Frome, Somerset

Why We Love Selwood Manor

Selwood Manor is an exceptional Grade II listed house in the Jacobean style, built in warm local stone and approached via a long private drive, flanked by dry-stone walls and framed by mature trees and exquisite gardens. This is a place that reveals itself slowly: calm, secluded and full of character.

Over a five-year period, the house was meticulously renovated under the design direction of Jonathan Cooper, with the works carried out by Roy Pike & Son—master craftsmen now working almost exclusively at Longleat. The renovation touched every aspect of the house: from roof to cellar, with state-of-the-art plumbing, electrics, and heating discreetly embedded into the fabric of the building.

Floors were laid in oak and stone; beams were strengthened with hidden steel; the house was entirely replastered and redecorated with elegance and restraint. High-spec bathroom suites and a refined kitchen breakfast room were introduced, bringing quiet modernity without disrupting the soul of the building. Every element has been considered and executed with a deep respect for the past.

The Manor is entered via a porch that opens into a magnificent central drawing room with an open fireplace and views over the garden. From here, the house flows easily. To the north, the formal dining room leads into the kitchen breakfast room, and pantry; to the south, a more relaxed selection of rooms includes a sitting room and a family room. A wide oak staircase ascends to the first and second floors, where seven bedrooms and five bathrooms are elegantly arranged. Four of the bedrooms are en suite, including a generous principal bedroom with its own dressing room and en suite bathroom.

The house retains a number of original features: leaded windows, exposed beams, oak flooring, fine chimney pieces and a handsome oak staircase. Ceiling heights are generous, and almost every room has a garden view. In addition to the main living areas, the house includes a cloakroom, two downstairs loos, a utility room and a cellar.

In total, the Manor and its surrounding buildings—two original, two newly constructed—offer approximately 11,000 sq ft of living space, which includes a professional cinema, gym and heated outdoor swimming pool.

Glorious Gardens & Grounds

The gardens at Selwood Manor have been shaped with a painter’s eye. Lawns sweep gently away from the house, broken by clipped hedges, rose-covered pergolas and well-stocked borders. A climbing wisteria sprawls across the southern façade, and mature magnolia trees lend height and seasonal spectacle. To the right of the drive sits a lovely orchard with mature apple and cherry trees.  The overall effect is quietly romantic, with colour and texture that lasts year-round.

Tucked away within the walled garden is a newly built, energy-efficient swimming pool, complete with glass pool house and state-of-the-art heating and cover systems, all discreetly powered by a ground-source heat pump.

Garaging, ample storage and further parking are carefully set back from the house.

Further Accommodation

Cooper Hall
Cooper Hall is a superb music venue with sensational acoustics, designed for light, flexibility and calm. Seating around 100, it has played an integral role in the Frome Festival and regularly hosted musical and theatrical performances. Established in 2012 by the current owners under The Cooper Hall Foundation, it has served as a vibrant performance and educational venue for both the local and wider community.

It includes a kitchen, gym, changing rooms for the swimming pool and cinema room. It is air-conditioned and underfloor heated throughout via an eco ground source heat pump system, and looks out over a private sculpture garden and woodland backdrop. Attached to Cooper Hall is a glass pool house and the swimming pool. Cooper Hall is also accessed via its own drive and has extensive parking. 

Cottage
A charming two-storey cottage of c.1,075 sq ft with two double bedrooms, two reception rooms, bathroom and kitchen, finished to the same refined standards as the main house. It includes a private garden and offers independent accommodation ideal for guests or staff. The cottage is heated and cooled via an eco ground source heat pump system. 

But n' Ben
A newly built cottage of c.1,750 sq ft with a traditional exterior and contemporary interior. It features an open-plan kitchen and living space, a generous bedroom, and access to a wide terrace that overlooks the fields and River Frome. The reception room and terrace together offer a wonderful space for parties, quietly independent yet fully connected to the life of the property.

Living on The Edge of Frome

Selwood Manor enjoys a wonderfully private and secluded setting, occupying an elevated position on the edge of Frome — one of Somerset’s most admired market towns.

Approached via a single country lane and connected by a dedicated cycle path, the house lies just a short walk from the heart of Frome, offering a sense of rural calm within easy reach of the town’s many amenities.

Frome itself has garnered a national reputation as one of the most desirable places to live in the UK — regularly featured in The Sunday Times and other press for its creative energy, independent spirit and architectural charm. The town offers a lively collection of artisan shops, cafés and restaurants, as well as several supermarkets and good schooling. The Frome Festival brings a cultural vibrancy every summer, with music, art and literature events held alongside local favourites such as The Black Swan Arts Centre, the Cheese and Grain concert hall, and a charming independent cinema. 

Nearby, the City of Bath (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) offers further cultural depth — famed for its classical architecture and Roman baths, as well as its galleries, theatres and first-rate schooling. Both Bath and the surrounding area offer a wide choice of highly regarded schools, including Prior Park and Monkton Combe, as well as All Hallows, Downside, Warminster, Wells Cathedral School, Bruton and Millfield.

Further attractions include the fashionable Babington House (4 miles), Bruton with the Hauser & Wirth gallery and acclaimed restaurant at The Newt (around 11 miles), and the historic town of Glastonbury, some 20 miles away.

Transport

Transport links are excellent. Westbury and Bath Spa stations offer direct rail services to London Paddington (from 1 hour 22 minutes), while the M4 motorway is readily accessible via Junctions 17 and 18. Bristol Airport, approximately 50 minutes away, provides both domestic and international connections.

Chapters Past

The Saxon market town of Frome is saturated with history and boasts the second highest number of listed buildings of anywhere in Somerset, after nearby Bath. Selwood’s name is derived from the Selwood Forest, a vast and ancient swathe of woodland which once stretched from Gillingham to Chippenham, acting as a boundary between the two Saxon earldoms of east and west Wessex from the eighth until the early eleventh centuries and continuing as a rich royal hunting ground following the Norman conquest. Only a few scattered fragments of the forest survive today, designated as ancient woodland. The house itself dates from the late 17th century and was originally part of the Orchardleigh Estate. Once a tenanted farmhouse, it has been used for a number of different purposes over the years, including sheltering cattle during the Second World War.