Country houses for sale

OnTheMarket

An irresistible thatched cottage — thought to be the oldest property in its village — has arrived on the market in Somerset

Quirky, delightfully higgeldy-piggeldy and completely charming, this Grade ll-listed thatched cottage from the early 16th century is everything you could hope a cottage in Somerset to be.

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(Image credit: Humberts)
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Agents describe the mini thatched roof over the porch at Zinch Cottage as a ‘bonnet’, which we rather like.

The cottage — and its bonnet — find themselves on the market via Humberts at a guide price of £610,000.

(Image credit: Humberts)

Dating back to the early 16th century, it’s one of the oldest cottages in the popular village of Stogumber — and no, it's not a word invented by Roald Dahl, is instead but a charming place on the eastern edge of Exmoor, with glorious views over the Brendon and Quantock Hills.

Inside are three bedrooms, all with ample built in wardrobe space and views over the south-facing garden with its roses and mature apple trees.

(Image credit: Humberts)

Pretty pathways lead across the garden and lawn in the back, along the old stone walls to reach the front garden, where a sun terrace is the perfect place to take in the surrounding vistas.

Passing under a rose archway leads to the rose and herb garden, where further seating can be found. Now we're not saying you have to sit here with a glass of wine to watch the sunset...but it certainly wouldn't do any harm.

A timber-frame double carport and converted piggery complete the outdoor space.

(Image credit: Humberts)

The inside accommodation is composed of clay-tiled flooring, plenty of cosy firesides. The inglenook fireplace with Bressummer beam and wood burning fire is a particular highlight.

The kitchen is well-equipped with a two-door electric Aga and and passing through the boot room through an old door opens up to the sunny terrace in the front of the house.

(Image credit: Humberts)

Taunton is about half an hour’s drive, but we don't really know why you'd ever want to leave.

Zinch Cottage is currently on the market at a guide price of £610,000 via Humberts — see more pictures, or enquire with the agent for further details. 

Stogumber: What you need to know

Location: In West Somerset, surrounded by the Quantock and Brendon Hills, approximately 14 miles from Taunton, where mainline rail services provide links to London and the north.

Atmosphere: Stogumber is a picturesque, highly sought-after village that benefits from a thriving community. It has a primary school, village shop, post office, pub, cricket club and church.

Things to do: Explore the surrounding Quantock and Brendon Hills or head into Taunton where there is a range of shopping, leisure and recreational facilities.

Schools: Crowcombe and Stogumber Primary School is the local primary, whilst Taunton School, The Castle School, Wellington School and Kings College are all great secondary choices.

See more property for sale in the area.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

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Annunciata Elwes
Annunciata Elwes

Annunciata grew up in the wilds of Lancashire and now lives in Hampshire with a husband, two daughters and an awful pug called Parsley. She’s been floating round the Country Life office for more than a decade, her work winning the Property Magazine of the Year Award in 2022 (Property Press Awards). Before that, she had a two-year stint writing ‘all kinds of fiction’ for The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, worked in internal comms for Country Life’s publisher (which has had many names in recent years but was then called IPC Media), and spent another year researching for a historical biographer, whose then primary focus was Graham Greene and John Henry Newman and whose filing system was a collection of wardrobes and chests of drawers filled with torn scraps of paper. During this time, she regularly gave tours of 17th-century Milton Manor, Oxfordshire, which may or may not have been designed by Inigo Jones, and co-founded a literary, art and music festival, at which Johnny Flynn headlined. When not writing and editing for Country Life, Annunciata is also a director of TIN MAN ART, a contemporary art gallery founded in 2021 by her husband, James Elwes.

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