Martinstown, Dorchester, DT2 9LF

Why We Love West End House

A beautifully proportioned Georgian country house with inviting interiors and a rare sense of elegance. Set in an elevated position within 35 acres of land, the house enjoys a spectacular walled garden and wide rolling views.

The Main House

West End House is an incredibly handsome country house in a fabulous rural setting within its extensive grounds and has the dual benefit of being on the edge of the village. The house stands proudly in an elevated position with spectacular unimpeded views of its beautiful gardens and rolling Dorset countryside. 

The house dates from 1787, which is supported by its Georgian architecture, and, surprisingly, it is not listed. It has a symmetrical frontage and is built of an attractive light Ashlar stone with an elegant timber and glass porch. 

Boasting large windows with thin sash bars, stone sills, lintels and original shutters, the house even on a dull day is bathed in light. Along with a number of fine period features, including intricate cornicing, panelled doorways, traditional radiators, wide oak floorboards and handsome chimney pieces, this wonderful property has a rare elegance and has been decorated with great flair to reflect its abundance of character. 

In keeping with its era, all the rooms benefit from high ceilings and lovely proportions making them perfect for entertaining. With so many wonderful reception rooms, the double length drawing room with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the walled garden and inviting book room are of particular note. 

Combined with a large family kitchen/breakfast room with flagstone floor, raised open fireplace and adjoining pantry, West End House is also a charming family home. The kitchen is conveniently adjoined to the dining room and cloakroom with direct access to a pretty courtyard and covered terrace perfect for alfresco entertaining. 

Essential for country living, there is a boot room and large laundry room with a second loo. 

A graceful central staircase ascends to the first-floor landing which looks over a void to the hall and is illuminated by the front door’s semi-circular fanlight window as well as the central first floor sash window. 

The dual aspect principal bedroom with adjoining dressing room
and bathroom leads off the central landing as well as another dual aspect bedroom with adjoining bathroom, an additional bedroom and separate loo. There are a further three bedrooms and bathroom along the landing in the East wing. 

There is a good cellar and adjoining the main house is a log store, garage and further storage room. 

West End Cottage

Well partitioned from the main house, West End Cottage is a charming and private cottage with lovely rural views and in good condition. The cottage comprises three bedrooms, ensuite shower room, bathroom, kitchen/breakfast room, dining hall, sitting room, cloakroom and walled garden. 

Outbuildings

Adjoining the main house is an enclosed garage and storage room. Adjoining the cottage is a three-bay car port with two storage rooms and within the large loft space is a storage room with Velux windows which, subject to planning, lends itself for additional ancillary accommodation or art studio. 

To the east of the property is an open stone and thatched barn, walled lawn and a large Dutch barn with multiple storage rooms which are perfect for large scale entertaining. 

Gardens and Grounds

The exquisite mature gardens and grounds extend to approximately 35 acres providing all the pleasures of an English Country Garden and perfectly complement this fabulous house. 

There are formal borders, large expanses of lawn, sculpted hedges, ornamental and ancient trees including a splendid copper beech. The different areas of garden are segmented by attractive stone walls with a pretty greenhouse and garden shed built in with the same stone. 

The most memorable part of the formal gardens is the south facing walled garden which has terraced borders and lawn, ornamental trees and an array of landscaped box hedging surrounded by a stone wall with slate roofed top. 

Beyond the formal gardens is a pocket of woodland, vegetable patch and two large fields currently let to a local farmer but could be used for pasture, arable or just countryside walks within your own boundary. 

Living in the Dorset Countryside

Martinstown 0.2 miles | Dorchester 3.5 miles | Weymouth 7.8 miles | Bridport 12 miles 

(Distances are approximate) 

West End House is privately positioned within the attractive stone wall of its exquisite gardens on the edge of the picturesque village of Martinstown amidst rolling West Dorset countryside. Martinstown has a village hall, 12th century church and the Brewers Arms is only a 0.3 mile walk away. 

The county town of Dorchester is about 3.5 miles to the northeast and provides an excellent range of facilities including a Waitrose supermarket. The seaside towns of Weymouth (8 miles) and Bridport (12 miles) are also easily accessible, as are an excellent array of beaches including The Hive Beach, Ringstead Beach, Eype Beach and Chesil Beach.

Communications in the area include a regular train service from Dorchester to London Waterloo taking just over 21⁄2 hours and access onto the A354 providing a north/south route and the A35 providing an east/west link. Bournemouth International Airport has flights to an increasing number of European destinations and takes private aircraft. 

Sporting facilities in the area include hunting with the Cattistock Hunt and golf at Dorchester (Came Down), Yeovil and Sherborne. Water sports are available along the stunning Dorset coastline at Weymouth Bay, West Bay and Lyme Regis. West Dorset is also renowned for country sports with many superb shoots and fishing opportunities. 

First Rate Schools 

The area is well known for its well-regarded schools including Bryanston, Canford, Milton Abbey and the Sherborne schools at secondary level and Dumpton, Sandroyd, Hanford, Sunninghill and Port Regis at Preparatory level. 

Chapters Past

The charming conservation village of Martinstown, also known as Winterborne St Martin, sits either side of the River South Winterborne in the Dorset AONB. This attractive corner of rolling countryside has been inhabited since time immemorial, as evidenced by a remarkably rich local concentration of prehistoric archaeology, with the Bronze Age hill fort Maiden Castle lying a mile or so to the East and over 100 ancient barrows, including Clandon Barrow, surrounding the village.

Renowned writer and Dorset man through and through, the author Thomas Hardy was born and lived close to Maiden Castle, describing it in the scene of Henchard's cross-country run in The Mayor of Casterbridge. Some of Hardy’s most masterfully acute descriptions throughout his fiction and poetry capture the romance of the hills of West Dorset, where thanks to its protected status, the countryside has changed little in the last two centuries. Martinstown itself retains an early 19th century sheep washing pool, a rare survivor from Hardy’s time and one similar to that described in a memorable part of his novel Far From the Madding Crowd. 

Another famous Thomas Hardy with a strong association with the local landscape is Captain Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy. Born the second son of local landowner Joseph Hardy, he joined the Royal Navy at the age of 12 and worked his way up the ranks during the Napoleonic wars. Hardy famously went on to serve as flag captain to Lord Nelson, vice-admiral of HMS Victory at the battle of Trafalgar, and First Naval Lord. The striking Hardy Monument was erected by his family in his memory in 1844. Built in the form of an octagonal spyglass with each of it’s eight corners aligned to the compass points; its silhouette forms an iconic landmark which can be seen for miles around.