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 its historic roots.

Another time, another place, another fine Grade II*-listed village house; the village of Steeple Ashton, five miles from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, was the heart of the great Romsey Abbey estates in the Middle Ages.
In the 16th century, the Tudor poet and antiquary John Leland described it as a ‘praty little market towne’, which ‘standith much by clothiars, and hath praty buyldinge’.
However, following a devastating fire that destroyed many of its mainly thatched buildings, Steeple Ashton fell behind its neighbouring villages and, by the end of the 16th century, the prosperity of the clothing industry was at an end.
After the Dissolution, the Ashton estate passed to Sir Thomas Seymour and, on his fall from grace in 1549, to the Crown, which granted the manor and its lands to William Paulet, Earl of Wiltshire, who, in 1601, sold them to his former tenant John Greenhill. The manor then passed to the Bennett family, who, in 1647, built the present Jacobean house, with its limestone ashlar front, stone-slate roof with tripled gabled front and central gabled stone porch – exactly as it stands today.
The Manor stands at the heart of Steeple Ashton, still a pretty place much sought-after both by locals and incomers to the region. Now for sale through the Bath office of Savills and Strutt & Parker in Salisbury at a guide price of £2 million, the house offers 7,420sq ft of relaxed living space on three floors, including three main reception rooms, a kitchen with French doors leading into the formal garden, a family/breakfast room, a conservatory, a study, six first-floor bedrooms, plus two bath/shower rooms and a potential self-contained apartment on the second floor.
Behind The Manor’s historic façade, the current owners have significantly improved the house during their 10-year tenure, notably by the creation of an atrium linking the main body of the house to an adjoining courtyard, thereby flooding the interior with light.
Some 2½ acres of gardens and grounds create a tranquil setting for the house that has been lovingly updated in recent years and incorporates a fishpond bordered by speci-men shrubs and trees, including a splendid Magnolia grandiflora, and a lily pond encased on three sides by pleached limes.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Credit: Savills
An 80-acre Cotswolds estate with atmospheric main house, bordered by the River Avon
Estcourt Grange boasts 65 acres of ring-fenced farmland, perfect for grazing horses or livestock.
Credit: Butler Sherborn
Stunning riverside family home set in the heart of the Cotswold AONB
Fawler Manor is looking for new owners after serving as a beloved family home for over a quarter of a
Credit: (Savills)
A country house whose spectacular walled garden boasts 16th century turrets
Penny Churchill takes a look at Hales Place, a grand home in Kent that's for sale for only the third
Credit: Strutt & Parker
A picture-perfect retreat from the world, in an ideal spot in England's smallest town
This bucolic retreat in Kent has seen a vast amount of care and love poured into it over the last
-
In pictures: A celebration of British food and culture in New York
Find out what happened when Country Life, The Beaumont Mayfair and Tom Parker Bowles spent a night in New York. Photographs by Andrew Werner.
By Rosie Paterson Published
-
Celeriac-crusted cod with chorizo butter and romanesco sauce
Make the most of seasonal celeriac whilst it's still around with this easy mid-week or weekend recipe.
By Melanie Johnson Published
-
Get lost in the whispers of a running stream at a one-bedroom Cornish cottage
Formerly the studio and retreat of renowned artist Lamorna Birch, this small home near Lamorna Cove is a delight in every single way.
By James Fisher Published
-
How the high street can change for the better
The high street might not be dying, but it's definitely changing and in some places, it's changing for the better. So, what can the centre of town in the 21st century look like?
By Lucy Denton Published
-
A 17th century country house estate for sale in Yorkshire that's not too big and not too small
Take a look inside one of the finest private houses in the north of England that's perfectly manageable as a family house.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
-
Two-thirds of us buy a house and immediately set about refurbishing it
We spend more buying our houses than on anything else in our lives — yet the first thing we do on moving in is set about changing the place. Annabel Dixon takes a look at what we do and why.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
Dawn Chorus: Audrey Hepburn’s Swiss villa hits the market for £17 million and research reveals that looking at art can, quite literally, help you live longer
Everything you need to know today: The Swiss home that Audrey Hepburn lived in for 30 years prior to her death is for sale, those who regularly engage with art have a 31% lower risk of dying early and an iconic Palm Beach hotel teams up with interior designer Ashley Hicks.
By Rosie Paterson Published
-
Five beautiful homes for sale around Britain, as seen in Country Life
By Toby Keel Published
-
On Devon's Saunton Sands, the future is Ferndown
This modern masterpiece, for sale with Savills, boasts 12,000sq ft of luxury contemporary living with beach views.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
A fairytale castle peeking above the treetops of Cumbria is for sale at just £2 million
Augill Castle has a wonderful backstory and a lifestyle business attached. .Annunciata Elwes tells more.
By Annunciata Elwes Published