Hill Butts House, Kingston Lacy, Dorset

New and old are closely attuned in this Grade II-listed Georgian house, nestled on the edge of the National Trust-owned Kingston Lacy Estate and close to the picturesque market town of Wimborne Minster. A creative extension by award-winning practice ZMMA transformed the home, adding light and volume to a building replete with hearty original details. The gardens around the house are complete with a large studio and workshop – also designed by ZMMA – which has been in use as a ceramics studio. In need of gentle updating, Hill Butts House presents itself as an exceptional opportunity for its next owners to make their mark.



The Building



The house was constructed in 1833 as the vicarage for the Kingston Lacy Estate; its period can be felt in its exacting symmetry and generous proportions. A comprehensive renovation took place in the 1980s/1990s, which included rewiring and new plumbing, including an LPG central heating system.



ZMMA designed the large studio/workshop/garage building and then extended the house in the early 2000s to provide a contemporary living space that opens onto the garden. Handsome original features, including a Purbeck stone fireplace and a sweeping staircase, remain in situ.



The Tour



Accessed via a small lane, Hill Butts House is set back from the road behind a front garden enclosed by traditional wrought railings, an established beech hedge and mature trees. Its Georgian frontage is punctuated by large sash windows and has an open portico supported by simple Doric columns. A first glimpse of the contemporary handmade brick and Welsh slate extension can be spotted on one side.



The front door opens to a hallway, which in turn leads to the formal dining room with an impressive Purbeck stone open fireplace, original shelves and cupboards, exposed floorboards, and a fine sash window with panelled sliding shutters.



From here, a pair of panelled doors leads into an underfloor-heated modern living room extension, where the ceiling height rises dramatically with an oak timber-clad vaulted ceiling, crowned by a central skylight. The skylight has been lined with ornate carvings depicting an acanthus leaf motif, referencing the classicism of the building’s original part.



A Stuv wood burner on a Purbeck stone hearth warms the room, while bespoke cabinetry lines one wall. Full-height folding/sliding glass doors open one end of the room entirely to the garden; a west-facing bay window provides beautiful green views out across an adjoining field towards the ancient Badbury Rings hill fort; and French windows open to the front garden.



A formal drawing room is across the entrance hall and is painted a soft-blue colour; it also has an open Purbeck stone fire surround. An original arched feature recess, moulding details, cornice and sash window with panelled shutters make this a sublimely detailed and traditional room.



To the rear of the house is the kitchen, which comprises bespoke solid oak cabinetry and worktops, a generous Belfast sink and an LPG Aga. A window seat sits around a bay window, providing the perfect place for a kitchen table and chairs, extending views into the garden. Solid, reclaimed teak parquet lines the floor. A scullery lies beyond, with a quarry tile floor and ample space/plumbing for white goods, under a solid mahogany counter-top. There is a further Belfast sink with a teak drainer. A cool pantry sits at the end,with shelves for jams, spices and other dry goods, and a Carrara marble counter. From the scullery a glazed door opens to the garden. A lobby leads through to a boot room with a quarry-tiled, ground-floor bathroom beyond.

Upstairs, the central galleried landing has space for sitting and looking out towards the front garden through a sash window. The four bedrooms radiate from this light-filled space. There is also a bathroom with a bath and a walk-in shower.



The principal bedroom has built-in display shelves and a wall of fitted wardrobes and drawers. Two of the bedrooms also have cast-iron fireplaces. The smallest bedroom, which has been used as a study, has pretty green views in two directions.



Outdoor Space



Largely laid to lawn, the rear garden is an attractive, secluded spot. It is predominantly laid to lawn, bordered in part by mixed hedgerow, as well as mature oak and silver birch trees. There is a useful garden storage area where the LPG storage tank is situated.



Clad in handmade Swanage brick and sawn timber boarding, the two-storey ZMMA-designed studio sits in the garden. It has espaliered apple trees along an external wall, and Iroko-framed windows and sliding doors. Internally, the space is filled with light and is finished with panels of Douglas fir ply. There is a separate door access to a studio to the rear, which is used as a pottery studio and is also lined with Douglas fir, and a further garden tool store with its own external access door.



To the side of the house is a gravelled car parking area with a log store and a useful outdoor tap.



The Area



There are plenty of shops close to the house, including a farm shop and tea rooms at Pamphill Dairy, together with a high-quality butcher. The beautiful Kingston Lacy House, which was remodelled by the architect Sir Charles Barry in the same years as the building of Hill Butts House, is close by. Walford Mill Crafts centre, White Mill, the River Stour, and Eye Bridge are also nearby.



A few minutes’ stroll away, the pretty hamlet of Pamphill with its avenue of trees and cricket pitch also has a lovely parish church, village hall, the cosy Vine Inn, and a primary school housed in beautiful historic buildings. The popular Queen Elizabeth’s School (secondary and sixth form) is a very short walk. There are state schools for all ages, and the surrounding area is well served by both grammar and independent schools, including Canford, Bryanston and Dumpton.



The thriving market town of Wimborne Minster is centred around a charming town square and has lively shopping with both independent shops and national chain stores, including Waitrose, a good range of pubs and restaurants, the Tivoli theatre/cinema, a museum, and the historic twin-towered Minster church.



There is easy access by road to the vibrant coastal towns and golden sandy beaches of Poole, Bournemouth, and the Isle of Purbeck, all of which also have mainline rail links to London Waterloo in around two hours. Beautiful countryside surrounds Hill Butts House in every direction, with lovely walks straight from the front door.



Close by is Cranborne Chase National Landscape, 380 square miles of gorgeous countryside featuring rare grass chalk lands, chalk escarpments, and ancient woodlands. To the south is the famous Jurassic Coast, which stretches from Old Harry Rocks, near Swanage, continuing for 95 miles to Orcombe Point in Exmouth, Devon. It is a hugely diverse and dramatic landscape, underpinned by a geology of global importance. In 2001, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the outstanding value of its rocks, fossils, and landforms.



Council Tax Band: G