Detached house for sale in Kimpton, Andover, Hampshire SP11

A handsome unlisted former Rectory set in beautiful gardens and grounds in the Test Valley.

Description
‘not’ the old rectory
Despite its name, ‘not’ The Old Rectory is the former rectory, built around 1871 by the wealthy Foyle Family, Lord’s of the Manor since the 1620’s. Lt proudly bears their crest on the principal gable and is built of mellow brick elevations with Bath stone mullions and string course under a clay tiled roof. The house is set back from the lane in mature gardens and grounds and has the wonderful proportions, high ceilings and bold detailing one associates with the best of Victorian architecture. The current owner purchased the property in 2007 and since this time has carried out a comprehensive scheme of sympathetic restoration and improvement to create an extremely comfortable and expansive family home. The double front door opens into a deep vestibule which in turn opens into the reception hall running the length of the house with walnut parquet floor throughout, a woodburning stove with limestone mantle and a large cloakroom on the right-hand side. The principal reception rooms are to the left, enjoying the best of the southerly views over the gardens. They include a magnificent billiard room and a drawing room both with intricate cornice plasterwork, picture rails and working shutters and a deep bay window and working fireplace with a Jetmaster in the drawing room. Beyond here is a sitting room, formerly the Rector’s library, which still boasts its original library shelves and features a deep bay window looking out over the gardens. To the right of the hall there is a large study fitted with bespoke desks and cabinetry by Neville Johnson. Beyond the main staircase the hall leads a dining room with oak floors and a woodburning stove and a separate door accessed from the kitchen. The kitchen/breakfast room is fitted with bespoke floor and wall and full height units including larder produced by a well-regarded local cabinet maker, with granite worktops, Miele appliances and a range cooker all over a limestone floor. Double doors link through to the orangery providing a fantastic informal living space with French doors to the terrace and westerly views over the gardens. From the Orangery a side door opens out through a boot lobby to the driveway and there is a link through to a WC/wet room with shower, a rear door to the wood fired hot tub area, the double garage and a staircase leading up to a spacious games roomor home office which has potential to be converted into a self-contained annexe. The ground floor accommodation is completed by a large laundry room with bespoke cabinetry and a butler sink, and a separate boiler/utility room. The impressive cellars with vaulted brickwork ceilings have been converted to provide a superb home gym alongside wine storage and a feature well with window to the kitchen above. The first floor is accessed via a choice of two staircases with six bedrooms opening from a wide central landing. The principal bedroom has incredible proportions, being located directly above the billiard room and has an adjoining dressing room with bespoke Walnut cabinetry and a fabulous en suite bathroom. There are five further large double bedrooms, one with an en suite shower room, a spacious family bathroom and a further shower room. There are two further bedrooms on the second floor as well as an easily accessible eaves store room.

Garaging and outbuildings

To the north of the house there is an attached triple garage, divided into a large two bay with kitchenette facilities to the side and a separate large single bay with storage area to the side, all accessed via pairs of oak doors. The large room with its feature king post window above makes an ideal games room, home office, bedroom 9 or could become a self-contained annexe utilising the shower room and kitchenette below. Beyond here is a recently re-built outbuilding providing a hobby workshop and a separate garden store both having the potential for a range of other uses. Further to the north is a professional style vehicle workshop/ barn, measuring 7.9 by 12.3m served by a pair of electric roller doors and fitted out with a hydraulic vehicle lift. There is a further covered area for tractor and wood storage behind.

Gardens and grounds

‘not’ The Old Rectory has a wonderful approach, through a pair of double gates opening onto a driveway which winds through parkland style grounds to reach a wide gravel parking area to the front of the house framed by Yew hedges and mature trees. The driveway continues to the north, to access the garaging and workshops and a further parking area with a turning circle. It then continues back to the lane, giving the option of having a second drive if required. The terraces and formal gardens are found to the south and west of the house and include various areas of interest including a croquet lawn, a white garden, a lavender walk and a variety of specimen trees. The terrace is fantastic for summer entertaining with a pair of fire pits to one aspect and an attractive wood fired hot tub tucked away behind the orangery, all framed by shrub and herbaceous borders. The garden beyond is laid to lawn with mature trees on all boundaries. A kitchen garden with raised beds, a greenhouse, tool store and fruit cage are located to the north east of the house, adjacent to a tennis court with a small orchard of plum, damson and pear trees to the east. To the north-west of the house is an area of amenity pastureland which could be used for grazing and with woodland to the west and northern boundaries. Hedges of Laurel, Portuguese Laurel, Beech, Yew surround and separate formal areas with mature countryside hedging to the remainder of the boundary.

Location
‘not’ The Old Rectory sits imposingly above the attractive Test Valley village of Kimpton affording views across the village Conservation area and to the hills beyond. The village has an historic 12c church, a village hall, a primary school and a small public house ‘The Welcome Stranger’. The Test Valley is renowned for its attractive countryside and Salisbury Plain, the North Wessex Downs and Collingbourne Woods are also nearby offering many opportunities for walking, cycling, horse riding and other country pursuits. For car enthusiasts, Thruxton Motor Racing Circuit is nearby and there is horse racing at Newbury and Salisbury and golf at Goodworth Clatford and Leckford. Andover is 6 miles away and offers a good range of supermarkets and amenities, including a Waitrose, a cinema, a newly built Leisure Centre, Athletics track as well as highly regarded hockey and rugby clubs. Stockbridge, with its attractive High Street, is 13 miles away, while the market towns of Hungerford and Marlborough and Cathedral cities of Salisbury and Winchester can also be easily reached. There are also a variety of high-quality farm shops, cafes and pubs in the surrounding countryside and villages. The A303 is 2 miles to the south and provides a fast road link to London, Heathrow Airport, the West Country as well as the wider motorway network. Grateley rail station is just 4 miles to the south providing ample parking and easy main line access to London with Waterloo accessible in under 80 minutes ‘not’ The Old Rectory is ideally located for access to a number of highly regarded preparatory and secondary schools including Farleigh, Cheam, Chafyn Grove, Salisbury Cathedral School, Dauntsey’s, Marlborough College, Godolphin, The Salisbury Grammar Schools, Winchester College and St Swithun’s amongst others.

Square Footage: 7,178 sq ft

Acreage:
5.6 Acres



Additional Info
Mains electric, water.
Private drainage.
Lpg bottles for cooker only.