Croscombe, Wells

A charming Grade II Listed farmhouse, extended and improved over the years to form a spacious and comfortable family home. Parsonage Farm has a wealth of retained period features such as flagstone floors, inglenook fireplaces, beamed ceilings, stone mullion windows and wide oak floorboards, which combine with modern conveniences such as recently installed bath and shower rooms and an ecofriendly biomass boiler. Set in just over 2 acres of land, with several outbuildings including a long barn, the property, we believe, would be suitable for a smallholding.

Seller Insight - Looking for that dream home can take time. For some, it may take months; for others, it is years, but when you do eventually find it – you know in an instant. The current owners of Parsonage Farm had been living in London; they’d had their home on the market a couple of times and had even put in offers on properties in Somerset, but nothing worked out. Ten years after starting their property search, work and other personal circumstances aligned and they found a house they loved that was in probate. Unsure whether their offer was competitive, they decided to view some other local properties. Parsonage Farm was on the list.

“It was in a village we didn’t know and on paper it met a lot of our criteria, but upon arrival we loved it even more. It had more land than the probate house, more opportunities to put our stamp on the place, yet it wasn’t a huge renovation project. Most importantly, it was a really lovely warm home. It didn’t feel like a house, it felt like a home – our home. It took us a long time to escape London but it was the perfect house at the perfect time.”

Croscombe has a lovely community with lots going on, should you wish to join in, which the owners have enjoyed. There is a pub, shop and village hall that hosts various events and activities. It is on a bus route and there are a wealth of walks nearby, including through the woods. “It feels like you are on the edge of civilisation in a rural setting and yet you can be in Shepton Mallet within 5 minutes and Wells in 10.”

The village has a charter for a market, due to its historical role in the wool trade. The market is still held and you can purchase lots of delicious home produce as well as crafts – the owners used to sell their own jams and chutneys. The charter market was for a period actually held in Parsonage Farm itself! There’s a watercolour in the village hall depicting this.

The village has a long and fascinating history, evidence of which is all around you. The house is linked to the village church. As the church became affluent, the parson became its tenant; the more affluent the church became, the better the parsonage – you can see this as you walk down the street.

The property was a working farm for many years, but farming stopped in around 1965 when the locally renowned Bevan family bought the property. It was built in 1470 and, over the centuries has been added to and renovated until it evolved into the stunning home it is now. The sitting room was the original barn and the hall would have been a one-up, one-down cottage back in the 17th century. The annexe was once a pigsty and the utility room a milking parlour – there are little signs of its history throughout.

The office is one of the current owners’ favourite places to spend time in: “with its log burner and oak beams, it is a real treat to work in such a characterful place. At one point it would have been the kitchen and living room of the house. The landing upstairs is also a favourite as it is big, light and all the doors are different. Not long after we moved in, I remember standing on the landing and thinking about how lucky we were to live in such an amazing house.” You can just imagine adding a large chaise longue to the area and enjoying a good book whilst being bathed in sunlight. One intriguing feature of the landing is the black door, which is made from an old piece of wood panel repurposed as a door probably centuries ago.

The owners have also used the farm as a smallholding and over the years it has been home to sheep, turkeys, chickens, ducks and beehives, to name a few. They also have a great vegetable patch and also planted an orchard of apples, from which they have made a very tasty homemade cider which they have sold locally. They have also utilised some of the space for two AirBnbs, showing you how much potential there still is in this property to make it your own.
“The lifestyle this home has offered us has been amazing, especially during lockdown as we had so much land to play in and go for walks. I will miss being in touch with generations of tradition as well as the peace, quiet and the complete darkness of the night sky. It is that peaceful you can even hear the stream running through the village – this sound hasn’t changed for centuries, which is comforting.”

This is an incredible period home filled with character and stories embedded within a village steeped in history, yet it provides all the practicalities that a modern family need, together with a wealth of potential. You may not be familiar with the area, but like the owners, once you discover Croscombe and Parsonage Farm you won’t have found a house, but a home.

Description - In the heart of the thriving village of Croscombe, just outside the City of Wells, Parsonage Farm is situated off the main road overlooking the village green and backing onto open fields. It is approached via a private tarmac driveway with parking for several vehicles.

