Described in its Historic England listing as an early-19th-century, Regency-style house of ‘interesting design’, Church Villa, known locally as ‘Five Chimneys’ for its unusual cluster in the centre of the gable, stands just above the green of tranquil and traffic free East Morden village.
It's reputed to have been built in about 1830 by Joseph Sellars, who also built the village church, and the property sits halfway between the busy A35 and the A31 (but out of earshot of both) and with Poole Harbour about 12 miles away. The symmetrical front façade also features a lead-capped porch and timber windows with decorative glazing bars; inside, the villa retains many original elements, including window shutters, fireplaces and plank-and-muntin panelling in the hall.
Church Villa, listed Grade II, is being sold (with Savills at a guide price of £1.1 million) on behalf of the family of its late owners, who acquired it in 1986 and refurbished and extended it in the late 1980s and early 1990s, adding the garden room and the kitchen wings. It offers 2,378sq ft of quiet living space on two floors, including a reception hall, four reception rooms, four double bedrooms, a bathroom and shower room. Pretty gardens of more than half an acre, also arranged as ‘rooms’, are well stocked with herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees.
An entry in Harry and Hugh Ashley’s The Dorset Village Book (Countryside Books) says of East Morden: ‘When you think you’ve seen all it has to offer, while you look for a convenient spot to turn the car round, you find the main part which drifts detached up the hill. It’s a pattern of scattered dwellings and narrow lanes, and has five separate entries in the Domesday Book.
'The smiling houses and cottages are totally dominated by the church, which glowers powerfully from a natural plinth… If you long for peace and solitude and yet need to be within easy reach of the 21st century, then here is where to be.’
Credit: Hamptons
Three floors, 6,000sq ft and the chance to live in one of London's most famous landmarks
This penthouse apartment at St Pancras Chambers, formerly the Midland Grand Hotel, occupies a privileged position in one of the
Credit: DOMVS
A Grade II-listed Dorset manor house where sweeping staircases and four-poster beds meet pristine kitchen and swimming pool
Lashings of history, plenty of space both inside and out and a great location – Muston Manor is an idyllic
19 incredible homes for sale, from a breathtaking mill conversion to a £500k bargain in the Borders
We take a look at some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life in recent
Credit: Savills/Warmingham
This wisteria-clad former home of Dame Clara Butt on the edge of Wallingford is ready for a new lease of life
With a stunning location near the River Thames in prime Oxfordshire, Georgian Prospect House presents a prime opportunity for a
-
17 outstanding homes for sale across Britain, from under £250k to £6.5 million, as seen in Country LifeSomething for every budget in this week's round up of homes across the country that have come to market via Country Life.
-
'We started thinking: if we were going to design a bike for Aston Martin, what would it look like? And then we simply couldn’t stop': Aston's new bike has everything you could ever dream of — except a price tagThe new Aston Martin .1R bicycle, a collaboration with manufacturer J.Laverack, leaves Paul Henderson stirred rather than shaken.
-
17 outstanding homes for sale across Britain, from under £250k to £6.5 million, as seen in Country Life
Something for every budget in this week's round up of homes across the country that have come to market via Country Life.
-
An utterly charming island home in Scotland with gardens so beautiful they made the cover of Country LifeAn Cala on the Isle of Seil has a fascinating history that is only enhanced by its amazing setting.
-
Soft tones and a sense of place: A Mayfair duplex that breaks the modern mouldA new designer-led residence at 60 Curzon in Mayfair reminds us that everything new doesn't necessarily have to look it.
-
'The very best North Yorkshire has to offer': The £25 million Kirkham EstateWith 1,103 acres and on the market for the first time in a century, we've got a new frontrunner for the sale of the year.
-
The reality of 20 years of house price rises in Britain, from the places that have had a charmed life to the spots where it's a struggle to move back homeAt first glance the ups and downs of the property market seem to even out over time — but dig in to the numbers and you'll see wild regional variations which paint a very difference picture. Annabel Dixon analyses new research which tells the story.
-
A historic Yorkshire hall, meticulously restored to its former 18th-century magnificenceWomersley Park is a masterpiece and one of Yorkshire's great historic houses. And it could be yours.
-
Rowing past dreams: An idyllic riverside home with a boathouse, croquet pitch and Olympic pedigreeThe Manor in Long Wittenham is a perfect Thames-side getaway. Comes with a free boat.
-
A bucolic Sussex home that's 'like stepping into a fairytale', yet just 30 minutes from central LondonFelmere House is a playground for nature and only 30 minutes from London.
