Location

Rock House is situated in the pretty village of Great Elm, a quintessential Somerset village surrounded by breath-taking rolling countryside and within three miles of the historic market town of Frome. There is a thriving arts scene and a wide variety of amenities including shops, schools, a library and two theatres. Frome is renowned for its excellent range of independent shops, a monthly artisan market and the annual Frome Festival in July. Sporting facilities include a leisure centre and two golf courses, along with riding, fishing and shooting opportunities in the area and racing at Bath, Wincanton and Salisbury. The nearby village of Mells is 1.5 miles away and provides a shop, café, post office, school, church and renowned public house, The Talbot Inn.

The renowned Babington House Private Members Club, the country branch of Soho House, is four miles away and offers many recreational facilities. There are excellent nearby schools, including King's School Bruton, Sexey's, Warminster School, All Hallows Preparatory School, Downside School, Wells Cathedral School and Bath schools including Monkton Combe, Prior Park College, King Edwards, The Royal High and Kingswood Schools.

There is good road and rail access to Bath (within 14 miles) and Bristol (23 miles) and mainline rail services are available at Bath and Westbury stations, with direct services to London Paddington - journey time from 75 minutes. The A303 (M3) provides good road access to Central London and the national motorway network, and Bristol International Airport is within 23 miles of the property.

Description

Rock House is an exquisite eight-bedroom family home with a separate cottage, nestled in the picturesque village of Great Elm. This immaculately presented home is unlisted and combines timeless elegance with contemporary luxury, offering a wonderful family home in a tranquil setting.

The current owners have conducted a meticulous renovation and have seamlessly blended the traditional period charm of the original house with a modern sophistication, making a stunning family home.

The house features beautifully proportioned, light-filled rooms with high ceilings and intricate plasterwork, and the layout flows beautifully, with the principal entertaining rooms facing south-westerly and each providing French doors which spill out onto the lawned garden

Guests are greeted by immediately impressive proportions with the recently added stone porch leading into the grand entrance hall with its tall ceilings, elaborate plasterwork and feature fireplace with woodburning stove.

Adjacent is the games room with its Edwardian turret, wonderful proportions, marble fireplace and French doors out on to the garden. This room flows seamlessly into the library with its built in shelving, woodburning stove and leaded stained glass windows.

Back across the entrance hall is the drawing room, a magnificent space with intricate and elaborate plasterwork, marble fireplace and French doors out on to the patio and garden. This is a wonderful room to relax in and from which to enjoy the view. A cosy snug sits behind the drawing room, with inglenook fireplace and leads through to the large family kitchen, split level to accommodate both kitchen and dining space. Modern shaker-style units and a double Everhot stove compliment the house well, along with the large central island with breakfast bar. The kitchen is a delightful family space and has double doors which lead out to the driveway, and a boot room and separate WC are located close by. The ground floor is completed by a large utility room, second WC and access to a useful cellar.

On the first floor, the eight generously sized bedrooms offer wonderful proportions, delightful views and abundant natural light. The bedroom accommodation is superb, with the principal bedroom a particular highlight with its generous proportions, period features, Edwardian turret and westerly aspect over the gardens. The bedroom next door is currently utilised as a luxurious dressing room, making the whole western wing of the house, one incredible bedroom suite. Along the corridor is a cosy guest bedroom which has use of the stylish family bathroom.

Bedrooms 2 and 3 are two equally impressive rooms with garden views. Bedroom 3 also has the benefit of a large modern ensuite bathroom and interconnecting door with bedroom 8, which is currently used as a dressing room. Two further bedrooms are situated above the kitchen on the southerly side of the buildings accessed via a separate staircase. These rooms are currently utilised as an expansive office with juliet balcony, and an atmospheric cinema/media room, but both could be reconnected to the main house with use of a sealed door in the ensuite bathroom to bedroom 3.

Rose Cottage

Included with Rock House is the separate, stylishly modernised three-bedroom Rose Cottage. Perfect for guests, extended family, or as a rental opportunity, this charming cottage has been recently refurbished and provides comfortable living with its own unique style. The cottage features a contemporary open plan kitchen/dining room, cosy living room and WC on the ground floor, and three large bedrooms and a stylish bathroom on the first floor. Outside, it has its own enclosed walled garden.

Gardens and Grounds

Rock House can be accessed through impressive stone pillars and electric gates leading to a gravel drive to the southerly side of the house, or via a more discreet side lane with wooden gates which open into an expansive area of parking between the main house and Rose Cottage.

The grounds offer wonderful variety, and feature two distinct areas, as well as woodland along the banks of the River Mells, totalling about 2.87 acres. The main garden opens out in front of Rock House, and has a large patio seating area, perfect for al fresco dining and enjoying the peaceful surroundings, with a sweeping lawn leading down to a rear wall with the River Mells below. The garden's wonderful mature trees and well-stock flower beds provide a delightful outlook and a stylish wooden smoke house is situated at the foot of the garden.

A secondary walled garden sits adjacent to the main lawned garden and is accessed through a pretty, gated archway behind a row of useful outbuildings. This area provides a more wild area of the garden, with fruit trees and fabulous privacy, and could be a perfect for an outdoor swimming pool. To the rear of this garden are a row of useful outbuildings, which are ripe for conversion, and currently used for excellent storage, as well as a potting shed.

The remainder of the land consists of hillside leading down to the banks of the River Mells and is largely arranged as woodland.