Camilla Elwell of Savills country department is overseeing the sale, at a guide price of £4.25m, of one of Wiltshire’s most delightful historic manor houses, the Grade II*-listed Baverstock Manor, which sits in 18 acres of gardens, grounds and paddocks in the tiny hamlet of Baverstock, a mile east of the village of Dinton and seven miles west of Salisbury, within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB.
Local records reveal that, in 968, King Edgar of Mercia donated 300 acres of land at Baverstock to nearby Wilton Abbey. The original house at Baverstock was built in the 1500s by the Abbess of Wilton as a retreat house, which later became the Manor.
It stands on the site of the medieval Mary’s Well, a holy well reputed to cure diseases of the eye that attracted many pilgrims to Baverstock. The well was fed by three springs, two under the house and one across the lane, which overflowed into the winterbourne east of the house and thence to the River Nadder, as they do to this day.
According to its listing, the picturesque Tudor house, built mainly of dressed sandstone under a tiled roof, was significantly enlarged in the 17th century, when it passed to the Penruddocke family of Compton Chamberlayne, and was restored by Mrs Benett-Stanford of nearby Pythouse in the 1930s.
It retains a wealth of period features, including stone mullioned windows and handsome stone fireplaces.
Owned by the same family for the past 80-odd years, and now in need of updating, Baverstock Manor offers some 6,000sq ft of accommodation on two main floors, including an entrance hall, four reception rooms, a study, studio, flower room and kitchen/breakfast room on the ground floor.
There is a large principal bedroom suite, eight further bedrooms and three bathrooms on the first floor. Included in the sale are a pretty, three-bedroom stone cottage, stone outbuildings, a stable yard and barn and amenities including a swimming pool and tennis court.
Baverstock Manor is for sale at £4.25m — see more pictures and details.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
-
Tetrad: Over half a century of timeless good looksSince 1968, Tetrad has employed a combination of traditional skills and the finest materials to make upholstered furniture that is designed to offer years of comfort.
-
‘Lots of books, Scrabble, a pack of cards and James Norton. Oh, and some wine’: Alison Weir’s consuming passionsThe Sunday Times bestselling author, 74, on her literary hero, her collection of jigsaw puzzles that she never has time to do and her celebrity crush.
-
A perfect country house in 'the most beautiful and unspoilt town in the Cotswolds'Penny Churchill takes a look at the wonderful Kingcombe, on the outskirts of the charming town of Chipping Campden.
-
The dream home that never was for one of Britain's greatest film stars, back on the market for the first time in half a centuryAnna White takes a look at the beautiful Wallers Mead, in the Buckinghamshire village full of links to Hollywood movies from James Bond to Star Wars.
-
A 500-year-old cottage in West Sussex that's as beautiful as you could ever hope to see, with a pool ringed by flowers, stables and a croquet lawnJames Fisher was in need of some balm for the soul when he came across Woodshill House.
-
A Clarkson's Farm of one's own: Five properties with just enough farmland for you and your family, from under £1 millionMoving to the country is one thing; moving to the country and being able to grow and rear all your own food is another level entirely, and all these properties offer exactly that.
-
Six superb homes, from chocolate box cottages to grand Tudor mansions, as seen in Country LifeOur regular round-up includes charming home counties houses and superb grand country house in Ireland.
-
A billionaire's thatched cottage is for sale in Surrey, once owned by the oil magnate J. Paul GettyChestnut Cottage is a joyous little home — albeit one with the most unusual bedrooms to acreage to price balances we've ever seen. Toby Keel takes a look inside.
-
Medieval Italian? 19th century French? 16th century German? You're spoilt for choice if you're looking to buy a gorgeous continental castleFrom hills of Italy to a Bavarian palace, Toby Keel takes a look at three of the finest castles for sale across Europe today.
-
How to buy a house at auctionBuying at auction can mean you secure your dream property for a bargain price, but preparation is the key
