The immaculate gardens and grounds that surround imposing, Grade II-listed The Grange at Winterbourne Dauntsey, near Salisbury, have been a generation in the making, since 1982, when owners Saleh and Suzanne Rebdi bought the rundown former parsonage and its immediate grounds and embarked on a 37-year-long restoration odyssey.
‘The house was in a very dilapidated state and we rented a house nearby while the ground floor was made habitable. The gardens were non-existent and, over the years, we painstakingly designed and landscaped them, creating a mix of formal areas, topiary and box hedging, stone terraces, open lawns, sunken streams with bridges, woodland gardens, a Japanese-style garden, an orchard and much more,’ says Mrs Rebdi.
‘In addition, we’ve established a large and very productive kitchen garden, which has been built up over time, and impresses year after year. The new owner will want for nothing,’ she adds, with justifiable pride.
The same level of commitment and investment has been directed at the main house, its cottages and outbuildings, all of which have been meticulously renovated, with the acquisition, whenever possible, of surrounding amenity land to create a 20-acre small country estate on the outskirts of the village, five miles from the cathedral city of Salisbury.
The main house offers just under 6,000sq ft of light and airy living space, including three fine reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, a study, seven double bedrooms and five bath/shower rooms; two pretty separate cottages and a flat provide plenty of additional accommodation. Cleverly converted outbuildings include a thatched, oak-framed party barn, with another barn housing a swimming pool.
‘Our six children have enjoyed a blissful childhood here, but, sadly, the gardens, which are our pride and joy and a wonderful source of relaxation, are the main reason why we’ve decided to downsize – while we still can,’ explains Mrs Rebdi with evident regret, following the launch on the open market of The Grange, through Strutt & Parker in Salisbury at a guide price of £3.5m.
Credit: Strutt & Parker
A perfect little Cotswold manor for sale, just down the road from ‘England’s prettiest village’
Latimer Manor stands in 14 acres of gardens, grounds and paddocks on the edge of the unspoilt Cotswold village of
Credit: Savills
A stunning manor with beautiful Jacobean façade, deep in the heart of Wiltshire
The Manor has survived through the trials faced by Steeple Ashton, recently undergoing a stunning renovation which remains sympathetic to
Credit: ©Justin Paget/Country Life Picture Library
Mawarden Court, Wiltshire: Humble, but fit for a lord
The Pitt family controlled one of the kingdom’s most notorious Parliamentary boroughs from this now compact house, reveals Clive Aslet.
Credit: Knight Frank
An immaculate Georgian rectory just outside Salisbury with tennis court, walled garden and easy access to London
The beautiful Old Rectory in this village near Salisbury has come up for sale, a glorious Georgian house full of
-
Embrace off-grid living on this Scottish island for sale, but you'll have to share it with the local seal populationA dot on the map of the west coast of Scotland has come up for sale.
-
Are you a 'frag head'? Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 30, 2025Well, ARE you? And how well do you know Leonardo DiCaprio's 2002 work? It's time to find out.
-
Embrace off-grid living on this Scottish island for sale, but you'll have to share it with the local seal population
A dot on the map of the west coast of Scotland has come up for sale.
-
18 beautiful homes, from charming cottages to a Highland mansion with unbeatable views, as seen in Country LifeOur look at some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life in the past week includes Georgian manor houses, charming commutable homes and the grandest home in Newcastle.
-
The gorgeous Somerset home of the designer behind one of Glastonbury's chicest spotsThe Manor in Hinton Blewitt is a glorious Georgian home that ticks every box.
-
826 years of history, painstaking restoration and 'a garden like no other' at this former National Trust house which has come to the market in KentA blooming property in Kent showcases the original garden of England. Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
A wisteria-clad delight with lawns running down to the Thames at the prettiest riverside home for sale in London todayDeodar Road, near Putney High Street, offers unrivalled views of the Thames and is characterful in excess.
-
Five of the most majestic properties for sale in Britain today, from a 1,700-acre estate to a private island, as seen in Country LifeOur look at the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week includes some genuinely breathtaking places.
-
Save me: A castle on the Isle of Wight designed by James Wyatt is up for saleNorris Castle Estate also comes with 225 acres of gardens and grounds, and needs a little TLC
-
The 1,800-acre estate of the man who bought Stonehenge has come up for sale at £25 millionThe Bapton Manor Estate, in the beautiful Cranborne Chase National Landscape, seeks a new owner. Penny Churchill takes a look.
