Winterborne Houghton, Blandford Forum, DT11

AN APPEALING PERIOD VILLAGE HOUSE WITH THE BENEFIT OF A SMALL PADDOCK

Built in the traditional local vernacular with banded flint and brick elevations under a shallow pitched slate roof, this hugely appealing former school house is nicely situated in the centre of the village opposite the church. Old School House was refurbished and extended shortly after our clients purchased it in 2007, and since then it has been well maintained and is simply but stylishly presented throughout. Unusually for such an attractive period house it is a very practical house, with well organised accommodation of just over 2,000 sq/ft that comprises a generous light sitting room with a wood burning stove and extensive display shelving, a large entrance porch that currently doubles as an office, a separate study/craft room and an open plan kitchen/dining room with a lobby out to the courtyard and sliding doors to the garden. Upstairs there are four good bedrooms and two bathrooms, including one ensuite. The neutral presentation means it would be easy for the new owners to introduce their own style and there is plenty of scope to adapt the layout or extend the cottage into the courtyard or the garden, leaving plenty of outside space because of the paddock.

With well kept mature gardens on three sides, the house is approached over a wide gravel drive leading up to a carport and a short path to the front door. Access through the carport takes you into a courtyard adjacent to the back door, and on the other side of the drive the largest part of the garden has level lawn and summer house. From here a with paved path runs round the house to an ornamental lawn with raised border, and behind a tall flint wall steps lead up to another small garden and up to the paddock. The paddock is well fenced and has a gate out onto the lane. The paddock and garden extend to about 2/3 of an acre.

Winterborne Houghton is a small village located at the head of one of the pretty valleys to the west of Blandford, a stones’ throw from Bulbarrow and Milton Abbey. There is wonderful walking, cycling and riding in the countryside around the village most of which is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and within half an hour you can be enjoying water sports in Poole Harbour and Studland Bay or walking along Dorset’s renowned Jurassic coastline. Although quiet and rural, this location is by no means isolated and there is plenty going on in the villages along the valley. Winterborne Stickland has a pub, nursery school and sports club, and over the hill in Milton Abbas there is another pub, a post office, award-winning farm shop and Doctor’s surgery. For a wider range of services, it is only a short drive to Blandford with its historic Georgian market square, M&S Food Hall and Tesco and Lidl superstores. Commuting to Dorchester, Ferndown, Bournemouth and Poole is straightforward and easy access onto the A31/M27 provides a link to Southampton and Portsmouth, and the M3 up to London. The nearest train station is Poole (London Waterloo about 2 hours), and Southampton and Bournemouth airports are also within easy reach. This part of Dorset has become extremely popular because of the number good schools at all levels. The local primary school is in Winterborne Whitechurch, and state secondary schools are in Blandford or Dorchester. Independent schools nearby include Bryanston, Clayesmore, Canford and Milton Abbey (on the doorstep) with prep schools at Bryanston, Hanford, Castle Court and Dumpton.

PROPERTY INFORMATION
Tenure: Freehold
Services: Mains water and electricity. Private drainage (septic tank). Oil fired heating.
Broadband and Mobile: Good broadband, limited mobile coverage.
Covenants and Easements: The Land Registry Official Copy of the title suggests convenants and easements affect this property. Please seek specific advice from a solicitor.
EPC: Band E (potentially Band C)
Local Authorities: Dorset Council. /
Council Tax: Band F. Charge for the year 2024/25 £3,511.50
Planning Note: Old School House is not listed but is in a conservation area and an AONB.
Flooding: Partially in Flood Zone 3. No history of flooding but please refer to