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Sands
Home Search are independent buying consultants specialising in
finding and acquiring prime country houses & estates, farm
& equestrian property and waterside homes for retained private
& corporate clients.
For further information about
our service use the menu at the top of this page.
About the County of Somerset (inc area formerly known as
Avon)
(For a list of all the prime country estate properties sold in
Somerset recently, scroll down to the bottom of this page)
Chard, Frome, Cheddar, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, Axminster,
Wincanton, Castle Cary, Ilminster, Crewkerne, Bridgwater, Taunton,
Bath, Bristol, Wells and the Mendip Hills area of Somerset.
Somerset is one of the largest counties in Southern England and
the changes to the scenery can be quite dramatic. In general,
the county is one of well-wooded undulating countryside and consists
of a flat basin surrounded on three sides by hills and on the
fourth side by the Bristol Channel.
To the north-east are the Mendip Hills which are dissected by
deep narrow valleys such as Cheddar Gorge which provide dramatic
scenery. To the north-west is Exmoor and the Quantock Hills. The
Blackdown Hills are to the south and to the east of the basin
is the marshy area of Sedgemoor.
The principal rivers in the county are the Exe and the Parrett,
the latter flowing through a flat reedy area drained for cultivation
and known as the Somerset Levels.
The north of the county includes an area formerly known as Avon
but which now has been returned to Bath and North East Somerset.
Transport to the area is reasonable with trains from Taunton to
the west of the county taking approximately 100 minutes to Paddington
and the fast line from Bath taking only 90 minutes. The journey
from Yeovil Junction takes approximately 135 minutes to London
Waterloo as it is affected by single track to the west of Salisbury.
The A303 is the main trunk road running through the county and
it is mostly dual carriageway. Taunton is about a 3-hour drive
to London, while Wincanton to the east is less than 2 1/2 hours.
The further north or south from the A303, however, increases travel
times due to busy 'A' roads and small lanes.
The M5 services the west of the county linking it to the Midlands
and the North, while Bath and North East Somerset are close to
the M4.
The more popular areas of the county are centred around the hills.
Centres such as Shepton Mallet and Yeovil, however, are fairly
second rate due to industry and urbanisation; the Somerset Levels
are not so popular because of the flat landscape and the proximity
of RNAS Yeovilton which is a busy airbase.
Somerset is very much a county for second homeowners or for those
who work locally and, as such, property prices have kept relatively
low in the more rural areas.
Closer to Bath and Bristol, however, a mini market has emerged
making for higher prices in the better parts of the cities and
the surrounding villages. Tourism is quite prolific but fairly
spread and much less than in the Cotswolds, though summer traffic
heading on to Cornwall and Devon can make for crowded roads in
the summer.
Although improved connections to London have sparked interest
in the local property market, Somerset remains thoroughly rural.
The Chew Valley and Wells are the most popular areas to live in.
A rural county famed for its cider and cheese,
Somerset also has many mystical and religious connections. Glastonbury
is the New Age centre of England, and Wells has a magnificent cathedral,
founded in the eighth century.
The improvement of the A303 has made the county
much more accessible from London, and sparked interest in the
country house market. Since the demise of the modern, and unpopular,
county of Avon, the city of Bath is now once again part of Somerset,
although its housing market is still largely independent from
the rest of the county.
Somerset has a long coastline along the Bristol
Channel, from Devon to the mouthof the River Avon, but the only
natural harbour is at Watchet.
The county's varied landscape ranges from rolling
valleys and hills to the crags of Cheddar Gorge and the wilderness
of Exmoor to the west.
Agriculture is the main industry, but tourism
also thrives, particularly round Glastonbury and in the coastal
towns of Minehead and Weston-super-Mare.
Typically, houses are built of stone, including
the soft-coloured Blue Lias limestone of the Somerset Levelsand
the golden-yellow Ham stone in the south, with clay-tiled roofs.
The Chew Valley and the cathedral city of Wells,
the smallest city in England, are among the best places in the
county to live, together with Butleigh, which is close to Millfield
School, and Castle Cary. Prices have risen in recent years, but
they are cheaper towards the coast.
Transport links
Train: Paddington to Taunton 1hr 50min; Paddington
to Yeovil, two hours; Paddington to Bath, 1hr 25min.
Car: Taunton is 148 miles from London and Wincanton
117 miles, via the M3 and A303. Bath is 110 miles, via the M4.
Public schools
Bruton School for Girls, Bruton (01749 812277).
Girls only, age range 8-18, day and boarding. www.brutonschool.co.uk/
Clifton College, Bristol (0117 973 9187). Co-educational, age
range 13-18, day and boarding. Associated preparatory school.
www.cliftoncollegeuk.com/
Downside School, Stratton-on-the-Fosse (01761 235100). Boys only,
age range 9-18, day and boarding. www.downsideabbey.co.uk/
King's School, Bruton (01749 813326). Boys aged 13-18 (co-educational
sixth form), day and boarding. www.kingsbruton.org.uk/
Millfield School, Street (01458 442291). Co-educational, age range
13-18, day and boarding. www.millfield.somerset.sch.uk/
King's College, Taunton (01823 328210). Co-educational, age range
13-18, day and boarding. www.kings-taunton.co.uk/
Queen's College, Taunton (01823 272559). Co-educational, age range
8-18, day and boarding. www.queenscollege.org.uk/
Taunton School (01823 349223). Co-educational, age range 12-18,
day and boarding. Associated preparatory school. www.tauntonschool.co.uk/
The Royal High School (01225 313877). Girls only, age range 4-18,
day. www.gdst.net/royalhighbath/
Wells Cathedral School (01749 672117). Co-educational, age range
11-18, day and boarding. Associated preparatory school. www.wells-cathedral-school.com/
Leisure
Golfcourses: Lansdown, Bath (01225 425007);
Bristol & Clifton (01275 393474); Yeovil (01935 75949); Burnham
& Berrow, Burnham-on-Sea (01278 783137).
Yacht clubs: Burnham-on-Sea Yacht Club, Minehead
Sailing Club.
Hunts: the Exmoor, the Taunton Vale, the West
Somerset.
Staghounds: the Quantock, the Devon and Somerset.
Fishing: rivers Parrett and Axe, Chew Valley
Lake, Blagdon Lake.
THE BEST SOMERSET COUNTRY HOUSES FOR SALE
IN 2004
(A breakdown of what was for sale & purchase prices)
Ven House, Milbourne Port (sublime Georgian house, Grade I, 34
acres): £6.5m
Hatch Court, Hatch Beauchamp (Grade I listed, 109 acres): £5.5m
Dinder House, near Wells (Regency House, river frontage, 21.6
acres): £2.25m
Country Life - June 2005
[Back to Coverage
page]
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benefit from the Sands Home Search service, please call in confidence
on 01425 462 549.
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