Across the county border in Dorset, Luke Pender-Cudlip of Knight Frank’s Sherborne office is selling Hammoon House near Sturminster Newton, an unlisted former Victorian hunting lodge built by the 2nd Viscount Portman in 1880 so that his family and guests could hunt in comfort.
A guide price of £2.4m is quoted for the house, which stands in an idyllic, 19-acre setting overlooking the water meadows that border the River Stour around the tiny village of Hammoon, whose name derives from the de Mohun knights who came to England with William the Conqueror.
Hammoon House remained part of the Portman estate until 1923, when it was sold as part of a 323-acre farm. After the war, it was owned for some 45 years by Angela Hughes, a distinguished ornithologist and conservationist, who helped to reintroduce the otter to the River Stour.
The compact, Georgian-style house was looking decidedly tired when its present owners bought it some 25 years ago and they embarked on a comprehensive programme of renovation, enlarging its footprint with the addition of a good-sized reception hall and a south-west-facing orangery overlooking the garden and grounds.
It now has four good reception rooms, seven or eight bedrooms and five bathrooms and comes with a converted coach house, outbuildings and a heated outdoor pool. A ha-ha separates the garden from a series of three meadows leading down to the Stour, where the property owns the rights to some 854 yards of single bank fishing.
Hammoon House is currently on the market via Knight Frank at a guide price of £2.4 million — see more pictures, or enquire with the agent for more details.
Sturminster Newton: What you need to know
Location: Sturminster Newton is located in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset. Sturminster lies north of the River Stour, whilst Newton lies to the south. The closest rail station is in Gillingham, nine miles away, offering direct links to London.
Atmosphere: This thriving town used to be home to the largest cattle market in England and is now home to a prize-winning delicatessen, an artisan baker and numerous other independent retail shops and supermarkets.
Things to do: There is a food market every Monday, lots of unique shops and cafes to explore, as well as the beautiful, unspoilt countryside of the Blackmore Vale for walks.
Schools: Yewstock School, – rated outstanding in its Ofsted review – is situated nearby, as well as The Forum School and St Nicholas Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Child Okeford. Sturminster Newton High School is the local secondary option.
See more property for sale in the area.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
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