5 bed property for sale

High Street, Axbridge BS26

A Grade II listed family home in the picturesque town of Axbridge. The house offers an entrance hall, open-plan kitchen/dining room with bifold doors to the garden, sitting room, a further reception room currently used as a photography studio, utility room, WC, four/five double bedrooms (one is used presently as another sitting room), family bathroom and a separate shower room. There is a lovely private garden to the rear and two garages a shorth walk from the house.

Immediate Area

Axbridge is one of Somerset's most charming and historic small towns, nestled at the foot of the Mendip Hills. Its history can be traced back to Saxon times, when it formed part of King Alfred's defensive network, before flourishing as an important medieval market and cloth town. Today, much of this rich heritage remains, with its picturesque market square, historic buildings and remarkable sense of character.

The town offers a good range of amenities, including independent cafés, pubs, a convenience store and regular farmers' markets, all centred around its beautiful medieval square. There is also a former Methodist church which is currently being established as a music and arts venue.

The town is ideally placed for exploring the Mendip Hills, Cheddar Gorge and the Somerset Levels. Of particular note are the incredible starling murmurations that take place each winter. There are several favourite pubs nearby, including The Crown Inn at Churchill, The Hunters Lodge at Priddy (particularly renowned for its folk Sundays) and The Railway Inn at Meare. There is also The Cider Barn at Draycott, known for its live music and cider, whilst in Axbridge itself, The Lamb Inn remains a popular destination overlooking the square.

Wells (10 miles) is particularly worthy of mention, with its breathtaking cathedral, excellent range of independent shops, restaurants and regular farmers' markets. Frome (25 miles) also has a wonderful atmosphere and is renowned for its famous market, held on the first Sunday of every month.
For commuters, the nearest mainline railway stations are at Highbridge & Burnham (approximately 8 miles) and Castle Cary (approximately 20 miles), both offering services to London. Castle Cary provides direct services to London Paddington in around 90 minutes. Bristol (20 miles) and Bath (22 miles) are easily accessible and offer a wealth of shopping, leisure and sporting facilities.

For day trips, the Dorset coast is approximately 1 hour 20 minutes away, offering dramatic scenery, beautiful beaches and countless hidden coves to explore.

The House

We believe London House dates back to around 1795. In the past, the property was used as a shop, with the current studio forming the original shop front. Many towns had a "London House", traditionally serving as an emporium selling goods from the capital. Today, it has been transformed into a wonderful family home, offering over 3,000 sq ft of beautifully arranged accommodation.

Interior

The front door takes you into the entrance hall which in turn leads into the inner hall and in fact stretches the full depth of the house to the garden behind and is lined underfoot with the original stone floor. Off the inner hall, at the front of the house is a sizeable reception room which is currently used as a photography studio and office with two sash windows to the front allowing plenty of light in.

From the inner hall, with exposed floorboards underfoot, there is a staircase leading to the first floor, with a skylight above, and a door leading to both the WC and utility room. The utility has a window to the side, plenty of space and plumbing for white goods, a Belfast sink with wooden worktops either side and plenty more space for storage needs.

A door at the end of the hall then takes you into the sitting room. This is a cosy space with wooden floorboards, a sash window to the rear with shutters, a fireplace with wood burning stove and a door through to the studio/ reception.

Back through the hall and moving to the rear of the house you come to the kitchen/dining room. Formerly two rooms this was converted by our clients to form one open plan kitchen with a dining area at one end and bifold doors leading to the terrace and garden at the rear. The kitchen is a mixture of fitted units and freestanding storage. The fitted units have granite worktops over, an integrated double oven, double sink, a really useful larder cupboard, kitchen island with fitted gas hobs and a breakfast bar at one end. There is space for a freestanding fridge/freezer and wooden flooring throughout with underfloor heating. At the dining end there is an original fireplace, with wood burning stove, flanked by two cupboards with shelves for further storage and books.

On the first floor are four spacious double bedrooms, three with fireplaces, and a further large room currently used as a second sitting room. The landing and in fact the whole of the first floor has exposed floorboards running throughout and is full of character. There is plenty of room in all the bedrooms for freestanding wardrobes and storage.

The family bathroom is spacious and calming with a central freestanding bath and a good-sized walk-in shower, along with a sash window to the side with window seat.

The sitting room on this floor, which was previously a bedroom, has two sash windows, an original fireplace and a hatch to the loft space. There is potential, subject to planning, to turn this into a fabulous master bedroom suite but the other bedrooms are such a good size that this is certainly not needed and works well as another reception or amazing playroom. Finally, a cleverly designed shower room at the top of the stairs completes the first-floor accommodation.

Outside

The garden at London House is a delight and offers plenty of space for both keen and occasional gardeners alike. A stone terrace leads out from the bifold doors of the kitchen and faces south bathing it in plenty of sun. Steps lead down to the lawn with pretty flower borders and beds, raised beds with paths in-between, fruit trees, shady spaces, a greenhouse and a timber shed. There is also a stable door from the hallway which takes you down a path to the lawn.

A short walk from the house brings you to two single garages in a block of just three which are owned by the property.

Services

Mains gas, electricity, water and drainage.

Local Authority

Somerset Council – Band D

Eaves Notes

Our clients have owned the house since 2016. During their time here they have caried out extensive works to the house including re-roofing, a complete rewire, repairs where needed to the chimneys, uncovering of fireplaces, the creation of an open-plan kitchen/dining room, new bathrooms and much more.

Summary

A simply stunning Grade II listed family home, in the centre of the pretty and historic town of Axbridge, which has had extensive renovations in the time that our clients have lived there. The house oozes character and charm throughout with sash windows, stone floors, Georgian fireplaces and a good-sized private garden to the rear.