Askerswell, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2

Originally two cottages built in the 19th century and unlisted, Grey Cottage has a lovely position beside the River Asker, which is little more than a strongly flowing stream at this point so close to its source. The cottage is set back from the junction in the middle of the village, known as The Square, and originally served as the local bakery, supplying bread by pony and cart to the surrounding villages. It is built of flint and stone under a tiled roof and has been extended over the years creating a wonderful family home that has most recently been sympathetically refurbished to a high standard over the past two years. It is full of character and has retained many of its original architectural fittings. These include flagstone and timber floors, several window seats, fireplaces (now fitted with woodburning stoves) and the baker's oven, which is now cleverly illuminated in what is now the hall at the rear of the cottage. The cottage faces east and west and so catches the best of the natural light throughout the day, with carefully positioned rooflights and internal windows ensuring that light reaches everywhere within the cottage.

It has four good sized reception rooms on the ground floor. These include a good-sized sitting room with windows on two sides that overlook the front garden and the river as it flows past and a charming, well-lit garden room that also looks out onto the front garden. The kitchen/breakfast room is centrally positioned between the dining and sitting rooms and therefore forms a natural family-centric hub. It is to die for too with a gorgeous, local Blue Lias stone flagged floor, window seat, electric Lacanche ranger cooker inset within the original range fireplace, a central island and has ample dining space.

Upstairs there are a total of five bedrooms. These includes a walk-through, single bedroom (and probably therefore only used occasionally) that connects the first floors of two original cottages. This in effect creates a “family wing” and a “guest wing”. The remaining four bedrooms are all doubles. The principal bedroom has steps down into a superbly equipped ensuite/dual access wet room equipped with a two-person sauna, large shower and a Japanese bath. The two remaining bedrooms in the “family wing” share a bathroom, whilst the two bedrooms in the “guest wing” share of the remaining bathroom and the downstairs shower room. A large attic room in the roof space has great potential as a second home office as it is light and airy and is centrally heated.


Grey Cottage has a front and back garden amounting to just under a quarter of an acre. The River Asker forms the property's northern boundary and the passing village lane the southern boundary. The front garden is enclosed by a mix of close-boarded timber fencing, shrubs and mature trees including a graceful flowering cherry tree. Paving immediately in front of the cottage gives way to a level lawn fringed by richly planted borders. To one side of the lawn are a summer house and garden store and at the far end is a small, screened orchard with a path to a pedestrian gate giving access to The Square. The rear garden is largely paved and is enclosed by a mix of stone walling and fencing. To one side of it is an attached outbuilding that once housed a stable for the pony and has been converted into a gym having formerly served as the premises for a small business. To one side of the rear garden is a raised vegetable garden incorporating four raised beds and a greenhouse. At the end of the rear garden is a parking area for a maximum of four cars adjacent to a double garage with an additional machinery store.

Grey Cottage is situated in the rural village of Askerswell, which lies along the upper reaches of the River Asker as it flows down strongly from the uplands of the Dorset National Landscape. The village is made up of mainly period stone properties and has a population of about 160 residents. Despite its small size, the village is a thriving community with a pretty, early 15th century parish church, village hall and a popular pub, The Spyway Inn, just outside the village. It is also only a fifteen minute drive from several lovely beaches along the Jurassic Coast. The centre of the nearby market town of Bridport is just four miles away and has a diverse selection of shops and local businesses including Waitrose and Morrisons supermarkets. It also has excellent recreational and social amenities including a health centre, dental and veterinary surgeries, leisure centre with a swimming pool, twice-weekly street market and a monthly farmers' market. The town is also home to a thriving literary and arts community hosting the Bridport Literary Festival. Although the cottage is tucked away it has good access onto the A35 to the south, the principal east/west arterial road connecting Bridport and Dorchester and the A37 to the north, which heads northwest to Yeovil. The major towns of Yeovil and Dorchester both have railway stations offering direct services to Waterloo, on the South West Main Line (two hours 16 minutes) and the West of England Main Line (two hours 33 minutes) respectively. In addition, Exeter and Bournemouth Airports are both only about an hour's drive away and provide flights to both UK and international destinations. The wider local area offers a wide choice of schools from both the state and independent sectors. This includes two CofE primary schools with a three-mile radius, the highly regarded Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester (state secondary) from the state sector plus Sunninghill, Perrott Hill, Lewiston and the Sherborne schools for those seeking private education.