On the ground floor of this attractive stone house with tiled roof, there is a well-appointed west facing wood framed orangery with terracotta coloured floor tiles, which leads into a spacious reception hall. Leading from here you will find a sitting room and a second reception room/dining room, both with beamed ceilings, attractive inglenook fireplaces and log burning stoves.

Converted from a barn in the 1960s, the spacious dual aspect farmhouse kitchen/breakfast room has a gas-fired Aga with pretty tiled splashback, a second oven with gas hob, a range of wooden units, butler sink and room for a large family sized table. A stable door leads to the rear courtyard and garden beyond.

The old milking parlour, part of the former dairy farm at the rear of the house, has been converted to a useful lobby with separate WC, and utility room/boot room, plumbed for two washing machines with cupboards, shelving and coathooks.

Also on the ground floor is a room currently used as a guest bedroom. This has a modern ensuite bath/shower room and French doors, allowing direct access to and from the orangery. The current owners have previously used this room as an Airb&b room.

A wooden staircase leads up from the sitting room to a spacious and light landing, with access to a boarded large storage attic which also houses the cold water tank and is accessed via a drop-down ladder and two airing cupboard with hot water tanks.

There are four good sized double bedrooms on this floor; the dual aspect master has an attractive arched window to the front and an ensuite shower room. Bedroom two is also dual aspect and has a modern ensuite shower room. Recent permissions have been granted to add an ensuite shower room to the third bedroom, which currently has a wash basin and a feature fireplace. Bedroom four features a notable beamed ceiling which, we believe, dates back to Tudor times.

The house and water are heated by a recently installed biomass boiler, a carbon neutral and cost-efficient form of energy fuelled by wood pellets, with the boiler and tank housed in an outbuilding adjacent to the house.

Outside
The current owners have recently renovated two outbuildings to form an annexe, suitable for guest use/Airb&b, with a bedroom and an ensuite shower room. This room has a separate phone line and could be easily used as a home office.

At the front of the property, leading off Back Lane, is a garage with power and lighting, currently used as a workshop but which could accommodate a small car.

Passing through the stable door from the kitchen, one finds a terraced courtyard featuring the old well, with glass cover. A kiwi fruit climbs over the rear elevation.

From the courtyard stone steps lead to a potting shed (above the garage) – which provides a useful sheltered growing space. Off the courtyard there is also a workshop and former larder.

The gardens are laid out with generous herbaceous borders and a large lawn, perfect for a children’s play area. There is also a cottage garden with raised beds, as well as a greenhouse.

Beyond the garden is a large terrace with BBQ area adjacent to the orchard with 16 fruit trees, including different varieties of apple, plums, damson, quince, cherries, pears and medlar.

Further up the garden are the barns; an extremely spacious stone-faced long barn and a second smaller barn. Both could be converted into further accommodation given the necessary planning consents. (Planning permission has now expired for conversion of the smaller barn.)

Beyond the barns are two meadows with elevated views over the village. They are suitable for grazing sheep and other animals and separated by post and wire fencing. At the top of these is a gate giving access to Duncart Lane.

History
The ancient village of Croscombe It was first recorded in 706 when King Ine of Wessex referred to the village as Correges Cumb. Croscombe emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries with a boom in the wool trade. Parsonage Farm, it is believed, dates from the 15th Century. During the last century it was a dairy farm until 1965 and later became home to a family with 14 children! The present house reflects the many changes in its history.

Location
Croscombe is conveniently placed in a Conservation Area, on the edge of the Mendip Hills, within easy access of The City of Wells. The village has a Church of England Primary School (this is to be found opposite Parsonage Farm), The George Public House and has a church, chapel and a busy village hall with lots of activities taking place.
The Blue School and Wells Cathedral School for secondary education are both within 4 miles. A bus route connects Croscombe with Shepton Mallet (2 miles) and Wells (3 miles).
Croscombe is also convenient for Bath, Bristol, Glastonbury, Cheddar and for commuters. The motorway can be accessed M32 (J3) approx. 21 miles, M5 (J22) approx.17 miles, whilst railway stations include Castle Carey (approx. 10 miles) which arrives in London Paddington (1 hour 40 minutes). Bristol International Airport is approx. 20 miles away.

•Tenure: Freehold
•Council Tax: Mendip Council – Band G
•EPC: To follow
•All mains utilities connected