Situated on an elevated position overlooking the village of East Coker, Park Lodge is a truly beautiful family home. Originally built in circa 1840 as the lodge house for the Heneage estate of Coker Court, the heritage connected to this home is evident from the most spectacular gated entrance.This generously proportioned home has been extended by local craftsmen and is in immaculate condition. The accompanying gardens and woodland stretch away to the south and east of the property with panoramic views of open fields and estate lands beyond.The house is approached via a gravel driveway flanked by local hamstone pillars and a triple gateway (once used by carriages and footmen) . The driveway opens to gravel parking for several cars and electric car charging point before leading on to an English Heritage bespoke oak framed double garage.There are many entrances to Park Lodge but we begin at the heart of the home, the kitchen. Painted in Farrow & Ball, this bespoke kitchen is luxuriously finished with handmade units which incorporate a variety of high-end integrated appliances, including a wine fridge. Staffordshire blue brickwork frames the electric 4-oven aga, and the room is illuminated with a combination of downlighters and pendant lights above the large island. Magnificent porcelain tiles perfectly contrast the oak beams, whilst a traditional Belfast sink overlooks the expansive gardens. A stable door gives access to the south westerly facing flagstone patio area, whereas the quintet of bifold doors opens out to the most fantastic entertaining patio space with views out across the gardens and neighbouring fields.Adjoining the kitchen is the southern facing lounge/reception room. Entering via double oak and glass doors you will be welcomed with a stunning Victorian style open fireplace. The slate hearth compliments the oak wooden flooring which in turn frames the feature of a lighted, and functioning ‘well’. With strong viewing glass in place, you can see your own natural water source with connecting tap outside, ideal for watering one’s garden. With underfloor heating also in place, the lounge is sure to be a warm and relaxing space.The lounge can also be accessed from the hallway which has been tiled in a Victorian style, embracing the fact that we are now in the original lodge part of the home. The hallway is also accessed from the driveway via the oak front door. The generous hallway then leads to several areas of Park Lodge, to the left you will enter the snug. With exposed Victorian chimney breast, you can enjoy the newly fitted log burner before leading through to the home study or music room. Take note of the most fantastic views facing west.Also off the hallway, and with access to the kitchen, is a spacious utility room with adjoining downstairs shower/cloak room. With a stable door to the outside terrace area, this utility area suits country living. With a bespoke wooden settle to house Wellington boots, and doorway to the shower-room, this area is perfect for those returning from a country walk or a day in the garden. The utility room has plentiful storage and is well serviced with bespoke units housing a washing machine, tumble dryer and fridge. In addition to this, the floor to ceiling exposed stone and brickwork compliments the tiled underfloor heating.Upstairs, the landing leads to four bedrooms, three bathrooms and further staircase to the attic room. Every room is beautiful and benefits from a view. The master bedroom is magnificent. With a reclaimed, fully functioning Victorian fireplace the dual-aspect bedroom is flooded with natural light. Beyond, is the incredible en suite. A freestanding bath, walk in shower with rainfall showerhead, and a floating bowl sink, all create the overall feeling of calm and relaxation.The second bedroom with oak framed windows enjoys views across the gardens. Also boasting a generous sized en suite, the walk in shower and twin sinks give this dual-aspect bathroom a feeling of luxe.Bedrooms 3 and 4 both benefit from feature windows and views of the gardens and countryside beyond. They both benefit from the use of a third bathroom. Decorated with a Victorian style suite and tiling, this light space is ideal for children or guests.A full-height attic space is also accessed from the landing and offers potential as either a fifth bedroom or home office. With exposed beams and skylights offering natural light this additional space is an added asset to the property.The GroundsPark Lodge is set in over an acre of gardens and woodland. Patio areas surround the property giving you access to panoramic views across the village and surrounding countryside. With a combination of Staffordshire Blue brick feature work, local natural stone and oak cladding, Park Lodge benefits from an elevated, yet private position. The reclaimed tiles and decorative ridge nod to the heritage status of the property, whilst the mixture of aluminium and oak windows combine to create a contemporary fusion. It is worth noting that the tone of the Oak cladding will soften over the years to a stunning silvery colour blending in to the surroundings.The walled gravel driveway leads to the double