![]() In addition to the main house, the four-bedroom cottage, of around 2,150 sqft, provides a generous space for guests, set in a westerly pocket of the private gardens. The house remains in much of its original condition, and as such, will need some updating to accommodate a modern lifestyle. Retaining the building’s legacy has been integral to its three custodial owners, and the detailing, both internally and externally, has been beautifully preserved. The bathrooms are perfectly in-keeping, with a great view across the tree canopies from the bathtub.Īdjacent to main entrance, a self-contained studio room, clad in a pleasing pale yellow, provides a quiet place for study, reading or rest. ![]() Glass doors lead out from the blue bedroom to a large upper terrace overlooking the treetops, with an outdoor shower adding a sense of wellness and retreat, and a ladder leading down to the storey below. In the main bedroom, an internal wall of steel-framed glass panels and doors form an ingenious division from the dressing room, while borrowing light from the external windows. Wall colourings have been sensitively paired, and handmade furniture in-built to add sculptural character and form. A double-height stairwell leads to the landing, from where the bedrooms unfold each room replete with original detailing. A sunroom constructed of curved steel and glass projects from the south-westerly façade, completing the ground floor.Īrtfully crafted solid oak staircases add to the many original features. A study and a separate cloakroom are set within the far-easterly section of the house. Walls and ceilings are timber-clad or ply-lined, with appliances artfully embedded in lines of hand-crafted joinery. The kitchen runs along the northerly aspect an exercise in function and form, with energising washes of colour. Sisal runs underfoot and an original fireplace of red brick and solid oak forms a superlative centrepiece. Full-height, full-length windows ensure a visual connection to the gardens and plenty of light and warmth through the day. Stepping down into arguably the most impressive part of the house, the high, square pitch of the ceilings add dramatic volume through the living room. A handsome curved window frames views to the gardens and an expanse of steel framed windows and doors open onto the terrace, providing a natural transition between the interior and exterior spaces. Facing due south, the dining room is beautifully bright. Leading off the arterial hallway, the living spaces are cleverly conceived to harbour both individual and communal activity, with timber doors allowing easy division, or an open flow. The primary living rooms lie on the southerly side, optimising views across the undulating gardens. The northerly façade, kept cool in warmer months, houses the kitchen, pantry and service areas. In a careful gridding of the footprint, extending to just over 2,640 sqft, the living space has been appropriately orientated to provide the best natural daylight. Internally, Harland executes a masterly command of space, light and a simple material palette. The main entrance is set modestly on the northerly side, beneath the pale pink canopy of the porch. A series of white rendered geometric forms shape the impressive architectural profile, with pops of bold colour adding a playful touch the primary blue balcony edge, the yellow trim of a ladder, the red steel grid of a window frame. The principal driveway, lined with camellias, rhododendron and azaleas, winds through dense woodland and up to the elevated south-facing site. There are two driveways one for the main house and a second for the cottage. On the approach, the wildness of the natural landscape sets the stage an ancient oak and beech woodland, bursting with daffodils and primroses in March and a carpet of bluebells and wild garlic in May. For more information, please see the History section below. While retaining an overwhelming sense of quiet and seclusion, this remarkable home lies some seven miles south of Bruton and two miles from Stourhead, within easy reach of the open countryside and Somerset’s many cultural highlights. A four-bedroom guest cottage and its gardens lie due west of the main house. The music room where Bliss created some of his most revered works, Grade II*-listed in its own right, is set deep in the ancient woodland itself a scheduled monument. Rooted in its peaceful setting, the house was designed for family life, for creating and communing, and as a retreat for self-reflection. This extraordinary Grade II*-listed modern masterpiece, set in 25 acres of gardens and ancient woodland, was designed by Peter Harland in 1935 as a home for the leading British composer Sir Arthur Bliss.
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