Village Street, Tarrant Monkton, Blandford Forum, DT11

AN IDYLLIC COUNTRY COTTAGE AND ANNEXE SET IN A LARGE GARDEN ON THE EDGE OF A PICTURESQUE VILLAGE Set in a lovely rambling garden of just under an acre, Apple Tree Cottage is a picture-perfect detached thatched cottage with a substantial detached annexe in a lovely rural setting. Dating from the middle of the 18th century and listed grade II, the cottage had already been extended and well refurbished when our clients purchased it in 2012. Now extending to about 2,500 sq/ft with another 950 sq/ft in the annexe, the accommodation comprises a central main reception room with an open fireplace, and on either side of that, a dining room and a study (which is presently a ground floor ensuite (5th) bedroom. Off the hall in the modern extensions there is a large open plan kitchen/breakfast room with an electric Aga and walk-in Larder. A generous utility room and cloakroom complete the ground floor and upstairs there are four good bedrooms. Two bedrooms are interconnecting, and the impressive main bedroom and guest bedroom are both ensuite. For the last 4 or 5 years Apple Tree Cottage has been very successfully run as a commercial holiday let (Airbnb) and although it has been well maintained it would now benefit from some simple cosmetic repair and updating. In 2014 our client re-thatched the cottage and added the substantial timber clad annexe, which presently comprises an open plan living area, 2 or 3 bedrooms and 2 shower rooms plus an attached single garage and lean to. This building could easily be adapted to become more garages, a generous office or very appealing holiday accommodation, and this flexibility means Apple Tree Cottage is not only an extremely comfortable family home, but potentially an excellent working environment or holiday business as well. The rambling cottage gardens are another lovely feature of the property and being surrounded by trees and tall hedges, they are very private. Being largely informal, the gardens are as you would expect, interspersed with a wide variety of old apple trees. From the lane double gates open onto a gravel drive which has a large parking and turning area in front of the annexe, and then continues up the side of the garden to the front of the cottage where there is a wide covered porch and an intricately paved terrace which is in the sun pretty well all day. At the end of the garden there are a couple of garden stores and a partially complete shepherds hut that can be purchased separately. Tarrant Monkton is one of the prettiest villages along the picturesque Tarrant Valley. Well known for the Langton Arms pub and restaurant, the village sits on the western edge of Cranborne Chase in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Although the four Tarrant villages at this end of the valley (Gunville, Hinton, Launceston and Monkton) are very rural they are by no means isolated and there is a thriving community in the valley. As well as the pub there is a local butcher, a church and busy village hall, and a rather good wine merchants in Tarrant Hinton and farm shop in Tarrant Rawston. For a wider range of amenities Blandford Forum with its historic Georgian market square, M&S food hall, Lidl and Tesco superstore is only a short drive away, and Salisbury, Dorchester and Poole are all withinabout half an hour by car. Communication links around the village are good, all the business centres along the coast from Poole and Bournemouth, and farther afield to Southampton and Portsmouth, are within reasonable commuting distance. The A31 is close by to the south and provides a quick link to the M27 and M3 up to London. The A303 via Salisbury is another route to London and Salisbury is the most convenient railway station (London Waterloo around 2 hours). There is lovely walking, riding and cycling in the countryside around the village, and Poole harbour, Studland Bay and Dorset's renowned Jurassic coastline are only a short drive away to the South. This part of Dorset has also become popular because of its wide choice of schools at all levels and as well as the local primary and state secondary schools, Poole and Parkstone retain their grammar schools, and independent schools nearby include Bryanston (on the doorstep), Canford, Clayesmore and Milton Abbas, as well as Hanford, Sandroyd and Castle Court prep schools Mains water and electricity are available at the property. Private drainage (septic tank). Oil fired central heating (part under floor). Good broadband available.