Martyr Worthy, Winchester, Hampshire, SO21

Martyr Worthy Place is an impressive, spacious and immaculately presented home having gone hrough a recent comprehensive programme of renovation and refurbishment to restore it to its former splendour. An important Queen Anne, Georgian and Edwardian country house, it is featured in the Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England. Original 18th, 19th and early 20th century period features have been sensitively combined with stylish modern luxuries to create a wonderful home. The house is set within thoughtfully landscaped, formal Arts and Crafts gardens and grounds. The majority of the rooms enjoy uninterrupted, south-facing, far-reaching views over the rolling countryside of the South Downs National Park.

Approached via a long, tree-lined gravel drive, the portico entrance with doric columns welcomes visitors into a large reception hall with original parquet flooring and a sweeping staircase to the first floor. The well-proportioned, double-aspect drawing room has doors to the terrace and garden, and a woodburner. Next door is the morning room with a bay window and open fireplace, ideal for use as a less formal reception room. The dining room is a spectacular room, fully wood panelled with a striking stone fireplace surround and large open fire. The current owners have fitted a very well-appointed kitchen with a central island with bar seating, a large range cooker and integrated appliances.

This open plan area has plenty of room for a large informal dining table and a seating area with French doors to the south-facing terrace and garden. Adjacent is the utility room with American-style fridge freezer, boot room, hall and back staircase with access to a large cellar with a wine cellar and gym. From this end of the house is access to an adjoining annexe with a living room, kitchen, bedroom and shower room. The remainder of the ground floor accommodation is made up of a study and two cloakrooms. Upstairs, the well-proportioned principal bedroom has spectacular south-facing views over the surrounding countryside. The beautifully fitted en suite bathroom has a roll top bath and large walk-in shower and this room also leads into a separate dressing room. Adjoining this main bedroom suite is the library with exposed beams, woodburner and walls of bookshelves making it a perfect home office. There are two further bedroom suites with well-appointed bath/shower rooms, a laundry room and separate cloakroom. To the western end of the house is a staff flat with a sitting room incorporating a kitchen area, bedroom and shower room. The second floor is accessed via a wide, winder staircase leading to four further bedrooms (one with an en suite bathroom), separate shower room and plenty of attic storage space.

The meticulously planned Arts and Crafts gardens, recently re-designed by leading landscape designer John Brookes, MBE, have areas of formal and informal planting creating exciting vistas to experience whilst enjoying the grounds. A parterre garden with enclosed, established flower beds allows the eye to travel via an avenue of pleached box hornbeam trees towards garden statues (not included). Next to this is the original croquet lawn, formal terrace, and a rectangular pond with a fountain which leads through crenelated yew hedges, to wildflower meadows. The south garden is bordered by a brick wall with espaliered hornbeam trees and includes a formal sunken garden with a globe water feature. There are also areas of lawn and woodland, a walled kitchen garden and terraces to enjoy outdoor entertaining. Also within the southern garden and protected by an impressive clipped yew hedge, further espaliered hornbeam trees and a brick wall is a newly constructed, outdoor heated swimming pool with a wide stone surround and pool house with changing facilities. The current owners have periodically opened the grounds to the public for charity events.

The village of Martyr Worthy sits about 3.5 miles to the north east of Winchester within the Itchen Valley. The house is in an exceptional location for access to the city which offers a superb range of cultural, culinary, sporting and retail amenities as well as schooling including Winchester College, St Swithun's School and Peter Symonds Sixth Form College. Prep schools include Princes Mead, The Pilgrims' School and Twyford School. The train service from Winchester takes from about 58 minutes to London Waterloo.