8 bedroom detached house for sale

A fine Grade II* listed Georgian village house boasting impressive eco credentials combined with a timeless elegance set within two acres of beautifully designed gardens, with tennis court, swimming pool, & outbuildings (with planning consent for conversion) just three miles from Lulworth Cove on the World Heritage Jurassic coastline.

THE PROPERTY
Sitting proudly behind a tall brick wall in the heart of the village, Winfrith House is a spectacular Grade II* listed Georgian home of brick elevations under a slate tiled roof and is thought to date back to 1761, having been later remodelled and extended during the 19th and early 20th century. In more recent years, the current owners have very sympathetically and tastefully enhanced this wonderful home, with a rare emphasis on energy efficiency, a huge investment that will certainly pay dividends for decades to come.
There is a distinct pleasure in stepping inside this elegant home, with its spacious and light filled reception hall leading into all formal reception rooms. To one side is a comfortable sitting room with a large bay window to the front, and an open fireplace housing wood burning stove, making for a cosy evening retreat. Straight ahead is a very elegant and light filled west facing drawing room of wonderful proportions, with tall sash windows enjoying views over the gardens. This too has a decorative fireplace with wood burning stove for cooler evenings. To the right of the hall is the formal and sophisticated dining room, perfect for entertaining on a large scale, and sits alongside the kitchen with a secret connecting door.
The newly fitted bespoke Shaker style kitchen has been tastefully designed and perfectly equipped, and is open to the breakfast room making for a great space for the whole family to gather, with tall sash windows enjoying splendid views overlooking the garden, and a door connecting to the terrace.
A door conceals the back staircase, and another leads into a very impressive and newly fitted utility/laundry room, which also connects to the rear hall with cloakroom/WC off, and housing the main staircase to the first and second floors.
The first floor is just as impressive with the principal bedroom suite situated to the southern end. This is a very luxurious space to relax and unwind with a large bay window giving wonderful views over the gardens. A door connects to a very spacious en suite bathroom/dressing room, newly fitted in the traditional style centred around a large roll top bath.
Five further bedrooms and three bathrooms are situated on the first floor, all of which have been beautifully decorated, with one of them being accessed via the rear staircase or via a secret door from bedroom three.
The main staircase continues up to the second floor with a further two bedrooms, perfect for children, along with a large attic cupboard that would lend itself to a shower room for these two rooms, with consent to do so.

GARDENS, GROUNDS & OUTBUILDINGS
Winfrith House sits in exceptionally well designed and landscaped gardens of approximately two acres and affords a great deal of privacy for a prominent village house. Upon entering the private gravelled driveway, there is a large parking area sitting to the side of the house for ample cars, which continues to the double garage at the far end, and comes complete with two electric car charging points.
The house sits proudly behind a tall red bricked wall to the front, with the Northeast corner having the remains of an 18th century brick tower with battlemented parapet.
The gardens lie to the South and West and are situated to the rear of the house. Arranged as a variety of rooms with a beautifully scented lavender pathway connecting to the meadow, with its orchard, wildflower areas and pond with resident duck and drake. This leads to the far Western boundary with the River Win at the very end. There is also a gate leading out from here that connects to a footpath with lovely walks, also leading taking you to the village pub and farm shop.
A large, paved terrace adjacent to the house is the perfect spot to entertain and overlooks the outdoor pool, which is bordered by a lower lying hedge. To the Southern end is a perfectly manicured croquet lawn which abuts the tennis court, with a good-sized vegetable garden to one end. There is a Alitex greenhouse to the Northeast side as well as a row of outbuildings that provide various stores, a plant room, garden loo, and workshop, with planning consent for conversion.

RENEWABLES
There is a recently installed 8kw solar array backed up with 2 X 13kw Tesla batteries. The pool is heated via an air source heat pump. The owners have also installed high quality secondary glazing which, combined with the renewables has hugely reduced the running costs of the house. There is also an electric retractable solar safety pool cover.

PLANNING CONSENT
The house has the benefit of two further planning permissions which are activated. Please refer to the West Dorset planning website for further information.
P/HOU//2023/03384

To re-instate a single storey building on the footprint of the earlier orangery
P/HOU/2023/00622

To install solar array in the garden and convert outbuildings into annex ancillary to the dwelling. The solar array is complete, but the outbuildings have not been converted.

LOCATION
Winfrith is well situated for access to the stunning Jurassic coastline and the Purbecks, in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This beautiful stretch of countryside is often referred to as Hardy's Country after its most famous local resident and is also famed for its miles and miles of fabulous footpaths and bridleways for endless walking, cycling and riding. The property is close to Winfrith Heath, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation which is excellent for long walks across uninterrupted heathland, with an abundance of rare butterflies, insects, flora and fauna. The renowned Lulworth Cove, a natural horseshoe shaped harbour forming part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, is three miles away with its beaches, small eateries and beautiful walks.
The very popular village of Winfrith Newburgh has a strong sense of community with The Red Lion public house, as well as The Countryman Inn in nearby East Knighton, an excellent Village Store & Post Office, farm shop, thriving primary school and preschool and church. There are regular events and classes held in the village hall.
The village of Wool lies just 3 miles to the east and benefits from a mainline rail link direct to London Waterloo (2 hours 45 mins) and a good level of amenities, including; a supermarket, store/post office, doctors' surgery, pharmacy, dentist, two primary schools, pharmacy, church, and two public houses. Road connections are also good with easy access via the A352 east and west leading to more major road networks.
The quayside market town of Wareham is just under 9 miles away and has an eclectic mix of restaurants and shops, as well as a yacht club and an independent cinema called the Rex which hosts films for the Purbeck film festival as well as usual film releases. The county town of Dorchester 9 miles from the property has an excellent range of facilities with shops, schools, restaurants and the county hospital. Of particular note is the Conran-designed development at Brewery Square with its cinema, bars, restaurants and leading shops. There is a Waitrose, Tesco, and Lidl in Dorchester for everyday shopping and a mainline railway station with a fast regular service to London Waterloo. The property is within easy reach of major road networks, A31, M27 & M3.