The Hudnalls, St Briavels, Lydney

This magnificent, detached, six-bedroom Victorian house offers elegant, spacious and beautifully presented accommodation and sits in approximately 10.8 acres of secluded grounds, in a sublime wooded setting - but what makes it even more special is its stunning outlook over the Wye Valley. The house sits in a private spot, perched on a plateau with the Wye Valley dropping away steeply below.

"The view is absolutely dazzling and the location is amazing. The setting, in the woods, gives a sense of isolation, but it's part of a great village community."

Hudnalls House enjoys a tranquil, elevated spot, on the edge of the Forest of Dean, in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Set some 600 feet above sea level, it commands clear views of over 10 miles up the valley towards Monmouth, overlooking the river, idyllic woods and fields. It overlooks the ancient woods of The Hudnalls, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Surrounded by nature and wildlife, with access to miles of footpaths and multiple opportunities for outdoor pursuits, it is the classic country retreat. Yet it is also well connected, being under 10 miles from the ancient market towns of Monmouth and Chepstow, 11 miles from the M48/M4 and just 27 miles from Bristol.

Less than two miles away is the pretty, historic village of St Briavels, with its 12th century castle, friendly local pub, excellent primary school and community village shop and deli. The Michelin-starred restaurant, The Whitebrook is nearby and the ancient market town of Monmouth, about 10 miles away, offers further restaurants, pubs, a variety of independent shops, both a Waitrose and an M&S Food, good leisure and recreation facilities and highly regarded schools, including the Haberdashers' Monmouth independent schools. Chepstow, known for its historic clifftop castle, also offers supermarkets and a range of shops and facilities.

The house boasts light-filled, high ceilinged rooms, large bay windows, lovely period details and over 4,000 sq ft of luxurious accommodation, currently informally arranged for multi-generational living. The property has been upgraded and well maintained and benefits from three recently installed air source heat pumps. In addition to the main house, a converted, stone-built coach house and stables provides a separate two-storey art studio/home office.

For the vendors, this has been a much enjoyed home with all the essentials for a family looking to get the best out of country living. "It is a lovely, big property with lots of flexible space and it has a bit of everything - paddocks, woodland, a walled garden, lots of opportunities for outdoor activities, walks through the woods from the doorstep and an art studio which doubles up as a gym."

One of the principal houses in St Briavels, Hudnalls House was, for more than 50 years, home to Margaret Eyre, a local historian and folklorist, whose grandfather, Edward John Eyre, was a famous explorer. Both Lake Eyre and the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia are named after him.

The kitchen opens to a back hallway from which a second flight of stairs leads to the first floor. Off the hallway is a delightful day room, with a quarry tiled floor and an Esse Ironheart woodburning stove set in a feature fireplace. A panel of original bells indicates this room would once have formed part of the servants' quarters.

Completing the ground floor accommodation is a good sized utility room, with access to a store room. There is also a downstairs WC. Accessed from the outside of the property are further store rooms and a gardener's WC.

On the first floor are six double bedrooms, three with ensuite bathrooms and one with access to its own bathroom across the hallway. There is also a large family bathroom with a corner bath and a separate shower cubicle.

One of the bedrooms has a bay window and adjacent doors opening to a Juliet balcony, to take advantage of the captivating view over the valley below. A bay window to the side, with a deep window seat, overlooks the lawns and towards the walled garden. This lovely, bright room is currently used as a sitting room and features a stone fireplace with a new wood burning stove. Next door is a spacious double bedroom, with a bay window with Wye Valley views. A bespoke oak fitted walk-through dressing room connects to the luxurious ensuite bathroom.

The principal bedroom is a large and impressive room at one end of the house, which in a former era was used as a ballroom and billiard room. It has an attractive wood panelled ceiling and original solid wood floorboards. The dual aspect room has a window overlooking the Wye Valley and another giving views over the gardens to the front of the house. The bedroom benefits from an ensuite bathroom and a large built-in cupboard used as a wardrobe. The three further bedrooms on this floor overlook the formal gardens at the front of the house. Meanwhile a flight of stairs leads up to what the vendors call their turret room, currently used as a home off..

Step inside:- - Hudnalls House is approached along a no through road, from which a tree-lined driveway leads up through a stone-pillared entrance. There is a turning circle in front of a double garage and ample, further parking.

From the front of this imposing property a large glazed entrance porch leads into a reception hallway with a handsome wooden staircase. A pair of glazed doors lead through to a glorious sitting room at the back of the house, where two large bay windows and a central picture window frame the dramatic views over the valley. The lovely, airy room is large enough to be arranged with a formal dining table at one end, making it perfect for socialising. Doors set in the centre of one of the bays open to a wide paved terrace, extending the entertaining space to the outdoors. The room has some charming features, including a central archway and part glazed recessed cupboards. The bay windows retain their original shutters. There is a feature stone fireplace at one end of the room, with a Bodart & Gonay inset woodburning stove.

Providing more intimate space, there is a separate music room, which has a large bay window enjoying the Wye Valley views and another window overlooking the front garden. This room is full of character, with a ceiling beam, original parquet flooring, which has recently been refurbished and a feature stone fireplace.

The charming, cosy family dining room is open plan to the Mark Wareing solid oak kitchen, which has been cunningly designed to enhance the intriguingly-shaped room. "The bespoke, handmade kitchen is gorgeous and it fits the space particularly well and with the dining room next to it, and with the wood burning stove in there, it is the real heart of the home, a welcoming, communal space."

The kitchen features a range of high quality appliances, including an integrated dishwasher and fridge/freezer, an Esse wood burning stove/range cooker and a built-in oven and ceramic hob.

The independent two-storey studio/home office block in the gardens of the house was designed by a previous owner to provide east and west light for painting. The spacious studio includes a shower room, central heating and a log burner. Upstairs is a large space currently used for storage but at one time used to run businesses with multiple employees. The studio has potential as an annexe, subject to planning permission. The vendors enjoy it for art and hobbies and as a gym. "It is a great space, practical and with great natural light and the stove makes it very toasty. I had considered running classes there - it would be perfect for that."

Outside - Hudnalls House sits in approximately 10.8 acres of grounds which include fabulous, mature, ornamental gardens. For about three decades, from the mid 1970's, the property was owned by a member of a famous rock band who invested in landscaping and planting, creating magical outdoor spaces with year-round interest and starting a splendid collection of rhododendrons. "The garden is very special. It is planned so there are separate sections, giving privacy from the house. In spring, there are rhododendrons in every colour. It is absolutely glorious. The garden also attracts a wide variety of birds. I don't think there is anywhere else quite like it for such tuneful birdsong!"

The principally south-facing gardens feature interconnecting lawns interspersed with wide shrubberies and specimen trees. Eye-catching planting includes two trained wisteria trees at the front of the house. They are exceptional. "They have been shaped very lovingly and in spring they are absolutely covered in fragrant purple flowers."

For the vendors, favourite trees also include a magnificent serrated-leaved beech in the centre of a circular rhododendron shrubbery. "It's a wonderful climbing tree and the space below it makes a perfect child's den!" For children, another of the garden's charms is that "it is a great place for playing hide and seek."

The original walled kitchen garden is another notable feature of this fantastic garden. This large, sheltered area features a lawn, vegetable beds, espalier fruit trees and mixed fruit bushes, all connected with gravel walkways. The gardens also include a raised lily pond, a large, Victorian-style, refurbished stone-and-timber greenhouse and separate garden storage. The grounds further incorporate four paddocks, currently let for horse pasture, and approximately 3 acres of mature oak woodland - "great for exploring and for wildlife."

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