A graceful and unlisted period stone house with a beautiful garden, guest cottage and views of the Blackmore Vale.
Set up above the village, Kites Nest House has a fantastic and very private position near the end of a no-through lane, where its elevated setting provides both privacy and far reaching views over the village and the beautiful, unspoilt countryside beyond. The house was built in 1927 and then extended in 2006 using local greensand stone to an elegant south-east/south-west facing design that ensures that the views can be appreciated from the maximum number of rooms. Tall ceilings combined with its position ensure that it has a wonderfully light and airy feel throughout. Recent improvements include fitting double-glazed windows, upgrading the insulation and replacing two of the first floor bathrooms. The ground floor has a centrally positioned hall with a tiled floor, a door leading out onto the terrace and a fine oak staircase rising to the galleried first floor landing. At one end of the hall are the elegant sitting room, which has an open fireplace and the good-sized study/snug, which has a wood-burning stove. At the other end are the dining room and adjacent kitchen/breakfast room, which has windows on two sides looking out across the gravelled parking area towards views of the surrounding countryside. The kitchen also has ample space for a large kitchen table and is fitted with a 4-oven electric AGA, a range of kitchen units including a central island, granite work-surfaces and a range of built-in appliances and has a large adjacent utility room. The first floor has a centrally positioned, galleried landing well-lit with natural light flowing in through a tall, stair well window. Directly off it are the principal bedroom with en suite shower room, four further bedrooms, two bathrooms and the library/family room, which could be used as a bedroom if required. In the roof space are a suite of attic rooms incorporating two bedrooms and a bathroom arranged around three sides of a central seating area.The property is approached off a no-through lane via a concrete drive that leads up to a gravelled parking area beside the house with space for several cars. Beside it are the double garage and attached machinery store. Behind the garage and partially enclosed within a courtyard are the heated swimming pool and adjacent terrace, which is a sun trap in fine weather and has uninterrupted views to Shaftesbury in the distance. The formal garden is principally laid out on the western side of the house, where steps lead down from a curved, stone-paved terrace to a level lawn fringed by deep borders richly stocked with flowering shrubs, peonies and herbaceous perennials. Overlooking the garden and set back to one side of the main house are a charming, self-contained and recently renovated guest cottage and attached greenhouse. Immediately behind the house is a paved courtyard leading to the boiler room and a store room, with a vegetable and rose garden on the hillside above. Set below the parking area, with its own vehicle entrance, are astable block plus associated timber outbuildings all opening onto a concrete yard. In all the gardens extend to all about0.8 acre (0.32 hectare).
Zeals 0.9 mile, Mere 3.2 miles, Gillingham 3.7 miles (Waterloo 2 hours), Bruton 8 miles, Shaftesbury 8.8 miles, Castle Cary station 12.5 miles (Paddington 90 minutes), Bath 25 miles, Salisbury 27 miles, Bristol Airport 37 miles. (Distances and times approximate).Kites Nest House is situated on the edge of the village of Bourton, with access to a network of beautiful walks within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village is a vibrant community and is juxtaposed next to the village of Zeals. Between them the two villages have two churches, The White Lion Inn and the award-winning Bell & Crown (both within walking distance), two post offices, petrol station and GP's surgery (see www.bourtondorset.org). For most day-to-day re