An estate for sale that's older than the Norman Conquest, complete with stone circles, burial mounds and a beautiful country house

Over in north-west Somerset, within the 267 square miles of the Exmoor National Park — roughly two-thirds of which lies in Somerset and one-third in Devon — Alice Keith of Knight Frank is also handling the sale of the historic, 2,075-acre Lanacre estate, near Withypool, in the heart of the national park and close to the north Devon border.

The ancient manorial estate dates from Saxon times and, following the Norman Conquest, was designated a royal forest. The manor was ‘disafforested’ in 1301, but remained in Crown ownership until 1651. Thereafter, the land was divided into Higher and Lower Lanacre until, in 1843, Lower Lanacre was established as the main farmstead on the estate, which is now being offered, either as a whole, at a guide price of £4.5m, or in two lots.

Lot 1, on offer at a guide of £3.5m, is the 198-acre main farmstead, comprising the principal farmhouse — a large, south-facing, five-bedroom Georgian farmhouse overlooking the River Barle and Withypool Common — together with Lanacre Cottage, two semi-detached bungalows, a converted stone barn, stabling and modern farm buildings and about 195 acres of pasture and woodland.

The farmstead is ring-fenced by the land, which is totally private, with no public rights of way. A small family shoot has previously been run here, with walked-up shooting across the moor providing some excellent, quick-fire snipe shooting. The River Barle, famous for its brown trout and salmon, runs directly through the estate, which boasts more than 2,700 yards of private double-bank fishing.

A guide price of £1m is quoted for lot 2, about 1,878 acres of moorland on Withypool Common, including atmospheric Withypool Hill with its prehistoric stone circles — one of only two on Exmoor — and a range of Bronze Age mounds known as Brightworthy Barrows. The ancient moorland is sold subject to various rights, including common grazing rights. The lord of the manor plays a key role in the running of the common and, ultimately, controls its environmental management as the lead signatory on any relevant contracts.

The Lanacre Estate is for sale with Knight Frank as a whole (£4.5 million) or in two lots. For more information and pictures, click here

Credit: Knight Frank

For sale for the first time in 50 years, an unlisted Sussex farmhouse surrounded by a 'thriving 117-acre nature reserve'

https://www.knightfrank.com/properties/residential/for-sale/wards-lane-wadhurst-east-sussex-tn5/CHO180010

Credit: Fine and Country

Red-brick walls, a thatched roof, a barn and an EPC rating of A. This home of the future in Dorset looks suspiciously like the past

At Godwins House near Christchurch, tradition and modernity embrace to create exquisite results.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

A gorgeous farmhouse next door to Stonehenge with a gardens by an iconic Chelsea gold medal winner

at Moor Hatches, while away the hours fishing on the Avon, enjoying the amazing gardens, or exploring this seven bedroom

22 superb homes for sale from £260k to £15 million, as seen in Country Life

From huge estates to delightful cottages, there really is something for anyone thinking of moving to the country.