Martley, Worcester

A distinguished Grade II Queen Anne residence with cottage, pool, equestrian facilities, formal gardens and pastureland extending to approximately thirteen acres.

• Substantial Queen Anne home with eight bedrooms and five bathrooms

• Orangery with glazed lantern roof opening to the terrace

• Extensive equestrian facilities with stables, tack room, feed room and an all–weather menage

• Two-bedroom cottage and versatile barns for ancillary use

• Features one of the country’s largest private collections of wild orchids, set within glorious, formal gardens with walled sections, herbaceous borders and a wild, seeded garden

• Tree-lined driveway leading to extensive parking and garaging

• Edge of village location near both a primary and secondary school, village shop and two pubs within walking distance

• Extensive walking routes and easy access to the nearby Malvern Hills, with Worcester approximately 7 miles, Junction 7 of the M5 motorway approximately 9 miles and Birmingham approximately 29 miles away

The Entrance Hall
The entrance hall forms a gracious welcome, with marble flooring complete with underfloor heating and a high ceiling with detailed cornicing. A graceful staircase rises from an arched opening, and panelled doors radiate to the principal reception rooms, hinting at the scale and elegance beyond.

The Kitchen and Breakfast Room
Designed for everyday cooking and informal dining, the kitchen features painted fitted units, granite worktops and a central island with a circular oak breakfast bar. A four-door oil fired AGA is set into a tiled chimney with decorative overmantel with extractor fan. Tiled floors run through into the Orangery.

The Orangery
The orangery is a wonderful entertaining space with a glazed lantern roof complete with electric blinds and window vents. Underfloor heated limestone flooring and a contemporary inset wall-mounted gas fire adds year-round appeal. Arched French doors frame views of the walled gardens and pool beyond and double doors open to the al fresco terraced dining area.

The Drawing Room
The formal drawing room is arranged for gracious gatherings around a handsome Adams-style marble fireplace with Firemaster grate. A broad bay window overlooks the garden with decorative cornicing, panelled doors and arched alcoves with mirrored backs giving the room elegance and reflecting the property’s period heritage.

The Living Room
A further reception room offers a more relaxed setting with a wood-burning stove set into a traditional stone fireplace. Sash windows are framed by panelled reveals and painted ceiling beams with deep skirting boards speak to the home’s character. A connecting door links to the Reading Room and Study beyond.

The Reading Room and Study
Ideal for reading or homework, the Reading Room includes and deep fireplace recess leading to the Study with built-in bookcases and cupboards, a simple fireplace surround and stripped wood flooring, providing a quiet workspace away from the main reception rooms. A second larger heated office is also located outside the main house, across the courtyard, in the outbuilding.

The Family Bathroom
A half-landing leads to the family bathroom with a large shower, enormous bath and WC, together with a raised stone vessel wash basin set above useful storage cabinetry, plus a walk-in airing cupboard with concealed boiler.

The First-Floor Landing
At first floor level a generous landing acts as a sitting area, with tall sash windows and deep skirting boards. The original balustrade continues from the main staircase and doors lead off to four large bedrooms, two with en-suites and two served by the family bathroom.

The Principal Bedroom and En-suite
The principal bedroom forms a restful retreat with a projecting bay window enjoying garden views and evening sunlight. Moulded cornicing adds elegance and fitted cupboards flank the bay. A door leads through to the en-suite bathroom.

The Principal En-suite
This room blends contemporary fittings with period charm. A large free-standing bath and a separate glass-screened shower are complemented by a pedestal basin and WC. Twin double-glazed casement windows overlooking the courtyard allows an abundance of light. Chrome towel radiators with electric underfloor heating beneath the tiled floor ensure warmth and fitted hanging cupboards, drawers and shelving ensure ample storage.

The Second Bedroom
The second bedroom enjoys half – panelled walls leading to moulded cornicing. Two large sash windows with shallow bays allow stunning views across the formal garden and sunlight floods the room in the morning. High ceilings enhance the sense of space.

The Second Bedroom En-suite
Serving the second bedroom, this generous bathroom offers a panelled bath, a large walk-in shower with glass enclosure and a pedestal basin. Panelled tiles reflect the bedroom, a large heated towel rail and electric underfloor heating beneath the tiles combine tradition with modern facilities.

