Marnhull, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, DT10

The Grange, situated in the thriving and popular village of Marnhull, is a striking and fully refurbished family home offering six double bedrooms, each with an ensuite or adjoining bath/shower room, a self-contained ground-floor annexe, garaging, outdoor heated swimming pool and a hard tennis/pickleball court. Built of local sandstone with distinctive Ham stone dressings, The Grange has three storeys, a suite of attic rooms and a cellar beneath the kitchen. It has been the current owner's family home for the past 15 years and over that period has been completely transformed to an extremely high standard. Today it is an enchanting, comfortable home with a wonderfully light and airy feel throughout. All the rooms flow well into each other, are well-proportioned and generously sized, with the two main reception rooms, the kitchen/ breakfast room and five of the house’s bedrooms facing south west, with views over the grounds to the surrounding countryside. The interior has several fine fireplaces, impressive joinery, moulded coving and window seats, along with spectacular stone and timber flooring, a mass of fitted wardrobes and cupboards and a superb kitchen fitted with handmade, painted timber units and a four-oven AGA. Upstairs there are four double bedrooms on the first floor and two in the attic, one being a twin. The main bedroom is a suite of rooms with adjoining bathroom and dressing room which can be turned into an occasional bedroom. The gardens and grounds extend on three sides of the house and back onto unspoilt countryside, ensuring exceptional privacy.

Designed by the current owner, a broad terrace with a fountained lily pond spans the rear of the property and creates an excellent setting for entertaining. Stone steps rise to a large, level lawn encircled by a series of “garden rooms,” which include a heated swimming pool with pool house/office. The office can be accessed via a separate entrance from the main front door. Other features are an arboretum of specimen trees, a wildflower meadow, part of the original apple orchard, a tennis/pickleball court, a hornbeam avenue, a kitchen garden with store and raised beds, a cedar stand with a tree house, and mature willows marking the far boundary.
This property offers the rare combination of a welcoming village community alongside unrivalled privacy and seclusion perfect for those looking for a more rural way of life, an active village lifestyle, a wealth of local amenities and practical connections to London.

The Grange is situated in the popular, thriving village of Marnhull, which has an active community with excellent amenities including a post office, village hall, two primary schools, GP surgery/pharmacy, garage, two pubs and two local shops, selling local
produce. Most daily needs can be met in the nearby towns of Sturminster Newton, Gillingham and Shaftesbury, with Sherborne only 20 minutes away. There are direct rail services from Gillingham to Waterloo (2 hours) and from Castle Cary to Paddington (90 minutes), with Bristol, Bournemouth and Exeter airports all within reasonable driving distance. Dorset is renowned for its wide choice of excellent schools - both state and independent. Gillingham School for secondary education is highly regarded attracting many privately educated Sixth Form students and there are many independent schools nearby. Those within a 10-mile radius inc. Port Regis, Clayesmore, Hanford, Sherborne boys/girls, Knighton House, Leweston, Sandroyd and Bryanston.