Acreman Street, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9

A beautifully presented and fully refurbished 18th century family house, full of original Georgian charm, including open fireplaces, flagstone flooring and window seats, with views across the town to the Abbey.

Once the home of William Bensly, an Old Shirburnian who went on to become a master at Sherborne School and tutor to Alan Turing until his death in 1943, Nowell House is a beautiful and classic example of a Georgian gentleman's townhouse. Outwardly it has changed little since it was built in the 18th century and unsurprisingly today is Grade II listed. The house is built of local sandstone with tall sash windows and a plain clay roof, with two storeys and a suite of attic rooms. It has an east/west axis to capture the best of the light throughout the day and has been refurbished recently to a high standard, with great care being taken to retain the charm of the interior. Original architectural fittings are everywhere and all the rooms are well proportioned with excellent ceiling heights and are filled with natural light. The ground floor contains four reception rooms including a later garden room at the rear plus an enchanting, fully fitted kitchen/breakfast room with a flagstone floor. Upstairs there are five double bedrooms, with the two main bedrooms, including the principal bedroom suite overlooking the garden and Sherborne Abbey's beautiful tower.

Nowell House fronts directly on to Acreman Street with the original front door, which shelters under a distinctive moulded architrave and pediment, opening on to the pavement running along the street. A side gate on one side of the house opens to a passage that leads through to the rear walled garden. The garden extends out from the rear of the house for about 20m and is bound by tall sandstone walls, which along with a variety of mature shrubs and trees provide the house with a high degree of privacy. The garden is dominated by a level lawn at its centre fringed by richly planted borders on three sides and by a paved terrace on its fourth, extending along the back of the house. Within the garden is a stone-built period outbuilding.

Nowell House is situated near the southern end of Acreman Street, which is an attractive residential street lined with period houses. It is only a short distance from Sherborne Abbey and the town's main shopping streets. Sherborne is home to a wide range of shops, local businesses and facilities including a Waitrose supermarket. For wider needs, larger towns within a reasonable driving distance include the regional centre of Yeovil, a 15-minute drive away via the A30, and the county town of Dorchester. Sherborne also has a train station within a 10 minute walking distance with direct services to Waterloo taking about 2.25 hours and Castle Cary, 12 miles away, has trains to Paddington, which take about 90 minutes. The town and local surrounding area also contain a superb choice of popular and highly regarded schools for children of all ages from both the state and independent sectors.