On the south coast of Hampshire, Jack Newland of Knight Frank in Lymington is handling the sale of Grade II-listed Little Ashton on Walhampton Hill. This landmark location overlooks the Solent, half a mile from the centre of the picturesque yachting town and within the New Forest National Park, with its miles of walks and cycle tracks.
Mr Newland quotes a guide price of £2.95m for the striking Georgian Little Ashton, built in 1805 for one Mr Wickenden, the owner of Lymington’s Brickfield clay pits, which provided all the bricks for Lymington before the bridge linking the town with Walhampton was completed.
Previously known as Riverside, The Belvedere and then Little Ashton (its then owner lived at Great Ashton, Wiltshire), the house was one of the first to be listed in the area, in October 1959.
Owned by the same family for the past 56 years and comprehensively renovated in 2011, the house stands in more than an acre of gardens and orchard within grounds that extend into ancient woodland.
The classic Georgian façade has a central porticoed entrance with bay windows to either side. Well-proportioned rooms with high ceilings, large sash windows and pale oak flooring combine to create a wonderfully light interior.
There is 3,132sq ft of accommodation on three floors with cellars below and includes an elegant drawing room, a dining room/study, large kitchen/breakfast room, four/five bedrooms and four bath/shower rooms.
To the rear of the house is a separate two-bedroom cottage, converted from the original coach house, stable and hayloft in 2009, behind which are a garden office and boat shed.
From the early 19th century, Lymington had a thriving shipbuilding industry, largely associated with Thomas Inman, the builder of the schooner Alarm, which famously raced the American yacht America in the 1851 America’s Cup.
Still ideally located for sailors, Lymington offers an excellent range of clubs, moorings and marinas, all of which provide unrivalled access to the Solent.
Little Ashton is for sale via Knight Frank at £2.95m — see more pictures and details.
