Property description
Are you looking for a unique home in a historic building? Set in the beautiful downland village of Bishopstone, the Old Mill was a working water mill built in 1818.
Seen from the front with its pretty covered porch, the mill appears small but like the Tardis it is a very large building dropping down two storeys to the ground floor below. This was to accommodate the large water wheel that turned the machinery to grind corn. Sadly this wheel is no more other than the large spindle running underneath the present ground floor of the Mill, which still can be seen. The remainder of the wheel is still buried in the ground in the sluice where the run-off water once ran. The property was converted by the present owners some twenty years ago into a large family home with a flexible arrangement of accommodation over four different levels. The internal walls are not load-bearing and therefore the rooms could easily be reconfigured to provide an alternative layout to suit the buyer.
The property is entered into a hall, giving access to a large study/reception room and a large dining room, with steps down to a fitted kitchen/breakfast room, which includes an oil-fired Aga. Stairs from the dining room rise to a half-landing level which provides a useful study/computer station, with stairs rising up to a most attractive sitting room which is located within the eaves of the property. Having exposed floorboards, an open fireplace and far-reaching views from both the front and rear of the property over the village, the room is a real delight.
Stairs down from the dining room give access to a landing with a good-sized master bedroom with built-in wardrobes and an en suite bathroom. Also on this level is a further double bedroom. The lower ground floor comprises two further double bedrooms, a family bathroom and a useful utility/store room with door into the rear garden. The smaller of the two bedrooms on this floor currently has a little kitchenette and therefore this level could be used as an annexe for a dependent relative or an au pair. Alternatively, the kitchenette could be replaced with a shower room, thus providing en suite facilities to both of the bedrooms at this level.
Outside, the garden lies to the side and rear of the property and is larger than it first seems. Measuring just over a quarter of an acre, with the old millstream running at the bottom of the garden, the planting is both extensive and mature, including lawns, flowerbeds, raised vegetable beds and a small orchard.
There is a gated driveway with ample off-road parking and planning permission is still current for a detached double garage and a front porch to the south elevation of the Old Mill.
To the side of the building is a large open shed, where the smaller of the two mill wheels used to be. Archaeological digs on the site have also exposed foundations for an even older mill which once stood where the driveway currently is.
This unique and characterful Grade II listed home is an exciting opportunity for the discerning buyer and offers an impressive 2,885 sq ft of accommodation. Internal viewing is essential to fully appreciate the flexibility of this stunning home.
BISHOPSTONE Bishopstone is a village located about six miles east of Swindon and just west of the county border with Oxfordshire. It is a picturesque village with a thriving village pub which features in the Good Food Guide and The Good Pub Guide.
The village has a large number of thatched cottages centred around a pretty mill pond, and is often used as a base for walkers with excellent access to the Ridgeway National Trail. There is an excellent village primary school.
The nearby market towns of Faringdon (c. 8 miles) and Wantage (c. 11 miles) provide a good selection of independent and high street stores. The village of Shrivenham (c. 3.5 miles) boasts a doctors' surgery, two supermarkets, a florist, a bank, delicatessen and general store.
Swindon (c. 7.5 miles) gives access to the M4 and a main line railway station for Bristol and London. Oxford (c. 28 miles) has access to the M40.
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