Grass Hill, Hardington Mandeville, Somerset

This five-bedroom, Grade II-listed thatched cottage in Hardington Mandeville, Somerset, dates from the 15th century. Once home to the village carter, it has been sensitively adapted throughout the years and retains many of its original features, including stone-mullioned windows with hamstone dressings, large inglenook fireplaces and exposed timber beams. The house is surrounded by verdant gardens filled with mature trees, a private well, a summer house and a greenhouse. Though absorbed in its countryside setting, connections to London are excellent, with direct trains running to Waterloo in two hours and 20 minutes from Yeovil station.



Setting the Scene



Hardington Mandeville is an ancient village that takes part of its name from the Saxon word ‘Heordingstown’, or ‘shepherd’s town’, while ‘Mandeville’ records the ownership of the de Mandeville family who obtained it at the time of the Norman conquest. Grass Hill is one of the oldest buildings in the village, with its roots in the 15th century. Two dates etched into the wall near the front door, 1665 and 1687, record the installation of the chimneys and stone-mullioned windows that help to lend the house its character.



Originally arranged over a single floor and open to the rafters, an upper floor was also installed in the late 17th century, accessed via two winding staircases. In the 19th century, the house was extended to include a cart-house on its right-hand side; its occupier during this period was the local village carrier, who transported villagers and their goods to and from the market town of Yeovil.



The Grand Tour



A timber gate set into a neat rubble wall forms the approach to this exceptional cottage. Through a verdant cottage garden planted with hydrangeas, roses, an acer, poppies, ox eye daisies and much more, its wide thatched porch frames a timber front door.



Inside, an entrance hall with flagstone flooring leads to a welcoming sitting room to the right of the plan. Here, a large inglenook fireplace has stone benches on either side of the log burner, while an alcove in the wall was once used as a bread oven. White panelling on the walls is complemented by dark exposed timber beams, while leaded casement windows fill the room with light.



A clay-tiled inner hall sits adjacent, leading to a bright snug tucked away at the rear. In this part of the house, which was added in the 19th century, there is also a study, a boot room and a guest WC.



A voluminous dining room sits to the left of the entrance hall. Neat parquet flooring runs underfoot, and there is a recessed alcove in the place where an inglenook fireplace would have once stood. A window seat is positioned beneath tall casement windows that look out towards the front of the house.



In the kitchen, a pillar box-red Aga sits in an alcove with tiled splashback. Cabinetry is washed in an off-white hue, and a Belfast sink is inset into its wooden worktops. Grey flagstones run underfoot, while original timber beams are intersected overhead. A pantry with a stable door to the garden provides additional storage space.



From the dining room, an elm staircase winds up to the first floor. The principal bedroom lies to the left of the plan, its wood-panelled walls painted in white and pastel blue. It has fitted storage and a spacious dressing room with a pitched ceiling. The original chimney breast forms part of the dressing room wall, and wooden floorboards run underfoot. An oak staircase, believed to date from c.1470, descends from here to the kitchen, and there is an en suite shower room.



A further two bedrooms sit on the main first-floor landing, each with exposed timber beams. A shared bathroom has a freestanding bathtub and is finished with neat tiling and wood panelling.



Accessed from a third staircase in the extension on the right-hand side of the plan, there are two further double bedrooms, each illuminated by light from leaded windows. There is a shared shower room, plus a box room.



The Great Outdoors



The house is surrounded by verdant gardens to the front and to the rear. Two distinct paved patio areas provide opportunities for outdoor dining and entertaining, and the garden is a paradise for green-fingered gardeners. It has a vegetable garden, a greenhouse, a polytunnel and fruit cages, perfect for growing strawberries and raspberries. Apple and apricot trees provide additional fruit, and there is also a glorious oak tree. A summer house is the perfect spot for relaxing after an afternoon of pottering.



The garden is also home to a pretty well with a pump, stone surround and tiled roof. There is parking for six cars, in addition to a garage with an attached workshop and separate loft area.



Out and About



Grass Hill lies in Hardington Mandeville, a quiet village on the leafy outskirts of Yeovil. Just north of the Dorset National Landscape and east of the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it lies within a peaceful part of Somerset, surrounded in the immediate vicinity by field upon field of pastureland.



It is brilliantly positioned between some of the South West's most coveted towns and delightful stretches of countryside, making it a fantastic foothold for discovering all that Somerset, Devon and Dorset have to offer. Hardington Mandeville has a convenience store and post office, a village hall and a pub, The Royal Oak, which serves a wonderful Sunday roast.



The nearby village of West Coker has a butcher, a doctor's surgery and two pubs. In Yeovil, a number of larger supermarkets can be found, including outposts of Waitrose and M&S Simply Food.



Only slightly further afield is Sherborne, a pretty historic market town. A stellar offering of shops can be found here, as can its monthly farmers' market. There are some excellent food spots too: The Cross Keys is an atmospheric pub that serves locally sourced food and drink, and The Green has a Michelin Bib Gourmand award as well as a pretty terrace garden.



There are several National Trust properties within easy reach of Grass Hill, including Montacute House, Tintinhull Garden and Barrington Court. Only slightly further afield, to the north and north-east respectively, are Glastonbury Tor and Stourhead. The coast is also within easy reach, with Lyme Regis and its wonderful shops, restaurants and coffee shops around a 50-minute drive south. From here, the Jurassic Coast - a 96-mile-long UNESCO World Heritage Site - can be explored, as can the South West Coast Path.



There are plenty of schools within easy reach of the house, including West Coker CofE VC Primary School and Holy Trinity Church School, with several state-run secondary options in Yeovil. Sherborne has several well-regarded private options, including Sherborne Prep, Sherborne School and Sherborne Girls.



Yeovil Junction station is a 17-minute drive from the house, and runs services both east and west, to London Waterloo in two hours and 20 minutes, or to Exeter St David's in a little over an hour. The A37 is also a short drive away.



Council Tax Band: G