High Street, Wylye

A superbly rennovated mill house with beautiful grounds on the banks of the River Wylye.

Property
The Mill House is a well-proportioned family house, flexible in it's use and very well-suited to modern family life. The large kitchen/breakfast room has access to both the driveway and gardens, as well as the utility room behind. The mill race runs under a room adjacent to the kitchen, and more might be made of this feature, should a buyer wish to. The first-floor drawing room, of approximately 40’ x 20’, is very light thanks to its double aspect and is perfect for entertaining. A smaller more snug library to one side of the drawing room is ideal for quieter evenings. Back on the ground floor there is an excellent conservatory which doubles as a daytime sitting room, and is linked with the kitchen and study by an open-plan dining hall. Unusually for a period home, The Mill House can easily flex to accommodate as few or many people as required, an example of which might be the master bedroom suit being self-contained off one separate landing, or the converted attics which offer an extensive children’s playroom, or perhaps a space for a hobby.

Outside
Both the Mill Stream and River Wylye run through the garden meandering through to the water meadows. Fishing rights come with the Mill, and both the mill pond and river contain good sized trout and grayling. The current owners have undertaken a lot of work to improve and nurture the watercourse and it’s habitats. Considerable work has also been undertaken with regard to the water management, such as replacement sluices, a new electronically controlled
mechanical sluice gate operated by the EA, and significant work to the water facing walls of the house.
The outbuildings are accessed off to the gravel drive, namely a garden/mower store and a single garage adjoining. To the rear of the property is a paved area with barbeque for outside entertaining with wonderful river views over the “Wylye Boy” and garden. The principal gardens in front of the house are laid to lawn, with a variety of mature shrubs, hedgerows and borders. A pretty and slightly more formal garden, and also an orchard, lie on the other side of the river. These are accessed via foot bridge from the house or by vehicular access from the village lane.

Despite not being Listed, The Mill House has a fascinating history. It is recorded in the Domesday Book as rendering 10 shillings. The London to Exeter road forded the river beside this mill until the first bridge was built in the late 18th Century.
In the middle of the river stands a statue known as “The Wylye Boy”, depicting a sea sprite blowing a shell-like trumpet. According to Pevsner, it was collected by the Earl of Pembroke on the Grand Tour in the early 18th Century. It was later
given by him as a memorial to a young postilion rider who drowned after saving a relation of the Earl from an overturned coach. The mill and it surroundings are also mentioned in William Cobbett’s book Rural Rides, “… I remembered Wylye
very well, and thought it a gay place when I was a boy. I remembered a very beautiful garden belonging to a rich farmer and miller. I went to see it; but, alas! Though the statues in the water and on the grass platt were still remaining, everything seemed to be in a state of perfect carelessness and neglect…” Idyllic as this sounds, the house and it’s grounds are now quite the opposite.

Situation
The Mill House lies on the edge of the popular village of Wylye, situated in the Wylye Valley. The village has an excellent shop and post office, with a pretty Norman church, an active village hall and a well-regarded pub The Bell Inn.
The village is in a conservation area and is in an area of outstanding natural beauty(AONB). Wylye is conveniently situated being about 1 mile away from the A303 whilst the A36 bypasses the village providing a direct route to Salisbury
(approximately 10 miles) and Warminster (approximately 10.5 miles). A wide range of educational, shopping and leisure facilities can be found in Salisbury, together with a mainline railway station connecting to London Waterloo. Warminster also has a direct train service to London Waterloo and Bath.

Education
The list of excellent schools in the area is extensive and varied, both for private and state education. It includes Salisbury Cathedral School, The Godolphin School, Bishop Wordsworth’s Grammar School for boys and South Wilts Grammar School for Girls. In addition, there is Port Regis, Milton Abbey, Millfield, Bryanston, Clayesmore and Sandroyd offering both prep and public school levels.

EPC Energy Efficiency Rating
Current: E – Please refer to the agents for the complete EPC.

Tenure : Freehold

Council Tax Band : H