Alton Barnes, Marlborough, Wiltshire

The Old Rectory is a stunning Grade II listed Queen Anne house situated in the highly desirable village of Alton Barnes in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the edge of the Marlborough Downs. The property has been in the same family ownership for over 60 years, having been acquired from the Church at that time. The Old Rectory sits in beautiful grounds looking across at the ancient Saxon church of St Mary, for which it was formerly the rectory. The house offers wonderful accommodation with elegant, well-proportioned rooms and numerous large sash windows, filling the house with natural light. Much of the original period detailing has been preserved including wooden shutters, panelling and architraves. The reception hall is central to the house and leads through to all the ground floor reception rooms, including a formal dining room and charming sitting room/study, both with open fireplaces and large windows giving views across the grounds at the front of the house. There is also a spacious family room, and a kitchen/breakfast room recently fitted with a range of bespoke cabinets, smart worktops and a large central island. Beyond the kitchen is a boiler room/boot room, and there is also a utility room and cloakroom on the ground floor. An elegant turning staircase leads up to the first floor where there is an impressive drawing room with three large sash windows giving views of the church and countryside beyond. There are four bedrooms on this floor, one with an en suite bathroom, as well as a family bathroom and additional separate WC. A secondary staircase leads up to the top floor where there are 3-4 further bedrooms and a box room/former bathroom with plumbing still in place, now offering excellent scope for updating and further enhancement. There is also a separate self contained annexe with bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living area.

The gardens and grounds are surrounded by mature trees and hedges providing a peaceful setting with views of the surrounding hills and countryside including the Alton Barnes white horse, a chalk hill figure dating back to the early 19th century. Sweeping lawns create a wonderful backdrop to The Old Rectory, and the view across to the church is unchanged for centuries. The formal gardens close to the house have been designed creating different garden rooms, with rows of mature Irish yews, and an orchard of different fruiting trees, housed within a framework of smart beech hedges. A south-west facing courtyard garden at the rear of the house is ideal for outside entertaining, and for enjoying the afternoon and evening sunshine. There is also a wonderful woodland area filled with snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils in the Spring.The property is approached from a small village lane across a smart gravel driveway leading to the front of the house. A courtyard area to the side provides a parking area for several vehicles beside the garage.

Alton Barnes is a popular village on the edge of the Pewsey Vale, with a fantastic local community and easy access to the facilities of Marlborough and Pewsey, as well as fabulous walking and riding country. The village is surrounded by farmland and rolling countryside, and there are wonderful walks along the towpath of the Kennet and Avon canal and the surrounding countryside. Local amenities include a church and village hall, as well as a popular pub, The Barge Inn, and a nearby cafe. Pewsey offers a wide range of local facilities including a primary school, station, large supermarket, two cafes, several pubs, a leisure centre and a tennis club, and the beautiful market town of Marlborough also offers an excellent range of amenities including a Waitrose supermarket and several cafes, restaurants and pubs. The larger towns of Hungerford, Newbury, Salisbury, Swindon and Devizes provide further amenities catering for most day to day needs. Communications in the area are very good with direct train services from Pewsey or Swindon into London Paddington, and easy access to the M4 (J15). There is a wide choice of highly regarded schools in the area.