton. For those needing to get to London there are regular train services from nearby Christchurch and Bournemouth or Southampton Parkway with journeys taking approximately an hour and 10 minutes.
DIRECTIONS:
From junction 1 of the M27, follow the A31 through the New Forest. Upon reaching Ringwood take the B3081 exit towards Verwood/Matchams and then turn left onto Hurn Road. Continue along this road and turn left onto Avon Castle Drive. The property will found a short distance along on the right hand side
For those with satellite navigation the postcode for the property is BH24 2BA.
Fine is the seller’s agent for this property. Your conveyancer is legally responsible for ensuring any purchase agreement fully protects your position. We make detailed enquiries of the seller to ensure the information provided is as accurate as possible. Please inform us if you become aware of any information being inaccurate