Country houses for sale

A private island for sale in Weybridge with its own bridge, three acres of gardens and a rushing weir to sing you to sleep

Living on your own island is the stuff of childhood dreams; this place offers that chance while also offering easy access to London.

Bull Dogs Island offers something rare: an opportunity to buy a private island, very close to the centre of Weybridge, in the stretch of water where the Wey joins up with the Thames.

The Little Mill in Weybridgefor sale at £1.25 million via Jackson-Stops — is accessed from its own private bridge, while it also has a garage and parking to make it an eminently practical home.

At the heart of the property is a two-bedroom house set up on stilts — to help keep it safe from flooding — that has a deck from which you can watch the wildlife flitting along the water, and listen to the sound of the water pouring over the weir that’s just upstream.

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The white noise from that background might not be for everyone, but for those who sleep well within earshot of a waterfall it’ll be ideal. And it’s certainly better than the soundtrack of late night taxis and early morning lorries that often accompany life within the M25.

The rooms within the home itself all have high, pitched ceilings, giving the place the feel of a converted barn, or perhaps an Alpine lodge.

It’s worth noting that this really isn’t a big house: an open-plan kitchen, living and dining space, plus two bedrooms and a bathroom is your lot. And given the tight restrictions on local planning, it’s probably unlikely that a new owner would get permission to extend. You’ll have to be happy with 668sq ft, plus a further 330sq ft in the garage and car port.

Outside space isn’t so limited, however. Unusually for an island so close to London, it has a large garden — there is around three acres on offer, mostly laid to lawn, while there’s also a more formally-planted area too.

Weybridge itself has lots to recommend it: it has good road and rail links into and out of London, and a high street full of shops and restaurants, and of course walks along the river.

The Little Mill is for sale via Jackson-Stops — see more pictures and details.


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