Bushes Road, Stourpaine, Blandford Forum, DT11

A HIGHLY INDIVIDUAL STONE HOUSE IN AN ELEVATED POSITION WITH A LOVELY GARDEN AND A FINE VIEW

In an elevated position with fine views Droveway is an interesting stone house with distinctive dormer windows and stone chimneys that was designed and built for the original owner in the mid 1950’s. The character and quality of the house have a distinct feel of the earlier Arts and Crafts period, but the strongest influence now is the crisp contemporary style that our clients introduced when they refurbished the house about 8 years ago. At over 3,000 sq ft it is a larger house than you might imagine at first glance. Behind the pretty porch there is a generous hall where the open fireplace, oak staircase, floor and joinery give an immediate sense of the quality. The oak floors continue throughout most of the ground floor and to the left of the hall the dining room has French doors to the conservatory and steps down into a fabulous drawing room with more French doors to the garden and a carved stone fire surround. These two beautifully proportioned rooms make up a superb entertainment space which is linked via another set of double doors back to the kitchen. Here the vibe is distinctly contemporary, and the bespoke kitchen includes a range of integrated Meile appliances, a large central island with a downdraft extractor, concealed lighting and a breakfast area with window seats under a mirrored lantern. A study, cloak room and boot room (off the garage) complete the ground floor and upstairs there are four double bedrooms and two well appointed bathrooms. The main bedroom suite is particularly impressive with extensive built in furniture, a walk through ensuite bathroom and separate dressing room. Our client’s refurbishment not only included a change of style but also a complete overhaul of the services and the house now has ultra efficient Hitachi air source heating and hot water. The conservatory and greenhouse are now over 40 years old and will need to be replaced with something more modern and durable, otherwise the house has been beautifully maintained and most windows and doors have been replaced with new double glazed units in either UPVC or Crittall style, and all of this work has made Droveway a stylish but comfortable and super efficient house to live in and run.

The property is approached through a five-bar gate opening on to a tarmac drive with plenty of parking and turning space in front of the garage and a double carport. From here a gated arch opens into a small courtyard next to the back door and a stone path leads between two long traditional borders to the front entrance from where you look down into the beautifully landscaped formal garden which extends to about ½ an acre. The large lawn that is bordered by a tall beech hedges and more well stocked traditional borders with a variety of mixed shrubs, flowers and trees including a fine mature Judas tree. A gap in the beech hedge takes you into a secluded area of mixed fruit trees and walking around the lawn to the north takes you to a pair of timber garden stores and a stone path which leads through to the back boundary on the east. There are some wonderful views from the veranda and around the garden looking across the Stour Valley towards Bryanston Woods.

Stourpaine is a popular village largely built on a hillside overlooking the Stour Valley and surrounded by a part of the Dorset countryside which straddles two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The village has a popular pub (The White Horse) and a thriving village hall and sports club with playing fields, tennis courts and direct access onto the Dorset Trailway. Further afield there are plenty of other opportunities to watch sport, play golf and enjoy water sports nearby in Poole Harbour, Studland Bay and along Dorset’s renowned Jurassic coastline.

Most of the amenities you might need are close by in Blandford which boasts an M&S Food Hall, Tesco and Lidl superstores, and it is not far to the county town of Dorchester, Sherborne or historic Shaftesbury. Wider communication links are good, the business centres of Poole and Bournemouth are within reasonable driving distance, and the A31 is nearby providing an easy link to the M27/M3 to Southampton and up to London. The A303/M3 via Salisbury is an alternative route to Lond. Gillingham and Poole stations offer regular trains to London Waterloo (around 2 hours).

This area is also well served with good schools and as well as a village primary nearby in Durweston and state secondary in Blandford, private schools nearby include Bryanston and Bryanston Prep (on the doorstep) as well as Milton Abbey, Clayesmore and Canford, with prep schools at Hanford and Sandroyd.

Mains water, electricity and drainage are available at the property. An air source heat pump provides heating and hot water. Good Broadband service available.