Shepton Beauchamp, Ilminster

A characterful Grade II listed family home, forming one half of this Grade II listed former rectory, in the heart of the village of Shepton Beauchamp, near South Petherton. The house offers an entrance hall, kitchen/dining room, chapel/reception room, sitting room, WC, five bedrooms, two bathrooms, private driveway, double garage, tennis court, ample parking and a good sized garden backing onto parkland behind.

Immediate Area - Shepton Beauchamp sits just under 3 miles West of South Petherton. The village itself has a great shop with a deli counter and café seating, a traditional village pub, primary school and pre-school, recreation ground with a children’s play area, a church and a village meadow. There is a fantastic events team that organize film nights, street parties and several other events throughout the year. The village has excellent walks in all directions.

South Petherton has a good range of independent shops, cafés, a thriving pub and much more including the award winning restaurant Holm.

The towns of Ilminster (3.8 miles) and Crewkerne (6.3 miles) offer a range of supermarkets and more independent shops and eateries. Crewkerne has a mainline train service direct to London Waterloo and Castle Cary (21 miles) has a fast service into London Paddington.
The larger towns of Yeovil (12.5 miles) and Taunton (15 miles) have a wider selection of high street shops and restaurants to choose from.
The World Heritage Jurassic Coast at Lyme Regis is just 20 miles away.

The House - Built between 1873-74, in the Victorian Gothic revival style, from local hamstone under a clay tiled roof. Cleverly divided into two separate homes in the 1970s this south-facing half sits within a generous and private plot, backing onto open parkland, and has a wonderfully homely and welcoming feel throughout.
In recent years the house has undergone a program of improvements, including re-landscaping of the gardens, the creation of a large, gravelled parking and turning area, refurbishment of gutters, windows, roof and garage roof along with updating of the electrics, plumbing and redecoration.

Interior - A stone and timber glazed porch leads from the terrace to the front door and into the entrance hall, with exposed floorboards underfoot.

To the right is the former chapel. Double doors open into this incredible space, which has served as a dining hall, playroom and party room over the years. Full of character, the chapel has a magnificent arch braced timber vaulted ceiling, a stained-glass rose window, tall arched windows, exposed local stone walls and a woodburning stove. A wonderfully versatile room, it is as impressive as it is welcoming. Historically it was used for daily prayer and confessions.

Opposite the chapel is the kitchen/dining room. The exposed timber floorboards from the entrance hall continue through into this lovely, light-filled room, with a stone mullion window to the front and a large window overlooking the garden to the rear. The fitted kitchen has timber-fronted cupboards, wooden worktops, an electric range cooker, an integrated dishwasher, a double Butler sink and a working open fireplace.
An arched opening from the kitchen leads into the spacious sitting room, with French doors opening onto the garden, original timber shutters and a central open fireplace flanked by fitted shelves and cupboards. To one side, a wide opening leads into an area that has historically been used as an office. A window seat sits beneath the large stone mullion windows, which perfectly frame the view across to the church. Also in this space is a built in desk with shelving above.

A door leads through to the inner hall, with a useful utility room to the left and an impressive staircase rising within a circular turret. A series of arched, leaded-glass windows line the stairwell, while a handy WC is tucked away beneath the stairs.

On the first floor are four double bedrooms, a single bedroom, a family bathroom and a separate shower room at the opposite end of the house. The family bathroom has a freestanding bath, separate shower cubicle and wonderful views towards St Michael’s Church. The wide landing is light and airy, with exposed wooden floorboards and another large window overlooking the church.

Outside - The house is approached via a shared driveway that leads to a private, gravelled driveway. The driveway runs to the side of the house, past the double garage (with a recent new roof), and ends in a large parking area to the front of the house. The total plot is just under 1.2 acres and includes a large terrace with plenty of entertaining space, and generous lawns with mature trees and borders that back onto open fields behind. To the front, behind the parking area, is an asphalt tennis court.

Services - Mains electricity, water and drainage. Oil central heating.

Local Authority - Somerset Council – Band G

Eaves Notes - There is a flying freehold with The Old Rectory next door so please do get in touch for further details on this.
There is evidence of a veranda in the original plans, running the length of the back of the house. Our clients have been advised that this could make an extension more favourable to planners but you should make your own enquiries if this is of interest.

Summary - A wonderful family home, forming one half of this Grade II listed former rectory, in the pretty village of Shepton Beauchamp. The house has great proportions, high ceilings and bags of character not least in the former chapel, turreted staircase and bell housing.