The Third Bedroom
The third bedroom is another large double room with twin sash windows with panelled inserts overlooking the formal gardens. A decorative fireplace and hearth provides character. Glorious morning sunlight floods this bedroom.

The Fourth Bedroom
The fourth bedroom enjoys dual windows and the room’s generous proportions lend flexibility for family or guest use.

The Second-Floor...

The Fifth Bedroom and En-suite
The fifth bedroom is notable for its deep bay window framing views of the grounds. High ceilings and a period fireplace add focus. The room allow benefits from a built in cupboard for additional storage. Shared between the fifth bedroom and second floor kitchen, the Jack-and-Jill shower room nestles under a sloping ceiling with an exposed beam. A corner shower with glass enclosure, pedestal basin and WC complete the space.

The Sixth Bedroom
The sixth bedroom includes a Victorian fireplace with timber surround and cast-iron grate. Two deep sash windows with window seats overlook the front driveway.

The Seventh and Eighth Bedrooms
The seventh bedroom is a spacious room with exposed beams and dormer windows to both sides. It benefits from outstanding views over the Church to the hills beyond. It has a small period fireplace and two built-in cupboards to maximise space. The eighth bedroom features two sash windows overlooking the front drive, with original wooden floorboards and is currently used as storage.

The Second-Floor Bathroom
This bathroom combines a spacious panelled bath, a separate glass enclosed shower, a pedestral basin and WC. Tongue-and-groove wainscoting, a heated towel rail and a dormer window lend light and space.

The Second-Floor Kitchen and Sitting Room
Serving the top floor, the second floor kitchen has fitted cabinets and a red tiled splashback set beneath a sloping ceiling beam. A window sits in the gable and there is space for informal food preparation and facilities for making that early morning cup of tea precluding the need to walk to the main kitchen downstairs. Adjacent is a small sitting room, providing peace and tranquillity away from the main household.

The Gardens
Designed by Webbs of Wychbold, the gardens are arranged as a series of intimate outdoor rooms. Formal lawns edged with clipped hedges and brick walls frame herbaceous borders, arched gateways and pergolas, creating varied spaces for relaxing and entertaining. Gravel paths wend through the secret garden with its abundance of floral attractions.

A wildflower meadow bursts into colour in the spring and early summer and is said to contain one of the largest private collections of wild orchids in the country. Mature trees provide shelter and there is a spring-fed pool attracting wildlife and reflecting the seasonal colours. The gardens were designed by Webbs and, although extensive, are largely evergreen and surprisingly easy to maintain, melding structure and softness in a timeless fashion.

Beyond the formal sections lies a productive kitchen garden and orchard with vegetable beds and a large asparagus bed providing fresh produce. There is also a fruit cage with strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and gooseberries grown in abundance. There are also a number of varieties of espaliered fruit trees and a greenhouse allows for home-grown produce.

The Courtyard
An intimate paved courtyard forms a natural extension of the home, ideal for al fresco dining. Stone flags and raised beds are enclosed by high brick walls and evergreen hedging, while a timber pergola draped in grape vine provides dappled shade.

The Swimming Pool
Within a sheltered walled courtyard is the heated swimming pool, edged by a broad stone terrace for seating. A brick pool house and changing facilities flank the pool and climbing plants soften the walls, creating a private suntrap adjoining the gardens.

The Equine Facilities
The equestrian facilities include an all-weather menage enclosed by post-and-rail fencing, ideal for schooling and jumping. Nearby is a courtyard of timber and brick stables with three/four loose boxes, a tack room, feed store and stable/washbox arranged around a hardstanding yard with gated access with hot and cold running water. An additional yard away from the main yard houses a large mare and foal stable and one other additional stable allowing for peace and quiet.

The Land
The property is complemented by about 13 acres of pasture divided into secure paddocks with post-and-rail fencing and hedged boundaries. A mix of level grazing and gently rolling pasture surrounds the house and buildings, affording attractive views over neighbouring farmland and providing grazing or amenity land.

