Few country houses manage to mix imposing presence with charming grace as effortlessly as the Grade II-listed Bledisloe House, a wonderful Cotswolds property three miles from Cirencester. It’s set in more than 38 acres of landscaped gardens, parkland and woodland in a quiet rural setting on the outskirts of Coates – the ancient ‘village of sheep pens’ – and is priced at £9.25million through Savills.
It was last sold in December 2011 with 36 acres of land for a reputed £7m, the house has seen its infrastructure – including the entire roof – largely replaced or repaired, in readiness for ‘the next stage of its evolution’, say Savills.
With the heavy lifting done, a new owner can, they say, seize ‘a wonderful opportunity to remodel or re-create the exceptional and elegant accommodation.’
The original Georgian country house was built in about 1798, when it was known as Coates Manor, and though there have been additions and changes that Georgian feel is still strong.
There are some splendid rooms, particularly the reception hall, four main reception rooms, a library, snooker room.
There is also a study, kitchen/breakfast room, wine cellars, 12 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms – more than 20,000sq ft in all, including extensive staff quarters. There is additional accommodation is available in a separate three-bedroom cottage and a two-bedroom coach-house flat.
According to its Historic England listing, the house was significantly extended in 1919–25 using materials from Hams Hall, a grand 1760s house near Coleshill, Warwickshire, during which time it was worked on by Cotswold master-craftsman Ernest Barnsley.
Renamed Bledisloe Lodge when it was bought by the Royal Agricultural College (RAC) in 1950 and, finally, Bledisloe House, the impressive country property, which also incorporates land and buildings of the RAC’s former Rural Skills Centre more recently acquired by the present owners.
Bledisloe House is priced at £9.25million through Savills – see more pictures and details.
A Cotswolds home with a beautiful balance of old and new, village life and seclusion
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Credit: Jackson-Stops & Staff
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22 idyllic homes from the Cotswolds to Cornwall, as seen in Country Life
Our round-up of some of the finest homes to appear in Country Life over the past week or so includes
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High Wardington House: A warm, characterful home that shows just what can be achieved with thought, invention and humourAt High Wardington House in Oxfordshire — the home of Mr and Mrs Norman Hudson — a pre-eminent country house adviser has created a home from a 300-year-old farmhouse and farmyard. Jeremy Musson explains; photography by Will Pryce for Country Life.
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The finest interiors in Edinburgh? A seven-bedroom townhouse furnished by Robert Kime comes to marketSituated on one of the New Town's grandest terraces, this four-storey property is a collector's dream.
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A Grade II*-listed country manor with one of the most beautiful drawing rooms in EnglandIf Old Manor Farm in Somerset is good enough for Pevsner, it's good enough for you.
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An eight-bedroom home in Surrey where an army of robots will look after your lawnsDo not fear the bladed guardians of Monksfield House. They are here to help.
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A French castle for sale on the banks of the Dordogne? With a swimming pool? Where do we sign?This chateau in Lalinde is nothing short of a historical delight in the south of France. And it comes fully furnished.
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Sip your morning tea where Churchill once paced, as his former Pimlico home comes up for saleThe five-bedroom flat in Eccleston Square offers ‘historical gravitas and modern comfort’ in a leafy pocket of London.
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Live a life of Tudor fancy in this five-bedroom London home with links to Cardinal Wolsey and Henry VIIIFans of Wolf Hall rejoice, as a rare chance to own a Tudor home inside the M25 comes to market.
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Murder, intrigue and 'the magic of a bygone era' at this eight-bedroom home set in 25 acres of Devon countrysideUpcott Barton is a family home steeped in history and comes with more than 5,000sq ft of living space.
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The 'best places to live' ranking that lists all 1,447 towns, cities and large villages in England and Wales — who is this year's winner?Redbourn has been named the best place to live in the country.