oak framed garage which boasts space for two cars as well as ample storage, with electric power. Beyond this is the woodland area stocked with a wide selection of native trees, namely oak, sycamore, ash and beech. The tiered and private gardens provide wonderful views across open parkland, benefit from the addition of fruit trees, and offer the opportunity to provide endless entertainment for children, or allow home grown vegetables to be planted.Park Lodge sits in an enviable position within East Coker, a pretty village which sits on the Somerset/Dorset border. It is a thriving community, and the village benefits from its own successful pub, coffee shop, farm shop, primary school and church. The village hall plays host to plentiful events, clubs and exercise classes. In addition to this, the local recreation ground has its own football and cricket facilities, playground and scout troop. Sutton Bingham Reservoir with its range of watersports is also nearby.The nearby towns of Sherborne and Yeovil are easily accessed for further shopping, business and leisure amenities. Transport links are excellent with the nearby railway station of Yeovil Junction connecting directly to London Waterloo and the city. The A303 is 10 minutes away with direct fast access to London and the South West.SchoolsThe village has its own primary school in walking distance from the property. Excellent local independent schools include Millfield, Sherborne Boys and Girls school, Hazlegrove and Leweston. Local secondary schools include the Gryphon School in Sherborne and Beaminster school as well as the award-winning Yeovil College.SchoolsThe village has its own primary school in walking distance from the property. Excellent local independent schools include Millfield, Sherborne Boys and Girls school, Hazlegrove and Leweston. Local secondary schools include the Gryphon School in Sherborne and Beaminster school as well as the award-winning Yeovil College.

Naish Priory presents an opportunity to enjoy all the benefits of an historic country house with the flexibility and manageability of a family home. The house and its wonderfully romantic gardens are approached through ornate iron gates. The appealing accommodation is arranged over three floors. During the 19th century the Victorians added a wing to the south west, a staircase tower and restored a second story to the central section.The property is Listed Grade I and believed originally to have been a chantry rather than a priory. As well as providing delightful family accommodation it is a house of immense character, with a sense of English history throughout. The exterior has fan tracery, octagonal chimneys, carved stone gargoyles and corbelled heads. The rare“Beast of Botreaux” corbel by the sealed doorway is significant. There are also flagstone floors, high beamed ceilings, arched stone door surrounds, medieval panelled doors, stone mullion windows with leaded lights and a fine oriel window. The northern door sports a Beauchamp Knot carved motif, and above the Coach House, a stone carving of two roses, surmounted by a large Tudor Rose and weathered crown, can be found.There is an excellent balance of accommodation with all rooms benefitting from views across the enchanting gardens or neighbouring countryside. The property was successfully altered and enlarged in the 19th century without compromising the character of the 14th century house. The welcoming hall with its arched stone door frames opens into the library, complete with huge original 14th century entrance door. This room is flanked by the morning room and the drawing room with a sealed carved stone door to the garden behind the bookcase. The dining room is ideally positioned between the drawing room and the kitchen/breakfast room, adjacent to the spacious rear hall which has a door to the rear drive. The practical rooms of the scullery and boot room are next to the kitchen and both have doors to the garden.On the first floor, the principal bedroom has an en suite bathroom and the former chapel with its squint and its vaulted ceiling is a stunning and most enjoyable room. Of particular note is the oriel window which provides a romantic focus to the first floor landing. There are four further bedrooms and a family bathroom on this floor. The second floor provides two more bedrooms, a shower room and an office.To the south west of the house are the stables and carriage house, all of which are accessed by a rear drive. The thatched stables incorporate a garage and three loose boxes plus a tack room – all with the original divides. The coach house is arranged as a garage/workshop, apple/wood store and garden store.The property is situated on the northern edge of the picturesque Somerset village of East Coker, near the Somerset/Dorset border, tucked away at the end of a no through country lane with good access to bridleways and footpaths. With a distance of 2.7 miles to the south of Yeovil, the administrative centre, and 8.2 miles west of the Abbey town of, Sherborne, Naish Priory offers access to a range of shops, recreational, educational and cultural amenities. The village has a primary school, farm shop, village