An idyllic Cotswold mill set in its own secluded corner of the Golden Valley
The irresistibly pretty Bakers Mill is for sale for the first time in 60 years. Penny Churchill takes a look.
Just last week we took a look at homes for sale which have been used in big-budget television series — and already there's another to add to the list. the sale of idyllic, Grade II-listed Bakers Mill at Frampton Mansell, which has been used as a film location for drama serials such as The House of Eliott and The Durrells. Part of that has been for its own beauty, and part for the former owner, the actress Daphne Neville, whose tame otters born and bred at this enchanted spot have played several starring roles. Daphne and her otter Rudi were even featured in Country Life in 2019.
Today, Bakers Mill is up for sale. Situated five miles east of Stroud and eight miles west of Cirencester, it's being sold by Knight Frank’s Cirencester team, who quote a guide price of £1.85 million for this magical Cotswold mill house.
As fine a place as the house is, what really makes this property is its setting. It stands amid just under 12 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, grounds and paddocks in a wonderfully private spot within the sheltered Golden Valley — named thus in 1909 by Queen Victoria due to the way the trees there keep their autumn leaves.
The property is for sale for the first time in more than 60 years, and in places it shows: a few updates are probably in order, though nothing drastic to upset the classic beamed ceilings, timber floors and stone fireplaces you'll find here.
Bakers Mill and its adjacent Twissels Mill, were actually working mills until around 1927, set below the charming villages of Frampton Mansell and Oakridge. The closure of the Thames & Severn Canal changed things, and the mills' working life came to an end.
Sympathetically converted thereafter, the main house offers 2,507 square feet of atmospheric accommodation over three floors, including two principal reception rooms, a kitchen/diner, three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Twissels Mill, a former Georgian silk mill, was converted into a self-contained studio flat and a second one-bedroom flat on two floors, which was linked to the main house via a covered yard with a stable, workshop and stores in 1965.
The sun rises over the lake at Bakers Mill, a private stretch of water that could be restocked for double-bank fishing. A haven for wildlife, with resident mallard and kingfishers, there is potential to explore the use of the lake as an energy source, with historic infrastructure already in place.
Should you wish to follow the outgoing owners in keeping tame otters here, they'll be lucky animals to live in a spot like this. Sweeping gardens on three sides of the house include a waterfall, whereas to the west two good paddocks are currently grazed by sheep on either side of a quiet lane. The land follows the natural contours of the valley, with the River Frome running alongside the meadow and the glorious beech woods that line the hillside.
Bakers Mill is for sale through Knight Frank — see more details.
