Clifton Hill, Clifton Maybank, Yeovil, BA22

The Cottage is set back off a country lane in a lovely, south east facing setting with views across a swathe of open, lush countryside towards the prominent Melbury Hill in the distance. This is a high chalk escarpment of the North Dorset Downs and is the position of a beacon in the chain of signal beacons that stretched from London to Plymouth in the 16th century. The cottage, which is unlisted, was originally built to house the resident gardener employed at the neighbouring Grade I listed Clifton Maybank House. It was purchased by the current owner in 2021 in a somewhat tired state and then completely transformed with a sympathetic extension and total refurbishment to an extremely high standard. It is built of local stone with the older, original part of the cottage sheltering under a thatched roof, whilst slate has been used to roof the later extension. Although it is unclear when the original cottage was built, it still retains some of its original architectural features that include ceiling beams, a lovely, wide inglenook fireplace, complete with bread oven, in the sitting room and stone flagged floors in both the entrance hall and sitting room. The adjacent, L-shaped reception room has an engineered oak floor on two levels and incorporates a study area and separate seating area, which looks out across a wide, panoramic view through windows on three sides. These include wide, floor to ceiling, sliding French windows that open onto the terrace and allow the room to blend into the garden during fine weather. The kitchen/breakfast room also has floor to ceiling, sliding French windows looking out onto the lovely view. Being south facing they allow in masses of natural light imparting a wonderfully light and airy feel to the room. The room has a pale, stone-flagged floor and is fitted with units including an island with an induction hob along with a range of further, built-in Neff electric appliances. Beyond it are the boot room and a large utility room, both with flagstone floors. Upstairs there are a total of four double bedrooms, all with fantastic views out over the surrounding countryside. The principal and guest bedrooms have their own ensuite wet rooms and the two remaining bedrooms share the family bathroom.

Outside the property is shielded from view by anyone passing by tall stone walls and is approached through a tall, electrically operated gate that opens onto a good-sized resin bound parking area, which has ample space for several cars. Beside it is a stone-clad double garage block and there is an electric vehicle charging point on one side outside the back door. The cottage stands in about half an acre, which has been landscaped to open up the view and increase the amount of useable land. The grounds are bound by a mix of stone walling, hedging and stock-proof fencing and incorporate an established lawn plus a further area of recently levelled and re-seeded former scrubland. As such, the existing grounds present a wonderful blank canvas to any new owner with green fingers or a green space requiring minimal maintenance for one that doesn't. Incorporated within the boundary wall on one side of the garden is an attractive, stone-built garden store.

The Cottage is situated in unspoilt, gently undulating countryside midway between the villages of Stoford and Bradford Abbas, close to Dorset's southern border. The latter is a thriving community with good amenities including a parish church, popular pub (The Rose & Crown), CofE primary school, post office, village hall and cricket club. For shopping and other needs both Yeovil and Sherborne are nearby with a wide range of shops and local businesses capable of meeting most day to day requirements. This range covers a choice of large supermarkets including a Waitrose in Sherborne. In addition, Yeovil also has a range of sports facilities, entertainment venues and a major hospital. The local area also has excellent traffic links. The A30 and A37, main arterial routes through the region, are both nearby and the A303 is about eight miles away on the other side of Yeovil, linking to the M3 and M5. Yeovil Junction railway station is only a mile away and on the West of England Main Line, providing fast, regular services to both Exeter St. David's and Paddington, taking as little as 58 minutes and two hours 16 minutes respectively. For flights, Bristol and Exeter airports are both about an hour's drive away. The area also offers an extensive choice of schools from both the state and independent sectors covering all age groups. This includes three church primary schools and two nurseries to choose from within a two mile radius along with several popular, well-regarded independent schools. Of the latter, the Sherborne schools, Leweston, Perrott Hill, Hazlegrove, Millfield and King's Bruton are all within a 15 mile radius.