Lymington £1,750,000

Set in approximately 20 acres (STMS) of glorious grounds within the New Forest National Park, this large single storey home exudes a wonderful sense of space both inside and out. The accommodation includes four bedrooms, three reception rooms, a conservatory and indoor swimming pool, while outside there is a detached garage complex with annexe, a tennis court, stabling, manege, gardens, paddocks, woodland and river fishing rights.
The Story
Wandering out to see the horses in the field or walking down to Avon Water on a sunny afternoon, Derek still enjoys the fresh air and natural beauty that surrounds his home of 17 years, Efford Lodge.
Here, in 20 acres (STMS) of picturesque countryside, he now keeps four horses and enjoys having his own private woodland where he can soak up the tranquillity and watch an array of wildlife.
The spacious house, which also boasts a tennis court, indoor swimming pool, and manege, has also given him access to the Solent for sailing.
Socially, this has been a great home too. We have had some good parties inside and out, he said. And for us as a family there has been a superb feeling of space – everyone can go off and do what they want to on their own or can spend time together.
BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL
It was 17 years ago now that Derek, who was living locally at the time, started looking for a house with lots of land. His children were aged 10 to 13 and his daughter had horses.
We liked the area and this home gave us everything we wanted, he said. It was five years old at the time, and quite modern and bright. It had large reception rooms and it seemed like it would work well for us.
Over the years, he and his family have decorated the house and improved it in areas. The courtyard has been redesigned and a large area of decking created so they can sit out at the table and enjoy barbecues together.
DAY AND NIGHT
When the children were younger we tended to spend a lot of time together in the kitchen breakfast room, he continued. There is also the day room, where we can sit and watch television.
We often go into the conservatory in the evening or into the drawing room where there is a wood-burning fire that we can light up in the winter.
Together with the dining room, this creates a more formal part of the house.
We have done a lot of entertaining over the years and the layout of this house works very well for that, he said. We have had some large dinner parties in the past.
DOWN TO THE RIVER
Derek said rooms feel bright and airy throughout Efford Lodge – and, wherever people are, there are wonderful views.
One of the benefits of this house is that there are a lot of windows and some wonderful views, he said. From the back of the house, there are views down over the fields towards the woodland.
Sometimes we can even see the Isle of Wight in the distance. From the bedroom, we look out over the courtyard and down to Avon Water.
FAMILY HOME
Efford Lodge has certainly lived up to its potential as a great family home. Even now that the children are grown up, it is still somewhere everyone enjoys returning home to.
They loved the space and the fact we have everything we want here, said Derek. We have lots of nephews and nieces who also still enjoy it. They come here to swim in the indoor pool or to use the tennis court, as my own kids and their friends did when they were young.
Accommodation
From its sweeping drive approach, the attractive elevations of Efford Lodge rest at ease amid the expansive grounds that surround it. A solid timber front door opens to the spacious split level reception hall with wood veneer flooring and stairs that ascend to a second wooden door, directly opposite the entrance, that in turn reveals the rear courtyard garden. To the right of this door is the study, affording an ideal spot for those wishing to work from home. Returning to the main front door stairs lead up to the raised dining area where there are charming views across the rear garden. From here there is access down to the drawing room where a fireplace with ornate stone surround and wood-burner heightens its warm appeal. Two sets of French doors create an easy flow into the conservatory which in turn overlooks the tennis court and has double doors that open to a large terrace with far-reaching views of the surrounding grounds. Returning to the dining area there is also access to three of the bedrooms, two of which share a ‘Jack and Jill’ en-suite bathroom, while the double aspect master bedroom also boasts the luxury of an en-suite bathroom plus French doors leading out to the gardens.
Also leading off the reception hall is the kitchen, cloakroom and a further guest bedroom with en-suite bathroom and views over the courtyard garden. The large farmhouse-style kitchen is fully fitted with a bespoke range of cream Shaker-style Vivian and Holt wall and base cabinets with butchers block style work surfaces, tiled flooring, a Rangemaster, integrated microwave, dishwasher, views across the grounds to the front and space for an American fridge/freezer and family size table and chairs. A door leads through to the double aspect family room, a flexible space that is ideal for modern family living. Also off the kitchen is a door leading into the utility area with matching cupboards, space for a washing machine, door into the drying room housing the boiler and a side door leading out to the driveway.
SETTING THE SCENE
From the electric gates, a sweeping drive, flanked by fields and paddocks, leads up to beautifully presented Efford Lodge. There is a large circular parking area to the front and the drive continues around to the rear where there is a triple garage, workshop and two storage areas.
With approximately 20 acres (STMS) of land, there has been plenty of space to allow for equestrian sections, as well as areas of woodland and garden.
Derek and his family have relished being able to explore their own land on foot and to take their dogs out for long walks.
We have a large terrace on one side of the house, where we like to sit out and where we sometimes have parties in the summer, said Derek.
But we are lucky here. We have so much space and so many lovely outdoor areas to sit out in – there is always somewhere you can be where you can enjoy the sunshine.
From the rear garden there is access to the tennis court and the stable block with two stables, tack room and feed store, all surrounding a small courtyard area. Beyond this there is a full size, all weather manège and further into the field a barn/hay store. The indoor swimming pool complex incorporates a jacuzzi, steam room, shower and cloakroom, while the separate annexe could work well as an office area, games room or guest suite. The gardens and grounds that surround the property lie within the National Park and to the western boundary is the Avon Water where the current owner has fishing rights.
Efford Lodge also has all mains services connected, CCTV, a commercial centrally wired fire alarm system, BT Broadband and floodlit grounds.
WITHIN EASY REACH
Everton is a small village with a village shop, social club, garden centre and a pub, The Crown Inn. Just over a mile to the east is the Georgian market town of Lymington renowned as a sailing resort with two large marinas, two sailing clubs and visitors moorings on the Lymington River. There is also a good range of shops including two supermarkets, a selection of boutiques, pubs, restaurants and a market every Saturday.
The main line station has regular train services to London Waterloo taking approximately two hours or the nearby New Forest village of Brockenhurst with trains taking approximately 90 minutes.
It takes 10 minutes in the car to reach the station and then you can catch a train to London and be there in an hour and a half. Lots of people live in this area and travel to London daily, said Derek.
Lymington also has a regular ferry service to the Isle of Wight and there are a selection of independent schools, infant, junior and secondary schools in the area. For those with historical interests, Hurst Castle is approximately 3 miles away or for the theatre, larger high street shops and airports, Bournemouth is approximately 30 minutes away or Southampton just over 40 minutes.
DIRECTIONS:
From Lymington, travel west on the A337 Milford Road, signposted Christchurch/New Milton. Continue along this route and after approximately 1.2 miles Efford Lodge can be found on the right hand side.
For those with satellite navigation the post code for the property is SO41 0JD.
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