The Cottage
A two-bedroomed cottage on site provides attractive ancillary accommodation. Currently let to tenants allowing for income generation. The cottage includes a sitting room with fireplace and wood burning stove, a spacious kitchen again with a wood burning stove, two first-floor bedrooms, a very generous bathroom with shower, bath, pedestal basin and WC and slightly separate from the heart of the cottage a good sized office up a back staircase. The cottage benefits from double-glazed windows and LPG central heating to radiators.

The Outbuildings
A range of outbuildings includes two large barns, a party room, a double garage, wood store, boot room, boat house, dovecote, large pool changing room, pool pump room, stableyards, tack room, feedstore and a large dog kennel housing up to 8 dogs with a concrete enclosed run with a secure steel door. CCTV covers all the external approaches, stable yard and outbuildings.

The Approach
The tree-lined drive, with electric gates, sweeps past wildflower banks and mature trees, framed by stone gate piers, to reveal the handsome Queen Anne façade. A second gated drive provides separate access to the equestrian yard and outbuildings, ensuring practicality without compromising the sense of arrival.

Location
Martley is a popular village set amid rolling Worcestershire countryside, approximately 7 miles from Worcester. The village offers a high school, primary school, village shop, separate post office, garage and pub. Worcester provides wider shopping, leisure and cultural facilities, while Junction 7 of the M5 motorway lies around 9 miles away, giving access towards Birmingham, approximately 29 miles distant, and beyond to London. The nearby Malvern Hills and surrounding footpaths provide excellent walking and riding countryside.

Services
The property benefits from mains electricity, water and drainage. Heating is provided via electric systems, underfloor heating, oil-fired heating, woodburning/multi-fuel stove and an air source heat pump serving the swimming pool.

Broadband Speed: Superfast broadband available. Download speeds up to 65 Mbps and upload speeds up to 15 Mbps (source: Ofcom checker).

Mobile Coverage: Likely available from EE, Three, Vodafone and O2 (source: Ofcom checker).

Flood Risk (Long-term forecast): According to the Environment Agency’s long-term flood risk data, the property is currently at very low risk for river and surface water flooding.

Barbers Cottage: Council tax band - D

EPC
This property is exempt from the requirement to provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), as it is a listed building and compliance with the minimum energy performance requirements would unacceptably alter its character or appearance.

Council tax band H

Reservation Fee - refundable on exchange

A reservation fee, refundable on exchange, is payable prior to the issue of the Memorandum of Sale and after which the property may be marked as Sold Subject to Contract. The fee will be reimbursed upon the successful Exchange of Contracts.

The fee will be retained by Andrew Grant in the event that you the Buyer withdraws from the purchase or does not Exchange within 6 months of the fee being received other than for one or more of the following reasons:

1. Any significant material issues which individually are more than 1% of the agreed purchase price and are highlighted in a survey and were not evident or drawn to the attention of you, the Buyer, prior to the Memorandum of Sale being issued.
2. Serious and material defect in the seller’s legal title.
3. Local search revealing a matter that has a material adverse effect on the market value of the property that was previously undeclared and not in the public domain.
4. The vendor withdrawing the property from sale.

The reservation fee will be 0.5% of the accepted offer price for offers below £800,000 and 1% for offers of £800,000 or over. This fee, unless specified otherwise, is payable upon acceptance by the vendor of an offer from a buyer and completion of an assessment of the buyer’s financial status and ability to proceed.

Should a buyer’s financial position regarding the funding of the property prove to be fundamentally different from that declared by the buyer when the Memorandum of Sale was completed, then the Vendor has the right to withdraw from the sale and/or the reservation fee retained. For example, where the buyer declares themselves as a cash buyer but are in fact relying on an unsecured sale of their property. The reservation fee will not be refunded where there is an inability on the part of the Buyer to raise any required mortgage after the Memorandum of Sale is completed.

Once the reservation fee has been paid, any renegotiation of the price stated in the memorandum of sale for any reason other than those covered in points 1 to 3 above will lead to the reservation fee being retained. A further fee will be levied on any subsequent reduced offer that is accepted by the vendor. This further fee will be subject to the same conditions that prevail for all reservation fees outlined above.