Located just off the side of Church Street in Martock, Somerset, is Court House, a 15th century property ‘of Historical National Importance and Significance’ according to the agents.
Set within a west-facing plot of just over 0.2 acres, the house showcases plank and muntin screens, original stone fireplaces, stunning Jacobean oak panelling, stained glass windows and a magnificent 17 ft Tudor inglenook fireplace, to name but a few.
Built in the late 15th century by Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII, the house was originally the town Court House — as the name suggests. After this, it was sold to William Strode of Barrington who turned it into a schoolhouse. The Strode coat of arms and motto — ‘Neglect not thy opportunities’ — is still visible above the door today.
The author Daniel Defoe visited the school in the 1725 and was said to be so astonished by the student’s Somerset accents that he wrote about it in his book A Tour Thro’ the Whole Island of Great Britain.
Evidence of the schoolhouse days are still apparent throughout the house today, with holes in the window sills once used for playing marbles and childhood graffiti carved into the stone.
Over the following years, Court House was used for a number of different purposes, from a lending library, to the Martock Women’s Institute; a brief stint as a school again during World War II, to finally being converted to a private home in the 1970s.
You’ll find generous and comfortable accommodation set out over three floors, with six bedrooms and four reception rooms (including the large ‘court room’). The exposed stone wall kitchen with its red AGA, pine kitchen units and heavy ceiling beams is especially charming — but there really are so many wonderful corners of this home to discover.
Outside a gated gravelled driveway leads to a double garage and the rear garden, behind which is a newly thatched piggery which is currently used as a timber store.
Court House stands in the historic conservation area at the heart of the village of Martock. Home to pretty Hamstone houses and charming cottages, the village has a great range of facilities, including a post office, supermarket, several shops, bakers, doctor’s surgery, amongst others.
Yeovil (about eight miles) and Taunton (just over 20 miles) offers further facilities, and there are many great schools in the area with Millfield School, Taunton School and King’s College.
The sellers, writers Fiona and Peter Salmon, have a simple wish for future owners, hoping for ‘someone who will love it as much as we do.’ Given the spectacular historical features, charming village setting and rich history, it’ll be hard not to.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
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