Lower Rudloe Farm, Lower Rudloe, Wiltshire

This terrific Cotswolds farm emanates from a Grade II-listed, 18th-century farmhouse. On a raised position overlooking the By Brook valley, its network of outhouses comprises five separate studio apartments and several magnificent barn spaces. In the 17 acres of grounds, a wonderful ensemble of contemporary and traditional delights can be found, with a sauna, an informal public house and farm shop, workshops and large storage units, all found amongst the extensive garden, paddocks and woods. Despite being just a 30-minute drive from Bath, Lower Rudloe delights in its pastoral Cotswolds setting.

Setting the Scene

The characterful farmhouse has a datestone which reads 1749 and is constructed from rubble stone with a concrete tiled roof. Its façades are defined by their stone ovolo-moulded mullion windows crowned by decorative hoodmoulds. The house’s rear aspect has a gabled centre which projects into the yard, with scalloped bargeboards and tall windows.

Inside, the house has been restored by its current owners, who have incorporated a barn housing a long dining room. There are many original features, such as the characterful beams and stone window seats, whilst a small extension, home to a second dining room with wraparound windows framing views across rolling farmland. The owners have used the house and its outbuildings as an events space for a number of years. A large barn provides the perfect backdrop for yoga retreats, while smaller outbuildings located around the yard have been used for wine-tasting evenings and even as a small farm shop.

Sustainability has always been at the core of the current owners’ ethos; heating is provided by a bio-mass boiler, solar panels contribute to their electricity supply and no artificial pesticides or fertiliser are used on the land. They are also in the process of rewilding some of their fields and have planted more trees to encourage as much biodiversity as possible.

The Grand Tour

Built around a yard, the 18th-century main house is an inviting progression of warmly appointed living spaces beneath beautifully preserved beams. A wide entrance hall lined with terracotta tiles leads through to a lovely open-plan kitchen and breakfast room warmed by a four-oven gas-fired Aga, installed in an original fireplace. Kitchen units and worktops have been cast in concrete or constructed via exposed brick, and include a deep double butler sink. From here, a door opens into a dining room, where double-aspect windows are framed by well-positioned window seats. On the other side of the kitchen is a useful utility room within a light-filled conservatory.

A cosy sitting room sits just off the kitchen, with exposed stone walls and characterful beams. From here, a hallway passes a second utility room and a guest WC into the formal dining room. Very voluminous, this room has a vaulted ceiling with a mezzanine/sleeping platform above, and doors which can be flung open in the summer leading back into the main farmyard. There is also a spacious office on this floor.

There are two bedrooms on the first floor. The primary bedroom has a window seat overlooking the hills, a fireplace, and down a flight of steps is an immensely characterful en suite bathroom with a free-standing roll-top bath beneath exposed oak rafters. Upstairs, two more bedrooms are under the vaulted roof, nestled in the cosy eaves space.

Outside, a single-storey building with a pitched roof – originally the milking parlour and pigsty – has been transformed into four self-contained en suite rooms with kitchenettes. On the other side of the yard, an original two-storey, stone-built barn is now arranged as another brilliant open-plan apartment with its own private decked area. Elsewhere in the building, a room with counter space is currently used as a farm shop, and a ‘public house’ with a bar and stepped levels distinguishing seating areas. The pub is overhung with pendant lighting, and a warm interplay of wooden textures interact to create a traditional feel.

A large converted, bright and sunny barn with a row of windows which overlook the garden is currently used as a voluminous events space. Here there is also a WC block for guests. Stabling is currently used as workshops and equipment stores, and there are a range of other additional storage spaces.

The Great Outdoors

Set in over 17 acres of land, the garden (with its vegetable patches) feeds into orchards, paddocks, and woodland well-known for its wild truffles. Beside the house is a terraced area, perfect for lunches in the summer months. A pizza oven is positioned to one side, while two attractive wooden hot tubs (available via separate negotiation) overlook the valley. An inconspicuous sauna is concealed by the lea of the hill. Below the terrace is an established orchard which sits across approximately half an acre of land. Here there is a variety of fruit trees, including heritage cider, dessert and cooking apples, plums and pears.

One of the fields is ancient limestone grassland rich in wildflowers like moon daisies, common spotted orchids and cowslips. In reaction to the fact that the UK has lost 97% of its flower-rich meadows, the current owners have managed this land by careful sheep grazing, working to also diversify other fields using green hay. Native plants introduced into the grasslands provide better nutrition for livestock and support butterflies and pollinators, all the while storing significant amounts of carbon deep within their soils.

Out and About

Perched in the beautiful By Brook valley, the farm is ideally located for country walks through its stunning hills. The house is just a 7-minute drive from the centre of Corsham which, with its sandstone bricks and Georgian houses, has been likened to Bath.

Bath is less than 10 miles from the house and is well-served by outstanding retailers and restaurants, focusing on independent provisors. Colonna and Small’s, Beckford Bottle Shop, Café Lucca, Corkage, Landrace Bakery, and the weekly farmers’ market are of particular note, while the Olive Tree restaurant, Bath’s Michelin-starred establishment, is conveniently located at the northern end of nearby Russell Street. Cultural attractions are plentiful as Bath is the only city in the UK to achieve UNESCO World Heritage status, which continues to be vehemently protected. The Roman Baths, which gave the town its name, and the Grade I-listed Bath Abbey are essential stops, while brilliant theatres and galleries such as the Holburne Museum, the Francis Gallery, and The Edge arts centre all host must-see world-class exhibitions.

The picturesque riverside town of Bradford-on-Avon is about a 20-minute drive from the house and has several amenities, including supermarkets and greengrocers, independent restaurants and shops, as well as well-regarded schools.

Popular local restaurants and pubs include Sign of the Angel in Lacock, The Brasserie at Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa, and The Methuen Arms in Corsham. Farm shops are dotted around the area, as are independent provisors in the surrounding villages.

There are several good schools nearby, including Corsham Primary and Secondary schools, and Hardenhuish Secondary in Chippenham.

Lower Rudloe Farm is a 30-minute drive from Bath along the A4. The nearest train station is at Chippenham, which runs frequent services to Bath Spa in 10 minutes, as well as London Paddington in as little as just over an hour.

Council Tax Band: G