A 15th Century Priors Hall once attached to the 12th Century Benedictine Priory, with its impressive Romanesque church tower forms part of this lovely location which is set on 57 acres of land nestled in the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The priory and its buildings dates back to circa 1126. There are Victorian additions, with more recent restoration and renovation undertaken during the late 20th Century in which the house was sympathetically improved and modernised.
There is good flexibility to the house which boasts some brilliant reception rooms and bedrooms which enjoy views over the gardens and beyond. The rooms flow very well through various access points to the reception hall, back hallways, landings and staircases and all offer interesting architecture and style. The kitchen and breakfast room has an adjacent dining room and the space can be opened up via double doors to create an open plan feel. Further adjoining utility areas are also incredibly useful. There is a patio, overlooking the gorgeous gardens, running along this side of the house. The Priors Hall is an impressive and dramatic space, rich in history and with wonderful character and detailing. The medieval oak roof of the hall is particularly noteworthy, with its cusped wind braces, double purlins and secretive history and a secret chapel in the roof space.
Other intriguing elements such as ensuites in the tower and hidden rooms behind panelling, create interest whilst sitting comfortably alongside the other traditional rooms such as kitchen, dining room, sitting room, formal reception spaces and bedroom suites.
The gardens and grounds surround the main house and provide a perfect blend of history and horticulture; being the extraordinary house, cottages and about 22 acres of formal gardens, woodland and grassland. There are approximately 10 acres of exceptional gardens, formally monastic grounds, with breathtaking views over the Severn Valley. The grounds offer an intriguing layout of garden rooms and terraces, with a water garden below which feeds into a chain of beautiful lily ponds; originally dug by the monks as fish pools. Following a plan dated 1720, these pools like much of the garden were restored in the 1980s. The fundamental layout of the garden has remained but there have been many additions by the head gardener and his team over the last decade; including the re-discovery of the stream garden and replacing the cascades between the 2nd and 3rd ponds. There is an impressive collection of trees, including magnificent cedar trees; planted from seeds brought back from the Holy Land, as well as many shrubs and flowering plants, such as flowering magnolias, a notable collection of old fashioned roses, spring bulbs and carpets of wild flowers.
There is also a wonderful 3 sided walled garden with glasshouse, potting shed and a tennis court, which can be accessed on foot through the gardens or via the separate access lane. On the other side of the lane are about 10 acres of parkland and mature deciduous woodland with a mix of native broadleaf trees which run into the gently sloping grassland fields.
There are two black and white timber framed, semi-detached cottages (3 and 2 bedrooms respectively) set at the end of the drive which can provide additional accommodation for guests and/or staff, or indeed as an income stream. In the courtyard there is a range of garaging and carports with rooms above.
A stunning location for filming and photography!