Location

The Manor House is at the heart of the charming little village of Hammoon in Thomas Hardy country and within sight of the pretty 13th Century Church of St. Paul.

About 2.9 miles away at the foot of Hambledon Hill is the larger village of Child Okeford with its primary school, village shop, doctor’s surgery and two pubs.

The nearby towns of Blandford Forum, Sturminster Newton, Sherborne and Shaftesbury all provide excellent shopping, educational, recreational and cultural facilities.

Communications in the area include access to the A303 to the north of Shaftesbury (about 2 ½ hours by car to London). There are mainline railway services available from the nearest station, Gillingham, to London Waterloo which takes 1 hour 50 minutes.

The area is also well served by a selection of independent schools at Bryanston, Sherborne, Canford, Clayesmore, Sandroyd, Hanford, Hazelgrove, Port Regis, Leweston and excellent state schools in Sherborne, Gillingham and Dorchester.

Sporting facilities in the area include fishing on the River Stour; horse racing at Wincanton and Salisbury; golf at Yeovil, Sherborne and Blandford and a variety of water sports are available on the Dorset coastline.

Description

The Manor House is justifiably said to be one of the most picturesque houses in Dorset. Dating back from the 15th Century, with 17th,19th & 21st Century additions. It has part stone and part timber framed elevations under a predominantly thatched roof. There are stone mullioned windows and a classic porch with rustic Tuscan columns, obelisks and an ornamental gable. A magnificent sycamore tree frames the west façade. The house underwent a significant ‘award winning’ renovation in 2014 by the present owners who most sympathetically and thoroughly renewed the electrics, plumbing, heating, necessary thatching with fire boarding and re-ridged the thatched roof in 2023. The attractive entrance porch welcomes you into the spacious hall with a 17th Century oak staircase. To the west is a light filled drawing room with exposed beams, an open fireplace and views to the large front lawn. Beyond is a study, boot room, downstairs cloakroom and garden room.

To the east of the reception hall is an inviting, red painted, panelled dining room with a bay window. A flag stoned corridor leads to a sitting room with interesting carved panelling above the fireplace and the spacious farmhouse kitchen with underfloor heating, electric AGA, central island and a cozy seating area. A utility room completes the ground floor. The upstairs landing can be accessed via two separate staircases. The principal south-west facing bedroom has a dual aspect, an en suite bathroom and a delightful 16th Century star painted ceiling decoration . There are five further attractive bedrooms one of which has an en suite bathroom and there is a generous size family bathroom.

On the second floor there is an excellent space with potential for a further bedroom/study/teenager’s den or hobby room with a pitched roof and access to a generously sized storage area.

Outside
To the front of the Manor House is a gravelled driveway and turning area with lawns beyond as well as a small walled front garden. To the rear there is a very attractive, landscaped courtyard which has a wonderful, east facing, covered dining area in the Old Forge with a log burning stove and is perfect for sheltered and elegant outside entertaining. There is a useful storage barn adjacent. There are terraces, flower beds and steps up to areas of lawn. The paddocks are laid to grass and have frontage to the River Stour. The property has fishing rights on its own stretch of the River Stour.


Manor Barn
The outbuildings were developed in 2019 undergoing a stunning restoration and now comprise of two interconnected adjoining barns which are currently run as holiday lets, The Appleyard and The Walled Garden. These would also make excellent guest and family accommodation with four double bedrooms and three en suite bathrooms, two kitchens, underfloor heating and wood burning stoves. There are private gardens for both, one is walled with flower beds and fruit trees and the other lies adjacent to the remaining traditional outbuildings (also with planning permission for conversion) and has a sheltered hot tub with views to the river.

History
The Manor of Hammoon derives its name from the DeMohun family and was one of the numerous west country estates granted to William DeMohun at the time of the Norman conquest. At the end of the 15th Century the Manor passed by marriage to the Trenchard family who also held The Manor of Woolston Charminster and in the time of Henry VII the Lessee of Hammoon was William Hody. The Manor remained in the Trenchard family until 1818 when it was sold to General Sir John Slade, who was a cavalry officer serving under Wellington. In the late 18th Century, it was sold to Viscount Portman, in 1923 it was sold to Captain William Brown and in 1937 to the Baptist Union. The Frampton family lived at The Manor House from 1946 to 2012 when it came into the present ownership. This splendid Manor House has also appeared regularly in books, such as the Perfect English Country House, Dorset’s Most Beautiful Buildings, Royal Commission of Historic Monument of England, Hutchings – The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset, Lycett Green, Pevsner, The Buildings of England Dorset and Oswald – Country Houses of Dorset.

Photos taken 2024.

Agent's Note
There is Right of Access from the lane to the field.

Directions

From Sturminster Newton proceed in a southerly direction along the A352 as you drive through the village of Fiddleford and after approximately half a mile turn left signposted to Hammoon. Proceed into the village of Hammoon, bear left by the memorial and you will find The Manor House on your right hand side.