Compton Castle is a timeless estate in one of the most private and spectacular locations in England on the Somerset/Dorset border. The property lies in its own private valley overlooking the heart-shaped lake with adjacent tear-shaped ponds (allegedly commissioned by a broken-hearted former owner) and was constructed around 1825. The castle is constructed in a gothic style with slate roofs behind castellated parapets and circular turrets and there are stone mullioned windows with leaded lights. The interior has magnificent fireplaces, ornate stone and wood carving, plaster work and fine panelling.
The property’s main accommodation comprises five principal reception rooms, including a drawing room, morning room and a spacious dining room as well as a library upstairs. Also on the first floor are the master bedroom suite, and there are four further bedroom suites and four further bedrooms. The castle has extensive attic space.
The gardens and grounds are breathtaking: to the front formal lawns are bounded by a stone retaining wall and further lawns sweep down to the lake and ponds, on the eastern side of which the land rises up into woodland. At the southern end of the lake are the ponds and a grotto with magnificent waterfalls and a tennis court.
To the south and accessed from the house is an enchanting sunken garden with a central lily pond surrounded by terraces and hedging, and to the east of the castle are further lawns and steps up to a pretty Italian garden with fountain and patio covered by a wonderful grapevine.
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To the north is a stunning water garden with a rockery and open summer pavilion; also found here is the helipad and beyond the gardens are two deer parks.
Additional cottages consist of Sherborne Lodge which is a pretty castellated and turreted gate lodge with two bedrooms, and Windsor Lodge which is an impressive listed gate lodge with three bedrooms.
The land is mainly mixed woodland and there is a small amount of pasture and arable land with a dairy and an arable farm working on the estate. The woodland has also been developed into what could become a very good shoot with exceptional sporting potential.
The Compton Castle estate lies in picturesque rolling countryside close to the Somerset/Dorset border set around the pretty villages of Compton Pauncefoot, Blackford and Maperton. Sherborne is just seven miles away for all amenities and trains to London and the M3 is also easily accessible.
The estate is available as a whole with a guide of £17m, or as various lots. For further information contact Knight Frank on +44 (0)20 7861 1064 or visit www.knightfrank.co.uk.
