Ilminster, Somerset, TA19

Known to date back to the early 16th century, Sea Mills Farm is an unusual and very handsome property combining a farmhouse, mill and miller's cottage in a continuous row. It is surrounded by its own land totalling about 15 acres and has no near neighbours. The property is Grade II listed and is built of local Moolham stone with mullion windows, chamfered ceiling beams and a Double Roman clay tile roof. Milling took place on the site until the mid-1970s and it has been the much-loved family home of the current owners for the past 29 years, during which it has been carefully renovated and maintained. The property is currently used as a single dwelling but given its earlier layout it would be relatively simple to reinstate the miller's cottage as an independent, self-contained annexe. Similarly, the garden room with its en suite shower room could serve as ground floor bedroom for a dependent relative with limited mobility. The house has a total of four reception rooms, with the good-sized sitting and dining rooms combining with the large kitchen/breakfast room and adjacent conservatory to form a family hub in the centre of the house. All these rooms look out on at least two sides and the back of the house faces south with a lovely outlook across the pretty rear garden towards a large, river-fed lake partially fringed by mature trees. The kitchen is fully fitted with timber-fronted units, gas fired Rangemaster range cooker and two oven, gas-fired AGA. At one end of the house are the study and adjacent snug plus a useful storage room. The main staircase has a hugely impressive stairwell with a vaulted ceiling and leads up to the partly galleried landing, off which are five double bedrooms. The principal and guest bedroom suites are extremely spacious and both have en suite bathrooms with separate showers. The remaining three bedrooms share the family shower room.

Sea Mills Farm has a group of farm and mill associated buildings. Opposite the house is the granary, which has detailed consent for conversion. Work on the conversion has started and therefore the consent is now perpetual. Behind the granary are a concrete yard bedside a former milking parlour that now serves as a good-sized workshop. To one side of the drive are a modern, enclosed former Dutch barn and adjacent stock barn that currently provide extensive storage space for vehicles and machinery. Beside the former Dutch barn is a single garage and in the rear garden is a summerhouse, which has a lovely view towards Windwhistle Hill.

The house is approached via an 80 yard, tree-lined drive to a tarmac parking area. To its front is a walled and lawned garden with the main, formal garden to the rear and one side, consisting of level lawn with several pretty, richly planted borders. The garden looks out behind to a small lake partially fringed by mature trees. Within the garden are an ornamental pond, greenhouse, working two seater privy and several fruit trees including apple and peach. Surrounding the house, outbuildings and garden is pastureland (11.49 acres) divided into five enclosures and a cider apple orchard (1.86 acres) containing 46 trees.

Planning Consents: Change of use and conversion of granary to an ancillary dwelling (Ref: 16/04872/FUL) was approved on 31st January 2017. Work has commenced and consent is therefore perpetual. Consent for prior approval for change of use to convert the stock barn into two holiday cottages (Ref: 18/02701/PAMB) was refused on 23rd October 2018. Changes have subsequently been made to the application with a Determination Deadline for a decision by the Local Authority of 31st August 2022.

Ilminster/Tesco Superstore 1.5 miles, A303 2.4 miles, Chard 3.6 miles Crewkerne station 9.1 miles (Waterloo 2 hours 39 minutes), Taunton 13.3 miles (Paddington 1 hour 50 minutes), Yeovil 15.7 miles. (Distances and time approximate).

Sea Mills Farm is positioned close to the River Isle amidst open, unspoilt countryside and is set well back off a peaceful country lane leading to the hamlet of Sea. Despite its lovely rural setting, the property is only 1.5 miles from the small market town of Ilminster, which can meet most day-to-day requirements and has an excellent range of shops and businesses including a Tesco Superstore, GP and dental surgeries, pharmacy, post office and petrol station. For wider requirements Chard, Yeovil and Taunton are all within easy reach. For transport links the A303 is only about 2.5 miles away, there are nearby direct rail services from Crewkerne to Waterloo (2 hours 39 minutes) and from Taunton to Paddington (1 hour 50 minutes) and the airports at Exeter and Bristol are about 40 minutes and an hour's drive away respectively. The area is also blessed with a selection of good schools from both the state and independent sectors. The choice from the latter includes Chard School, Perrot Hill, four schools in Taunton and Wellington School, which are all within a 15 mile radius.