hall, cafe and 15th century “Helyar Arms” public house. The area is renowned for an excellent choice of schools including Sherborne, Sherborne School for Girls, Leweston, Millfield, Hazelgrove and Perrott Hill Preparatory Schools and Kings Bruton. Sporting facilities include horse racing at Wincanton, Bath, Salisbury and Exeter and water sports, fishing and sailing along the Jurassic Coast, approximately 20 miles away, as well as sailing on Sutton Bingham reservoir, approximately 2 miles away. Local hunts include the Portman, Blackmore and Sparkford Vale, South & West Wilts and Cattistock. Shooting locally is available on a commercial let day basis and local golf clubs include Yeovil Golf Club and Cricket St Thomas Golf Club.Communications are excellent: London can be reached by the A303 and M3 or by rail on a good service of 19 trains per day from Yeovil Junction (2 miles) to Waterloo, taking approximately 2 hours 20 minutes. There is also a service from Castle Cary (19 miles) to London Paddington, taking approximately 90 minutes. Local airports include Bristol (44 miles) and Exeter (42 miles).East Coker is, famed for its natural beauty, rich in fine architecture and pretty thatched cottages and, winding through open fields and hedgerows, its ancient sunken lanes, “shuttered with branches” as described by Nobel Prize winning poet T S Eliot, whose ashes lie in the 12th century church of St Michael and All Angels.Another of East Coker’s famous sons, William Dampier (1651 - 1715), was a buccaneer, explorer, brilliant cartographer, hydrographer, navigator and naturalist. He explored and studied as a child the village’s varied fields and plants around Naish and East Coker, Educated at King’s Bruton by his guardian, Captain Helyar of Coker Court, a Civil War hero and grandson of Archdeacon Helyar, who served as personal chaplain to Queen Elizabeth I. And the Fleet, Dampier circumnavigated the globe 3 times and was the first Englishman to set foot in” New Holland”” (now Australia). His vivid journals and discourses, meticulously documented new species of flora and fauna, and he so accurately mapped winds and tides that his charts were still in use by the Royal Navy in 1931. Dampier collected botanical specimens for the newly formed (in 1660) Royal Society for Scientific Discovery. He described for the first time the concept of sub species, which he had noted among turtles in the Galapagos, inspiring Charles Darwin, Banks, Humboldt and Captain Cook, all of whom carried Dampier’s journals with them on their subsequent journeys. He knew Pepys, introduced many new words into the English language and his experiences and writings inspired Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels”and Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe”. Coleridge’ Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner” and other works of literature.The delightful gardens and grounds extend to 2.41 acres and form an important part of the property.In the best traditions of the country garden, expansive lawns with colourful borders nestle beneath wonderful trees and combine to create a most romantic and enjoyable set of garden rooms. Approached through tall stone gate piers with ornate iron gates, the gravel drive expands to form a parking/turning area to the east of the house and is bordered by a high stone wall and large lily pond complete with a fountain and Koi carp. A short flight of steps and a path leads beneath a lovely old Judas-tree to the house and formal gardens. Adjacent to house is the sheltered and sunny south facing terrace garden with its ancient flagstone stone seating area and lawn bordered by established Magnolia Grandiflora and pear trees, with deep colourful and scented beds of climbing roses, hydrangea, begonia, lilies, camellias and other perennials. From here stone piers with ornate metal gate open into the walled garden. At its centre a large level lawn, ideal for croquet, has deep established flower borders to all sides and incorporates a seating area with a wisteria and grape vine covered pergola and a gate to the pond garden, as well as a flight of historic stone steps set into a bank leading to the stables.A further set of tall gate piers opens into the garden with the arbour of intertwined beeches (the Beech Walk), bordered by deep flower beds with roses, lilies, geraniums, peonies and rhododendrons. An arch in the tall hedge leads into the Smoketree Garden with its weeping birch crab apple and superb smoketrees. A row of tall poplar trees runs along the southern boundary and borders delightful open countryside. The final area of garden is the former orchard with its remaining fruit trees, beech, oak trees and a bluebell wood in spring time. This area of garden is to the south of the outbuildings, cottages and a small kitchen garden with raised beds and a small wooden greenhouse, olive and fig trees with area of hard standing suitable for a larger greenhouse. The garden affords any number of quiet and private seating areas giving different perspectives of the house, the garden and neighbouring countryside; be it from the south facing terrace beside the house, vine covered pergola, or lawns.