The Dorset home of Kirstie Allsopp's parents has come up for sale at £6.5 million
TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp remembers the moment her parents first caught sight of Lyddon House in the pages of Country Life.


Art and property have been defining influences in the life of former Christie’s auctioneer and chairman, Charles Allsop, 6th Baron Hindlip, and both live in perfect harmony at Lyddon House, King’s Stag, near Sturminster Newton, Dorset.
The classic country house that Lord Hindlip created with his late wife, Fiona, is now on the market with Knight Frank in Sherborne, at a guide price of £6.5m.
Lord Hindlip and his wife, a talented interior designer, had an eye for houses which had what 18th-century landscape designer Lancelot Brown called ‘capabilities’ — or room for improvement. This led them to buy, renovate and sell a series of London properties before moving to a family home in the country at Inkpen in Berkshire.
His daughter — Kirstie Allsop, of Location, Location, Location fame — recalls sitting around the breakfast table on a Friday morning as her parents searched the pages of Country Life for suitable properties to buy and restore. ‘They always wanted a house with water, and when, in 1999, Lyddon House came on the market, they jumped at the chance to buy it,’ she reveals.
Built around the footprint of a large, mid-19th-century farmhouse, the elegant, 5,660sq ft main house stands in almost 48 acres of exquisite formal gardens alongside a mill house and mill race, with frontage to the River Lydden, and surrounded by the lush pastures of Dorset’s Blackmore Vale.
Previously known as Lydden House, it represents the shared vision of its owners translated into a modern Georgian masterpiece by local builder Martin Fulford. ‘A few walls and one window’, retained for period authenticity, are reputedly all that remains of the original farmhouse.
Lyddon House, which faces south-west, boasts large rooms, tall ceilings and tall, wide sash windows that combine to create a wonderful feeling of light and space. The rooms are laid out around a vast, central reception hall, which is overlooked by a three-sided galleried landing on the first floor.
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.
All three main reception rooms are south facing, with lovely views across the gardens to Lyddon’s own woodland and pasture. The light-filled drawing room is particularly impressive, with French windows opening onto the garden, flanked to either side by tall sash windows.
The magnificent kitchen is ‘to die for’, with windows on three sides overlooking the garden, the mill and mill stream, and the parterre garden. Upstairs are four double bedrooms, each of which has its own bathroom and views over the surrounding countryside.
Further accommodation is available in the converted, four-bedroom mill house and two-bedroom flat above the garage. Both Lord and Lady Hindlip shared a passion for gardening and the gardens they have established at Lyddon House over the years provide a magnificent backdrop to one of Dorset’s most delightful country houses.
Lyddon House is for sale at £6.5m — see more details and pictures.
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
-
The loos of Buckingham Palace: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 23, 2025
Wednesday's Quiz of the Day looks at St George, royal toilets and German alcohol laws.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Moore Design
Moore Design is a boutique interior design practice with clients around the UK and overseas.
By Country Life Published
-
A 327-acre estate in the heart of 'England’s Côte d’Or', with a 26,000sq ft Georgian style home at its heart
Stokes Hall in the Crouch Valley is an inspiring property looking for a new owner.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
Schreiber House, 'the most significant London townhouse of the second half of the 20th century', is up for sale
The five-bedroom Modernist masterpiece sits on the edge of Hampstead Heath.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
Is the 'race for space' officially over?
During the lockdowns, many thought the countryside was the place to be. It seems many are now changing their minds.
By Annabel Dixon Last updated
-
What's a 'wellness village' and will it tempt you back into the office?
The team behind London's first mixed-use ‘wellness village’ says it has the magic formula for tempting workers back into offices.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
-
A mini estate in Kent that's so lovely it once featured in Simon Schama's 'History of Britain'
The Paper Mill estate is a picture-postcard in the Garden of England.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
Hidden excellence in a £7.5 million north London home
Behind the traditional façades of Provost Road, you will find something very special.
By James Fisher Published
-
Sip tea and laugh at your neighbours in this seaside Norfolk home with a watchtower
On Cliff Hill in Gorleston, one home is taller than all the others. It could be yours.
By James Fisher Published
-
A Grecian masterpiece that might be one of the nation's finest homes comes up for sale in Kent
Grade I-listed Holwood House sits in 40 acres of private parkland just 15 miles from central London. It is spectacular.
By Penny Churchill Published