Down in the heart of Dorset, Ashley Rawlings of Savills is handling the sale of the restored, Grade II-listed Old Came Rectory.
Situated 1½ miles from Dorchester in Hardy country, it’s the former home of the Victorian scholar, poet and rector William Barnes, and it’s on the market at a guide price of £3.2m.
In all, the buildings provide 3,992sq ft of accommodation including a drawing room, dining room and kitchen/breakfast room on the ground floor.
There is also a study, music room and wine room.
Yes, that does bear repeating: it has a dedicated wine room.
And for the abstemious, the utterly glorious oak-panelled study/library is we'd the sort of place you'd love to squirrel yourself away in for hours. Maybe even days. Depends on how noisy the kids are being.
There are four bedrooms and three bath/shower rooms on the first floor, plus a further sitting room, double bedroom and bathroom in the coach house.
Old Came Rectory was built in the 1830s for the Revd William England in the romantic cottage orné style from a plan by John Nash. It was later the home of Thomas Hardy’s friend and mentor William Barnes, who was rector of Came from 1862 until his death in 1886.
Meticulously restored in recent years, the thatched former rectory and its adjoining coach house stand in 1¾ acres of grounds, which include an enchanting walled knot garden and a kitchen garden. These really do deserve special mention, with a real Secret Garden vibe that's a dream for the green-fingered.
All this, and wonderful seclusion too: the whole property us surrounded by woods and fields with no near neighbours. And yet you're in no way isolated; in fact, the centre of Dorchester is less than two miles away, and the house is walking distance to the station.
Old Came Rectory is for sale via Savills at £3.2m — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
-
How to make Eton mess strawberry blondiesOur kitchen garden cook Melanie Johnson shares a mouthwatering recipe bringing together two of the greatest foodstuffs on the planet: strawberries and meringue.
-
The deaths of Romeo and Juliet: Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 12, 2025A Rolling Stone and a familiar-sounding place find their way into Wednesday's Quiz of the Day.
-
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.
-
Magnificent mansions across the Home Counties, from £3 million to £14 million, as seen in Country LifeA waterside dream home and a house and estate with over 1,100 years of history make our round-up this week.
-
Vibrant colours and exquisite taste make this three-bedroom London townhouse singOn Kennington's West Square, this Grade II-listed home is a monument to the discerning eye.
-
Lawns, glorious lawns at this Grade II-listed home in Hampshire where a sustainable future meets a storied pastThere are 'old rectorys', and then there's The Old Rectory.
-
'A monument to Edwardian excess' that was built by the millionaire industrialist who founded Pinewood StudiosBents House is a classic Peak District mansion which shows that good taste and deep pockets can coexist very happily.
