The ancient Wiltshire parish of Woodford lies between Salisbury and Amesbury on the western side of the River Avon, bounded on the east by the winding course of the river and on the west by the old turnpike road from Salisbury to Devizes, now the A360. It's a well-trodden part of the country, partly due to its proximity to the A303 from London to the West Country, and especially because this is the nearest village to Stonehenge.
The land rises sharply from some 200ft above sea level in the valley to about 400ft at the top of the down. The land on the slopes is mainly pasture and, in the valley, the famous chalkstream runs fast and deep. For centuries, it was fished by permission of the lords of the manors of Woodford and Heale.
It’s a tranquil pastoral setting where, according to the Victoria County History (1962), ‘the most notable event in the history of the parish occurred in 1651, when Charles II took refuge at Heale House during his flight from Cromwell’s army after the battle of Worcester’.
Undisturbed by housing development in the 19th and 20th centuries, the relatively small number of good houses available along the picturesque valley is much sought after nowadays by country-house buyers from Salisbury and further afield.
Oliver Custance Baker of Strutt & Parker quotes a guide price of £4.5 million for the charming Moor Hatches, a converted former 18th-century farmstead set in six acres of formal walled gardens, kitchen garden and orchards at the head of the valley.
The house, which is unlisted, lies within the UNESCO Stonehenge World Heritage site — walk down the path, cross the road, and you'll get to the stones themselves. And as if that's not idyllic enough it's also bounded by the River Avon, which runs along the bottom of the garden.
Built of brick and flint under a clay-tiled roof, the former farmhouse, barns and an older non-conformist chapel were combined in the 1930s to create a significant, 4,850sq ft country house, which has been thoroughly and tastefully modernised by its current owners.
It offers light and airy accommodation on three floors, including an entrance hall, three reception rooms, a family kitchen/breakfast room, a principal bedroom suite, six further bedrooms and three bathrooms.
The main house incorporates a two-bedroom staff cottage and comes with planning consent for a two-storey extension to provide an office, gymnasium, car barn and garden store, with a one-bedroom annexe on the first floor.
As Mr Custance-Baker sagely observes, ‘a beautiful country home is as much about its setting as its bricks and mortar’. Moor Hatches lacks nothing in this regard, being one of only a handful of gardens in the UK where the entire design has been overseen by internationally renowned landscape designer Tom Stuart-Smith.
Here, he has created a naturalistic garden in three distinct parts: the first is a formal courtyard area in front of the house, which explodes into a sea of tulips in spring; the second is a two-level walled garden with a swimming pool at its centre; finally, an open lawn and wildflower meadow leads down to the river bank, where a number of ponds and rivulets create what is described as ‘a wonderful maze-like area of watery wanderings, a sanctuary for both people and wildlife’.
Alternatively, why not while away the day at the end of a line? Fishing rights on the prestigious River Avon are included in the sale.
Credit: Fine and Country
Red-brick walls, a thatched roof, a barn and an EPC rating of A. This home of the future in Dorset looks suspiciously like the past
At Godwins House near Christchurch, tradition and modernity embrace to create exquisite results.
Credit: Knight Frank
For sale for the first time in 50 years, an unlisted Sussex farmhouse surrounded by a 'thriving 117-acre nature reserve'
https://www.knightfrank.com/properties/residential/for-sale/wards-lane-wadhurst-east-sussex-tn5/CHO180010
Credit: Savills
18th century elegance and some 6,500sq ft of space with views over the citadel of Rye
The Victorian elegance of Mountsfield House stands in stark contrast to the town's history of smuggling and piracy.
Credit: Knight Frank
The newest 'Old Rectory' in the world is up for sale, set in ancient woodland, with a cathedral-like pool and its own golf course
In the Weald where Surrey, Sussex and Kent come together, Penny Churchill takes a look at a fascinating house.
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
-
From the Country Life archive: The 19th century answer to SwingballEvery Monday, Melanie Bryan, delves into the hidden depths of Country Life's extraordinary archive to bring you a long-forgotten story, photograph or advert.
-
Hope from the ashes: A new generation of ash trees is evolving to make them more resistant to diebackWhen ash dieback first arrived in Britain, in 2012, an emergency COBRA meeting was formed. The disease has since spread rampantly across the countryside, but there is still hope.
-
18 beautiful homes, from charming cottages to a Highland mansion with unbeatable views, as seen in Country LifeOur look at some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life in the past week includes Georgian manor houses, charming commutable homes and the grandest home in Newcastle.
-
The gorgeous Somerset home of the designer behind one of Glastonbury's chicest spotsThe Manor in Hinton Blewitt is a glorious Georgian home that ticks every box.
-
826 years of history, painstaking restoration and 'a garden like no other' at this former National Trust house which has come to the market in KentA blooming property in Kent showcases the original garden of England. Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
A wisteria-clad delight with lawns running down to the Thames at the prettiest riverside home for sale in London todayDeodar Road, near Putney High Street, offers unrivalled views of the Thames and is characterful in excess.
-
Five of the most majestic properties for sale in Britain today, from a 1,700-acre estate to a private island, as seen in Country LifeOur look at the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week includes some genuinely breathtaking places.
-
Save me: A castle on the Isle of Wight designed by James Wyatt is up for saleNorris Castle Estate also comes with 225 acres of gardens and grounds, and needs a little TLC
-
The 1,800-acre estate of the man who bought Stonehenge has come up for sale at £25 millionThe Bapton Manor Estate, in the beautiful Cranborne Chase National Landscape, seeks a new owner. Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
A meticulously restored Scottish estate for sale, dripping with history, character and wildlifeThe Craigengillan Estate in Ayrshire sits in 2,850 acres above the valley of the River Doon.
