One of the most pressing reasons for moving house is to live within reach of the best school that we have selected for our children.

Gone are the days when a job for life meant a house for life with the local school as the only option. We are all much more mobile and selective these days and competition amongst schools is intense. League tables, Ofsted and Best Schools Guides amongst others have put huge pressure on performance and of course most of us want to do the best for our children by getting them into the best performing establishments.

State Schools in Wiltshire

The catchments for state secondary schools, some of which are excellent, are often illogical in terms of area and post codes can invariably play a crucial role. Top performing Grammar Schools such as South Wilts Grammar School for Girls and Bishops Wordsworth, both in Salisbury, select their intake on a geographical basis, so, if your child is marginal, the closer you are as the crow flies the better chance that he or she will make it; that is if the 11-Plus is passed in the first place. You really need to be as close as possible to the City as you can and obviously a bus route helps enormously, but many pupils take the train from Tisbury which is a very easy commute.

Village Primary Schools are obviously more numerous, but some are more in vogue than others and for parents to travel for more than twenty minutes to the school of their choice can mean a lengthy school run twice a day.

Private Schools in Wiltshire

And then there is the private sector, where day schooling is becoming much more prevalent and the school run is, again, a priority for parents to consider. Some schools such as Dauntseys and Clayesmore offer a pretty widespread weekday busing system, but with Saturday school and sports matches often compulsory, the journey time is still an important factor.

We often sell or let family houses in South Wilts based on the need to be close to schools or in catchment

and in general these houses not only attract a premium, but also sell faster than those that are farther flung. We have even seen the second home market stir for parents to be closer for weekends, half terms and exeats, although given the Stamp Duty impact this is still a rarity.

If you are in the market for a family home within easy reach of a top school please get in touch. If we are not currently listing the right property we may otherwise know of just the house for you. Alternatively, if you need information on the top state and private schools in South Wilts, North Dorset and South Somerset we can also point you in the right direction.

A former rectory for sale in the heart of a historic market town of Shaftesbury

Where is historic Shaftesbury?

Straddling the Wiltshire/Dorset border, the ancient hill top market town of Shaftesbury, or Shaston as Thomas Hardy named it, is a truly historic settlement. It may have Celtic or Roman origins but is strongly associated with the Saxon era and King Alfred who built an abbey there in 888 which became the wealthiest nunnery in England and is where King Canute died.

The abbey was demolished following Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. Close to where it once stood, stands a former church, The Holy Trinity which was rebuilt in 1842 and whose tall tower can be seen for miles around. Opposite, on the old street of Bimport, an elegant residence was built for the rector in the 1850’s. The church was decommissioned some years ago and is now a community centre.

Victorian Rectory for Sale

Grade II Listed, The Old Rectory is a fine example of early Victorian architecture drawing upon the symmetry of the Georgian era with its double fronted façade in dressed greenstone under a slate tiled roof. It is now a comfortable family home with high ceilings and wooden shuttered sash windows complimenting the varnished wooden floors and original fireplaces.

The present owners have carefully maintained the house over the years and modernised it but sympathetically so in order to retain the intrinsic period character.

The well-proportioned and particularly versatile accommodation is arranged over four levels and is more extensive than might be readily appreciated at first glance from outside. This includes an excellent lower ground floor annexe designed and fitted by a local craftsman in the spring of 2016 with a sitting room, kitchen, two bedrooms, well-appointed bathroom, cloakroom and wine cellar.

The reception rooms on the upper ground floor include a drawing room, dining room and study. This level also has an attractively fitted kitchen/breakfast room with a four door electric Aga, rear hall/garden room and cloakroom. There are three very pleasant principle bedrooms on the first floor, one of which has an en-suite shower room. There is also a dressing/bedroom and family bathroom.

The second floor has two good-sized bedrooms, a family room that could be used as a sixth bedroom, a cloakroom and a large loft room that subject to consent, has potential to be converted into a bathroom.

To the front of the property is a shallow area of garden with wisteria, climbing hydrangea and roses bordered by a wall and iron railings. A shared drive to the side provides access to an electric gated and gravelled parking area for several cars with lapsed consent for a two bay car barn. The prettily landscaped walled and stone paved town garden to the rear is a delight with well stocked flower, shrub and rose borders.

The Old Rectory is being marketed by Rural View for a guide price of £765,000

Attractive 17th Century house with tremendous character

Many of London’s most iconic landmark buildings such as St Paul’s Cathedral, the Royal Naval Collage and a host of churches rebuilt after the Great Fire of London were designed by Sir Christopher Wren, one of England’s most highly acclaimed architects. This influential historical figure had a relatively humble upbringing being born in East Knoyle, a pretty village in the southwest corner of Wiltshire where his father was the local rector. Wren House can’t claim to have a direct link to the great man himself despite being named after him but is situated in the heart of the village facing the village green and playground which are on the site of where Knoyle House once stood.

Property for Sale in East Knoyle

The property is a particularly attractive Grade II Listed house thought to have origins going back to the late 1600’s with later additions. It is built with dressed local limestone external elevations with stone mullion windows under a clay tiled roof. Over the years the property has been refurbished and updated with great care taken to retain and indeed, enhance the many period features thus creating a family home of outstanding charm and character whilst still allowing scope for further improvements.

The accommodation is arranged over three floors and offers versatility as to how it can be utilised. An antique ribbed front door leads to an entrance lobby and on to the impressive dining hall with an inglenook fireplace, woodburner, access to a cellar and is open plan to a family area.

The kitchen/breakfast room has been custom designed with shaker style units, wooden worksurfaces and is fitted with an electric four oven Aga with a six ring calor gas hob and built-in equipment. The elegant sitting room is light and airy with a high ceiling, side access and a wood burning stove.

