For Sale7 Bedroom House in Lodkin Hill, Hascombe, Godalming, Surrey, GU8 4JP£5,975,000

Immaculately presented, historic and characterful house in idyllic rural setting. LOCATION Winkworth Farm enjoys an enviable and sheltered location on the fringe of the village of Hascombe and the edge of the Thorncombe Valley, known for its lakes and National Trust lands including Winkworth Arboretum, adjacent to the property. Situated south of Guildford and within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Hascombe is surrounded by heavily wooded rolling hillsides, with an ancient church and village pond and noted White Horse public house. The nearby town of Godalming has an excellent range of shops for daily needs and Guildford offers an extensive variety of shopping and leisure amenities. A main line rail link runs from Godalming to London Waterloo with journey times from around 40 minutes. There is a wide choice of schools in the area including Charterhouse, Prior's Field, Longacre, St Hilary's, Cranleigh School and St Catherine's. There is also Godalming Sixth Form College. There are a number of golf courses within easy reach, including West Surrey, Bramley, Hurtmore and Chiddingfold; polo at Ewhurst and Cowdray Park; racing at Sandown, Fontwell Park and Goodwood. Sailing can be enjoyed at Chichester Harbour. For walkers and equestrians, Winkworth Farm offers the opportunity to walk or ride out directly from the property. The surrounding countryside offers some of the best scenery in the south of England. THE PROPERTY Winkworth Farm is an exquisitely presented Grade II listed house of 16th century origin. Thought to be one of the last great timber houses to be built at a time when Dutch-style brick had become the fashion, it has a rich history and prestigious design pedigree as Sir Edward Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll developed the house and gardens respectively in the 1900's. Once a yeoman's house, the core of the property, which dates from 1565 was built around a picturesque Elizabethan quad, which today features the stunning ornamental knot garden. The sides of the quad, now integral to the house, were originally barns, adapted by Lutyens and J.D Coleridge at the turn of the century. Over the years the house has attracted custodians with a passion for nature; it was home to the much-celebrated botanist and former owner of Winkworth Arboretumn, Dr Wilfred Fox, and to wild-life artist conservationist David Sheperd. Over the past 15 years, Winkworth Farm has been sensitively upgraded by the current owners to cater for contemporary family living with a firm focus on the quality of materials used and on retaining the character of the home. Examples of upgraded elements include; secondary glazing has been replaced with an oak framed equivalent, the boilers were replaced in 2015, many of the radiators have been upgraded to cast iron models, numerous rooms have been insulated, underfloor heating has been installed in several bathrooms as well as the boot room and laundry room. The property now features a fabulous Fired Earth kitchen. There is reception space in abundance and the ceiling heights afford a great sense of volume throughout. Leading off the kitchen is the feature pantry ‘shop', a superb boot room and substantial utility as well as a loft area for further storage. The house has several study spaces, ideal for the increased ‘working from home' demands of modern life. There is a superb guest suite/wing, which is within the main house but separate from the family accommodation. At first floor level, there is the master suite along with 3 further charming bedrooms and large family bathroom. The top floor is the ideal teenager, children's or guest floor with a sitting/play room area, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. WINKWORTH FARM BARN One of the most unique and surprising highlights of the house, accessed from the wine cellar, is the underground tunnel that leads to the magnificent timber framed barn. The barn was developed by the current owners as secondary accommodation and comprises a superb, vaulted, open plan living/kitchen/dining space, a mezzanine level with study area and two bedroom suites. This building affords great opportunity for multigenerational living. OUTBUILDINGS Located to the north of the main house lie various outbuildings including a timber clad and brick-built gymnasium and a garden store. The quadruple depth car garage is insulated, with a painted concrete floor and lighting scheme. There is a large, timber clad, double barn with a tile roof used for storage of garden machinery and a lean-to log store. There is another garage and garden store attached to the house. GARDENS AND GROUNDS The gardens and grounds of Winkworth Farm are utterly magical having had two of the worlds most renowned designers in Gertrude Jekyll and, later, Troup develop them. The upshot of which is a spectacular garden for all seasons. The ingenuity and influence of Dr Fox is also apparent in the wisteria canopies intertwine with numerous oak and yew trees. To the south lies the impressive, formal Rose Garden, a number of ornamental apple trees and a charming hazel. Beyond the formal gardens the grounds take on a parkland quality, running down to the impressively large Lake with idyllic boathouse at one end. Beyond the driveway there is an attractive, walled vegetable garden with brick edged beds. In the stable yard there are four loose boxes and a tack room. From here there is direct access to the paddocks and manège. A wooded copse, underplanted with a variety of snowdrops, daffodils and bluebells, stretches down to the Stream, which is bridged in parts and flanked with bamboo. A path meanders through the gardens and woodland, encircling the lake. View payable Stamp Duty for this property