If you’re after a bucolic bolthole, cast your eye over Belgate House. This six-bedroom country house is nestled in just over nine acres of rolling Herefordshire countryside, offering panoramic views and plenty of privacy from prying eyes.
The sprawling property is on the market with a guide price of £2.75 million. That's a lot for this part of the world — the 14-bedroom North Manor Park is listed at £2m, for example — but Belgate's agents, Strutt & Parker, call this house 'one of Herefordshire’s finest', citing its ‘spectacular views' and the fact that it's a 'beautifully-finished country house.'
We certainly can't contradict them on those views: from inside and outside, this is clearly a place which has been built from the start to make the most of the location.
Inside, Belgate House has been restored and extended to create a modern, family home with high-end fittings and interiors. Think bespoke joinery, marble fireplaces and bold wallpaper... and there's no point ignoring the fact that for some, it might be overly bold. It has to be said that there is a fair bit of lilac.
Still, at least you won't have to worry about changing it: the property is not listed, so there is plenty of scope to make it your own — and even develop it further, assuming you get the green light for any necessary consents.
Belgate House has a spacious drawing room and library as well as an open-plan dining, sitting and snug area, all of which lead off the main hall.
It also has a fully kitted out kitchen, complete with mahogany units, granite worktops and an electric three-oven Aga. Tucked away beyond the kitchen is a walk-in larder, utility room with a freestanding island, two cloakrooms and an office, plus a wine cellar downstairs.
The property has been modelled to make the most of its picturesque surroundings. One of its standout features is a unique two-storey orangery, which has a cast iron mezzanine floor installed to create a walkway that leads to a seating area with spectacular views of the countryside.
Meanwhile, several rooms on the ground floor, including the drawing room, library, kitchen and orangery, boast double doors that open outside.
Belgate House has six bedrooms upstairs, one of which has been transformed into a generous dressing room packed with custom-made joinery.
Beyond the main house, there’s an indoor swimming pool — surely one of the most sought-after features in a property? And for those with green fingers, there’s landscaped gardens, a potting shed as well as a greenhouse and fruit cage adjacent to a small orchard.
Belgate House has various outbuildings, including large oak-framed barns that are ripe for development. The grounds also include south-facing terraces, two enclosed courtyards, and stables alongside woodland and paddocks.
The main house and outbuildings sit at the end of a long private drive. Shobdon village is two miles away, while Leominster train station is around 10 miles away.
Belgate House is located in a particularly scenic part of the country, sandwiched between the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales.
Belgate House is on the market via Strutt & Parker with a guide price of £2.75 million — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
-
Can't you hear me S.O.S? Our treasured native dog breeds are at risk of extinctionDo you know your Kerry blue terrier from your Lancashire heeler? A simple lack of publicity is often to blame for some of the UK's native dog breeds flying dangerously low under-the-radar.
-
'There are architects and architects, but only one ARCHITECT': Sir Edwin Lutyens and the wartime Chancellor who helped launch his stellar careerClive Aslet explores the relationship between Sir Edwin Lutyens and perhaps his most important private client, the politician and financier Reginald McKenna.
-
If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
-
The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in DorsetWith 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
-
An eight-bedroom wonder in East Sussex where the outdoors are an adventureThe interiors of Old Middleton are pretty good too.
-
A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of PembrokeshireA lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
-
An idyllic countryside home that's light, spacious and comes with a Grade II-listed follyHagg House is a gorgeous family home that just happens to have a miniature castle in the gardens. Annabel Dixon explains more.
-
A historic villa for sale on the Via Nomentana worthy of Rome's rich historyThree floors, lots of balconies, and a private garden in one of Rome's loveliest neighbourhoods.
-
Eight bedrooms of unlisted Edwardian elegance with sweeping views of SomersetAshton House sits near the market town of Chard and comes with a wealth of amenities both inside and out.
-
A waterside cottage in Devon with a private quay, idyllic views and the prettiest summerhouse we've seen in yearsRight beside the picturesque Yealm Estuary, No 1 Noss Mayo is an idyllic home that feels like an escape from the world. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
