Historic Silver Street - a prime lane of the 'old village'.

A fabulous double-fronted Georgian village house dating from 1830 and, therefore, one of only a small handful of homes of this period in Nailsea. Presented in first-class order throughout, the house has been carefully restored and enhanced to create an exceptionally comfortable four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom home, complemented by picturesque, completely private gardens and a stunning David Salisbury conservatory.

The house has long been a landmark property in Nailsea and is deservedly much admired, with local rumour suggesting that it was once the village dental surgeon’s house. Whatever the precise history, the attractive classical façade creates an immediate impression of quality and careful presentation, and the house more than lives up to that first impression. The accommodation flows beautifully, and, although The Ferns has been comprehensively updated in recent years, every newer addition sits naturally alongside the original features, resulting in a charming period home of great warmth and very comfortable proportions.

Among the many improvements, one particularly notable addition is the exceptional David Salisbury conservatory, designed for year-round enjoyment. Elegant in appearance and beautifully judged in scale, it suits the house wonderfully and draws the living space out into the garden in a way that feels entirely natural.

The house occupies a tremendously convenient position on Silver Street, one of the oldest village lanes in Nailsea, where there is an appealing variation of neighbouring properties and easy, level access to local amenities, including a nearby greengrocer. The town centre lies only a quarter of a mile to the east, yet the property remains away from busy through routes.

The House

By any standard, the property is a beautiful home that has been deftly enhanced and is tastefully decorated throughout.

The gabled porch is approached across a paved forecourt and has slate bench seats to either side, a flagstone floor and a panelled front door with an iron bell pull set to one side.

From here, the porch opens into the reception hall, where a lovely light natural wood period herringbone wood-block floor sets the tone and continues through into the reception rooms. There is a staircase rising to the first floor and what are likely to be original stripped and waxed panel doors opening to the principal rooms. A passage hall continues through the house to a pretty half-glazed door that draws the eye towards a magnificent conservatory beyond, while the kitchen, a utility cupboard and a cloakroom are also arranged off the hall.

The delightful sitting room would once have been two separate rooms, though the present arrangement works far better as a single, well-balanced space. It enjoys a dual aspect, with a high-performance, almost new double-glazed sash window to the front and French windows opening to the conservatory and garden beyond. The focal point is an impressive fireplace with exposed local stonework, an open flagstone hearth, exposed natural stone piers and an oak bressummer with an inset multifuel stove.

On the opposite side of the hall, the second reception room offers excellent flexibility, serving equally well as a formal dining room, a generous study or a family room. This too is a room of good size, with an almost full-drop sash window, again new double-glazed and uPVC-framed to match all the front windows; a dressed limestone open-hearth fireplace; an alcove with a display shelf that was probably once a doorway; and a further display niche. Local rumour has it that this room was formerly, around a century ago, the village dentist’s consulting room. Many still refer to The Ferns as the old dentist's house or the doctor's house, as a local doctor and a professor lived here in the last century, and Hensons sold the house to them both on each occasion. Hence, we know the property well, and every time it has been tremendously popular given the real scarcity of houses of this era in the area and, of course, the exceptional quality of this example.

The kitchen looks through the conservatory towards the rear garden and is well fitted with a wide range of bespoke traditional-style wall and floor cupboards with pine-profiled tiled worktops. There is an inset double-bowl vitreous enamel sink with a period-style brass mixer tap over it and matching tiled surrounds, a Range cooker with an extractor hood above and Fired Earth floor tiles. Plumbing is provided for a dishwasher, while a former doorway creates an ideal recess for an upright fridge freezer. There is also enough space for a breakfast table.

The utility cupboard provides useful storage together with provision for a washing machine, with scope for a stacked tumble dryer if required, while the adjoining cloakroom is an invaluable practical addition.

To the rear, the conservatory is perfectly placed to enjoy dappled shade until later in the afternoon, helping to keep the room comfortable while making the most of its enchanting outlook over the terrace and the completely private gardens beyond. Spanning the rear of the house, this very elegant addition was designed and built by David Salisbury and is a wonderful place from which to enjoy the garden even on the most inclement of days. The specification includes double-glazed Pilkington K solar-reflective glass with a matching roof. Double doors open to the terrace, there are plenty of opening casement windows for ventilation, and the sandstone floor even features small ferns etched into some of the stones.

On the first floor, the landing has more stripped and waxed original panel doors opening to each room, including the bathroom, a separate WC and a spacious shower room. The four bedrooms are all well proportioned, three being doubles, while two have fitted wardrobes. High ceilings and sash windows allow light to flood in and add greatly to the sense of space.

The bathroom is fitted with a white suite comprising a cast-iron enamel bath with an electric shower over and a pedestal washbasin. There is a casement window to the rear, a towel rail radiator and complementary tiled surrounds. The separate WC has a matching suite and a smaller window, while the shower room is well appointed with a double walk-in shower enclosure and a thermostatically controlled power shower. The wash basin has a large vanity unit beneath it and a mirrored display unit; there is a towel rail radiator, and a large airing cupboard houses the hot water cylinder and the gas central heating boiler, which has plenty of slatted shelving.

Outside

The house stands back from Silver Street, with the front boundary formed by a substantial natural stone wall and a wide gateway opening to the drive and block-paved forecourt.

The forecourt has good patina and is framed by deep, low-walled beds with  flagstone coping and colourful planting. There is ample parking and turning space, together with room for a boat, caravan or motorhome. It should also be noted that a pair of gates is stored in the garage and could be rehung if required, with scope for automation should a future owner wish to do so.

The drive leads to the excellent detached double garage, fitted with a new remote-controlled automatic roller door, lighting and power. To the rear of the garage building there is also a useful workshop with two rear windows, lighting, power and personnel doors opening to the garden.

The exquisite mature gardens are an absolute picture. A broad flagstone terrace adjoins the conservatory and is flanked by raised stone-walled borders, while a herb garden is arranged to one side and the shaped beds are planted with a fabulous selection of specimen shrubs and bushes. A couple of gentle steps lead down to the sheltered lawn, which is largely enclosed by further local stone walls, with additional timber panel fencing screening from a variety of mature trees, including a weeping willow.

A path returns to the front of the house via a gravelled area framed by further flowering plants and shrubs, with the path lined by conical box bushes inside a wrought iron gate.

Handsome double-fronted Georgian village house dating from 1830

One of only a small handful of homes of this period in Nailsea

Beautifully restored and enhanced while retaining original character

Four well-proportioned bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms

Two elegant reception rooms with excellent versatility

Stunning David Salisbury conservatory designed for year-round use

Bespoke traditional-style kitchen with space for breakfast dining

Completely private mature gardens with broad terrace and herb garden

Ample forecourt parking, turning space and room for caravan or motorhome

Detached double garage with adjoining workshop, lighting and power