Upstairs on the first floor are three bedrooms, one of which has an en-suite shower room, and a family bathroom whilst on the top level is a bedroom with ample storage and an attic room. Many of the rooms have views over the village green and the lovely undulating countryside beyond.

Offset to the rear is a sizable single storey outbuilding that is thought to have been a shop in the past. It now offers tremendous potential for use as a work facility, guest/family annexe, holiday cottage or simply as ancillary accommodation to the main house. It presently consists of a bed/sitting room, en-suite bathroom, office/potential kitchen, utility room, store/boot room and cloakroom.

There is a small raised garden at the rear with an area of lawn, flower, rose and shrub borders, ornamental trees, wooden shed and a large decked area.

The village of East Knoyle

East Knoyle has an excellent community run shop/post office and is just six miles from Shaftesbury with its good range of shops, supermarkets, eateries, an up and coming secondary school, cottage hospital and is famous for the picturesque, steeply cobbled street of Gold Hill.

Wren House is being marketed by Rural View for a guide price of £630,000

A plethora of cultural events have helped to put Salisbury and the pretty villages of South Wiltshire on the map.

South Wiltshire has always had a strong connection to the arts, over the centuries drawing many well-known creative people to Salisbury and its beautiful valleys. Not only do they buy or rent property in the vicinity but their presence makes this a particularly cultural place to live and in the process, attracting others to move here as well.

Salisbury’s iconic cathedral and surrounding landscape has inspired many respected painters, most notably John Constable & J M W Turner. There are also strong literary connections from Thomas Hardy, Anthony Trollope and in more recent times, Leslie Thomas, Terry Pratchett and Vikram Seth.

From the world of screen entertainment, Michael Crawford, Joseph Fiennes and Christopher Biggins were all brought up in Salisbury. Famous musicians such as Sting and Eric Clapton have country residences in the area whilst previous incumbents include Robert Fripp & Toyah Wilcox whose house in Broad Chalke was once owned by Cecil Beaton. Another former Beaton home in the Chalke Valley belongs to filmmaker Guy Ritchie which he shared with his ex-wife, Madonna.

Cultural Events in South Wiltshire

A plethora of cultural events have also helped to put the region on the map and enhance its reputation. These include the Salisbury Arts Festival, Wylye Valley Art Trail, Deverills Performing Arts Festival, Larmer Tree Festival and the Chalke Valley History Festival.

With many fine productions at the Salisbury Playhouse, shows at City Hall, concerts in the cathedral and diverse exhibitions in Salisbury’s various museums, there is no shortage of high (and low!) brow entertainment and interesting events on offer.

South Wiltshire Housing Market

What is the relevance of this to the local housing market? Actually, quite a lot. Alongside the natural beauty of the Salisbury Valleys, its rich history and excellent schools, the depth of local culture helps to attract buyers and tenants new to the area, maintaining demand for properties even when the market is weak, thereby shoring up and even raising prices.

Somewhere in recent years that has seen something of a property boom directly as a result of a change in its cultural significance is Bruton. Although it has had a thriving art scene for many years, the establishment of the innovative Hauser & Wirth gallery has brought the once sleepy town into the spotlight and made it a fashionable place with the trendy art set.

Identified in The Times as one of the best places to live in England, it will be interesting to see if the Messums Wiltshire gallery just a couple of miles from Rural View’s office will have a similar effect on Tisbury and its neighbouring Nadder Valley villages.

Country Cottages are many peoples’ dream. Whether to escape to from the pressures of city life or to live in permanently, the country cottage holds a distinct charm and here are what we have found buyers most look for when making the move.

Period Character

Country cottages have plenty of character and what was often bricked in or boarded up in the 60’s and 70’s will now normally have been exposed again. Beams, inglenooks, flagstones and window seats all add to the flavour and enhance the value.

The Ambience of Open fires

There is little as cosy as a roaring open fire or wood burning stove, not only warming the rooms on dark winter nights, but also providing that certain ambience with flickering flames and the smell of wood smoke. A country cottage without a working fireplace or two somehow loses its soul.

Plenty of Light

Most peoples’ picture of a country cottage is of a dark and low beamed property with oppressive overhanging thatch. For some this is the ideal, but the majority would rather see larger windows letting in plenty of light. Some eighteenth and nineteenth century cottages have these better proportions, but if an older cottage is listed it is a harder task to achieve. The answer often lies in an extension with plenty of glass and perhaps a lantern or a vaulted ceiling giving at least some of the cottage that feeling of airy space and the modern touch.

An Attractive Garden

An authentic cottage garden in full bloom is simply stunning, although for some this Helen Allingham idyll is a bit old hat and these days buyers prefer a bit more open space. A well-structured area with lawn, well stocked beds and climbers would certainly do the trick, as long as there is the gin and tonic terrace catching the sun.

A Family Kitchen

Cottages have had to adapt to our modern way of life and over the twentieth century the kitchen came into its own as a separate room for, first practical food preparation, and more latterly eating in and socialising. These days a good quality family kitchen is often the most important factor in a buyer’s eyes. Add an Aga (preferably not oil fuelled) or Everhot and that is the icing on the cake.

A Great Location

It’s horses for courses and people have different ideas about where they want to live, some preferring rural isolation and others needing to have neighbours, but the most popular choice by far is a country cottage situated on the edge of a pretty village with a pub. You can’t do much to change the location of the property you are selling, but if you have a cottage in such a position and away from a main road you are sitting on gold dust.

We are deeply fortunate that our market is mainly country cottages. Not only because they sell so well, but also because we get to see some really lovely properties and are able to market them with genuine enthusiasm. If you have one to sell, therefore, let us know!

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