A Substantial Georgian Farmhouse with Self-Contained Annexe in over Two Acres of Grounds in an Idyllic Rural Setting
This substantial grade 2 listed farmhouse offers incredibly versatile accommodation over three floors and has a two-bedroom annexe, giving scope for bed and breakfast (subject to the relevant consents being sought). The grounds offer a taste of ‘the good life’, having a vegetable garden, old pigsties and a small cider apple orchard.
Entrance Hall – Dining Room – Kitchen – Sitting Room Snug – Cloakroom – Utility – Reception / Games Room Study – Seven Bedrooms – Two Dressing Rooms – Four Bath / Shower Rooms – Cellar – Self-Contained Two Bedroom Annexe - Large Gardens – Parking – Paddocks - Outbuildings - Orchard – Open Rural Views
This substantial and welcoming farmhouse in Little Marcle is surrounded by Herefordshire countryside, yet close to road and rail links. The farmhouse is three miles from the market town of Ledbury, with schools from primary through secondary to Sixth Form, a high street full of independent retailers and a wide range of amenities. The railway station in Ledbury is on the Hereford to Paddington line and there are also regular links to Birmingham, New Street.
Hereford and Great Malvern are both 12 miles away, both with excellent independent schools and renowned theatres. The M50 motorway is seven miles away, providing swift and easy access to the M5 motorway for the Midlands, Gloucester, Cheltenham and Bristol; the road links south-east from Ross-on-Wye to Monmouth and Newport are also excellent.
The Property
Downstairs:The main door, at the rear of the farmhouse, is approached from the flagstone terrace and opens into the entrance hall.
To the left is the dining room which has ample space for entertaining a large number of family and guests. The dining room is open to the kitchen, maintaining an informal and welcoming feel to the property.
The kitchen has a range of bespoke, fitted units and a central island with black granite work-surfaces that complement the black, oil-fired Aga; the kitchen retains the rustic elegance of a period farmhouse and yet provides the modern touches desired today, including a large fridge-freezer and a dish-washer. The sash window looks out onto the large front garden.
Across the hallway is the sitting room: a well-proportioned room with an attractive, working fireplace and a large sash window to the front garden.
The snug, to the rear of the farmhouse, has a wood-burning stove and a door that opens onto the second staircase. The snug also leads through to the large utility room which houses the boiler and has extensive built-in storage; this room retains many original period features, including the old bread oven.
Next to the utility is the boot room, with ample hanging space for coats and a large built-in cupboard for boots and shoes. Beyond this room is the downstairs loo, with slate flooring and a Belfast sink.
One of the highlights of the farmhouse is the stunning reception/games room, over 10 metres, or 35’ long, which retains the original cider mill stone. This would be a superb room for entertaining, or as a large games room. It has a door out to the garden, a small entrance hall/study up the steps; it also has two doors into the adjoining annexe, offering enormous versatility with regards to ‘opening up’ the use of this room to those who live in the annexe too.
Upstairs:Upstairs, in the main house, there are four large bedrooms to the first floor, all with stunning views over the surrounding countryside. There is a beautifully-appointed family bathroom, with a television over the bath. One of the bedrooms has an en-suite shower room and a large dressing room, or study. The first floor feels airy and spacious and is well-lit via large sash windows.
The second staircase leads up to the second floor where there are three further well-proportioned bedrooms, all with far-reaching views. As with the first floor, one bedroom has an en-suite shower room and an adjacent dressing room or study and there is a large and well-appointed family bathroom to this floor. The attic room has no windows, but is used for storage.
The cellar can be accessed from within the farmhouse, via the spiral staircase in the main hallway, or from the outside. This is an unconverted space providing storage under the main house.
2 / 3 Bedroom Annex:The annexe has its own front door as well as connecting doors to the main house, keeping this as separate or as connected as one would like.
The annexe has a kitchen/dining room to the ground floor, a bathroom and one of two double bedrooms.
Upstairs, there is a sitting room or dressing room that leads through to the first floor bedroom.
The door connecting the annex to the main property leads into the Ciderpress room - this can be amalgamated as part of the main living space; creating the annex main sitting room.
The annex also provides its own postcode and has previously been rented out to families.
Outside:The driveway sweeps alongside the orchard and around the farmhouse to the large gravelled parking area to the rear; there is a small spur providing parking for the annexe. The orchard is still productive and apples have been harvested in the past and shipped to a local cider maker!
Adjacent to the orchard is a fenced paddock, with vehicular access, which contains raised vegetable beds and the old pigsties that have been used for storage. The views from this part of the grounds are over the adjacent fields and countryside.
The main garden, to the front of the farmhouse, is level and mainly laid to lawn with a large terrace with a pergola: ideal for entertaining. The maturing beech hedge to the boundary maintains a sense of privacy from the lane.
Practicalities:Herefordshire council tax band F
Tax band A for the annexe
Mains water and electricity
Shared drainage (£20 per month each for the farmhouse and the annexe)
Oil-fired central heating
Broadband is available in the property
Directions:From Hereford, take the A438 towards Ledbury for approximately 10 miles. Turn right at the Trumpet crossroads, onto the A4172 towards Little Marcle and Gloucester. Two miles along the road, turn left onto Little Marcle Road. After a short distance, take the first left onto the driveway for Brook Farm.