A beautiful location close to Wells Guide Price £1,500,000

Wookey Hole Village 0.3 miles, Wells 2 miles, Glastonbury 8 miles, Castle Cary 16 miles

A superb barn conversion in a beautiful, quiet rural setting in the lee of the Mendip Hills about 2 miles from the Cathedral City of Wells. The accommodation includes exceptionally generous living area and has plenty of bedrooms and bathrooms plus further scope. It includes – a reception hall, sitting room, dining room and a magnificent 50 ft kitchen/dining/living room with a vaulted ceiling and a south wall mainly comprising windows and French doors. Adjacent are a utility room and cloakroom. Leading from the reception hall is an inner hallway leading to 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and a master suite of bedroom, dressing room and en suite shower room. A staircase leads from the living room to a study or 4th bedroom.

On the southern part of the building is a 30ft x 20ft garage easily developed to provide additional bedrooms if required – subject to all necessary consents. Note– The property is not listed.

The property has a long sweeping driveway which leads around to a large private courtyard, enclosed by the L-shaped main property and an open-fronted garage for 3 cars. There are various beautiful private terraced areas surrounding the property as well as a productive kitchen garden. A separate out-building houses a wonderful Endless Pool with an adjoining shower room/w.c. The land includes a 1.75-acre paddock and half an acre of productive orchard. There is also a large Dutch barn, currently divided into a workshop and storage for garden machinery, two glass greenhouses, a hand-built wooden gazebo, a 16ft deep pond and beautifully expansive landscaped gardens and terraces. The property totals 3.27 acres

Shire Barn is situated on the edge of an AONB on a very quiet lane in the popular village of Wookey Hole, at the foothills of the Mendips and very close to the wonderful Ebbor Gorge and Deer Leap. The village has an active local community as well as a church, community hall, two hotels, a pub/restaurant and a licenced members club. Wells and all its amenities are within 2 miles. A short drive up the hill leads to the iconic village of Priddy. Close to Shire Barn are access points to the wonderful network of miles of footpaths which give access to the Mendip Hills and the beautiful rolling countryside below.

This is an exceptional example of a thoughtfully designed barn conversion undertaken 20 years ago by the current owners retaining so much wonderful character and charm whilst providing fantastic flexible living space to suit a modern lifestyle. With its south-facing aspect, over 3 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, a paddock, an orchard and a fantastic compact indoor pool, there truly is so much potential here for enjoying a wonderful lifestyle.

The barn was originally constructed in the very late Georgian period (1836) and was transformed from working agricultural “model farm” buildings into a wonderful family home by the current vendors, in 2002. All the main living and sleeping spaces in the property have impressive, vaulted ceilings and exposed original timbers, as well as beautiful deep window recesses and traditional brick and stonework features. The glazed front door to the property opens into a bright and welcoming vaulted hallway with exposed timbers, traditional flagstone flooring and a view out across the main courtyard.

A door leads through to a charming dual-aspect sitting room with a large wood burning stove with a stone surround and a French window into the garden. The adjoining room is used by the current vendors as a games room, since it is spacious enough to accommodate a snooker table, with plenty of additional space for seating and storage and also enjoys its own French window access into the garden. A short staircase leads from here up into the main open-plan kitchen, dining and living area, which is a fantastically light and impressive space with its vaulted ceilings and exposed timbers as well as its oak flooring and staircase.

The spacious dining and living end of the area accommodates a large formal dining table and a smaller informal table, as well as multiple seating areas, all enjoying views out to the private courtyard through multiple windows and doors and the light from the beautiful hexagonal roof lights. There is a gas stove with large, exposed stone surround, creating a focal point at this end of the space. At the kitchen end there is a beautiful bespoke oak fitted kitchen with granite worktops and some wonderful features including pull-out pantry drawers, a granite pantry cold slab, integrated fridge-freezer, ceramic double butler’s sink and a large Rangemaster double oven with gas hob.

There is an adjoining utility room (housing the two new boilers) with plenty of additional cupboard storage as well as space for a washing machine and dryer, a sink, a back door into the private courtyard and an adjoining cloakroom/w.c. Upstairs, and accessed from a beautiful oak staircase winding up from the open-plan kitchen/living space, is a wonderful spacious and light additional bedroom / study which has its own private access into the garden.

The reception hall also gives access to three bedrooms and the family bathroom. The first bedroom is a very spacious king-size room with a view out to the private courtyard space and a vaulted ceiling. The second bedroom also easily accommodates a king-size bed with plenty of room for storage and has the addition of its own door for private access. The family bathroom is a large and light room with bath, separate shower, bidet and heated towel rail.

The main bedroom suite is a wonderful and inviting space, occupying the end section of the building, which enables it to enjoy French windows opening out onto two sides of the garden. The main part of the bedroom is large enough to accommodate a generous seating area with views out onto a wonderful, secluded terrace beyond the French windows. The suite also includes an adjoining dressing room with stunning oak built-in storage as well as an ensuite shower room. In a separate building, there is a superb standard size Endless Pool fitted with an adjustable flow pump to allow for swim-training at all levels. There is an adjoining shower room/w.c. as well as plenty of space for seating or extra storage and a French window out to the gardens.

The property is situated on a very quiet lane and approached by a long sweeping driveway which leads to a lovely welcoming and peaceful courtyard. The courtyard is surrounded by beautiful south-facing terraced areas, as well as by the kitchen garden, which has two glass greenhouses and multiple raised beds. There is a large open fronted brick and oak garage for 3 cars, which also has electricity and cold running water points. (Scope to integrate within the house.)

Leading way from the main house, there is a beautiful orchard with a selection of mature apple, pear, plum and cherry trees as well as a 16ft deep pond. There is a large paddock / field which has an exterior electric power point and contains a large Dutch barn, currently used as a workshop and storage space, but with great potential for accommodating additional guest / living space. Beyond the paddock there is also a wonderful amount of additional lawned and terraced areas in the garden, which is carefully designed to lead around past areas of mature planting and trees, to various secluded coffee-spots, including one at the beautiful bespoke oak gazebo.

Freehold. Property is not listed. Approx. 3.27 acres Gas central heating (two newly installed boilers serve the property). Mains electricity and water. Private drainage ~ Septic tank. Solar panels, which the owners inform us generate approximately £2,500 with current FITTS payment with 11 years remaining.. Triple glazing Council tax band G (Mendip). EPC rating 66 Band (D). Also, security lights, cameras and electric points in the paddock.

From our office continue away from the High Street to the junction. Turn right, continues through the traffic lights, pass the petrol station and at the next mini roundabout turn left. Pass Waitrose and at the traffic lights turn left and then take the first right to Wookey Hole Road. Follow this road into and through the village and continue up the hill and the property will be found on the left-hand side ignoring the turn to the right which leads up the hill to Priddy.

Wookey Hole is a popular Mendip village with a church, community hall, two hotels, a restaurant, a licenced members club and a very active community. The famous caves put this village on the map, whilst the impressive Ebbor Gorge and Deer Leap make it an ever-popular spot for walkers and cyclists. The village is situated just a short distance from the historic city of Wells. Wells is the smallest city in England (population about 11,000), situated in beautiful countryside between the Somerset levels and the Mendip Hills – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The medieval city centre has superb local markets twice a week, good restaurants, a thriving high street and many important ancient buildings, including its outstanding gothic Cathedral and moated Bishop’s Palace and gardens.

The city has a full calendar of live performance events and hosts annual festivals for Music, Literature, Art and Food. It has a strong and active community with many societies and clubs, as well as a great selection of sporting facilities including Wells Leisure Centre, Wells Rugby Club, Tennis club, Bowling club and Golf course. There are four major supermarkets on the edge of the city as well as a wholefood deli with refill store.

There is a selection of excellent state and independent schools in the area, which includes several good primary schools within the city and the surrounding villages, Wells Blue School, Strode College, Wells Cathedral School, Sidcot, Downside, All Hallows and Millfield. The major towns of the area, Bristol, Bath. Taunton and Yeovil are all within commuting distance. Wells is a transport hub for bus services, including daily services to London. Main line trains run from Castle Cary and Bristol International Airport is 35-minutes’ drive away.

Roderick Thomas, their clients and any joint agents state that these details are for general guidance only and accuracy cannot be guaranteed. They do not constitute any part of any contract. All measurements are approximate and floor plans are to give a general indication only and are not measured accurate drawings. No guarantees are given with regard to planning permission or fitness for purpose. No apparatus, equipment, fixture or fitting has been tested. Items shown in photographs are not necessarily included. Purchasers must satisfy themselves on all matters by inspection or otherwise. VIEWINGS - interested parties are advised to check availability and current situation prior to travelling to see any property.

We appreciate how complicated and stressful a house sale and/or purchase can be, particularly in terms of tying together and timing the major financial transactions required. If you are experiencing difficulties with arranging a mortgage, or if you think a bridging loan would be helpful and reassuring to help smooth the transition, please let us know as we may be able to help you to access financial advice and assistance on either matter. We have been successful in negotiating agreements to suit both sellers and buyers with complex financial situations and are happy to discuss your requirements or concerns. Please call the office to arrange a consultation or to find out more.