A palatial English estate hits the market for just under £10m

One of Dorset’s most remarkable private estates, Chedington Court, has come to market via Blue Book Agency for £9.95m, offering astounding interiors and views stretching as far as the Brecon Beacons.

Perched on a secluded hill more than 602 ft above sea level in the Dorset Downs AONB, the Grade II-listed Jacobean Revival landmark is a masterclass in historic grandeur and modern innovation. It features spectacular vaulted ceilings and sensitively restored 1890s interiors, but far from being stuck in the past, it’s among the most technologically advanced country houses in the region. There’s an integrated AV system, whole-house lighting, zoned heating and a high-spec security system, all of which can be operated remotely. The extensive gardens also benefit from Wi-Fi coverage, and the house is fully connected via fibre-optic broadband.

Inside a grand Jacobean Revival country house

The Great Hall is the showpiece, with a double-height green-oak hammer-beam ceiling, hand-carved frieze, and a floor-to-ceiling bay window. Overlooking it is a minstrel gallery, and next door is a soundproofed cinema room connected to a bespoke sound system. All four storeys are served by a lift and two staircases.

The drawing room and morning room, with their marble chimney pieces and Corinthian columns, open onto the garden through French doors and deep bay windows. The formal dining room features a decorative plaster ceiling and space for 20 guests. A flagstoned kitchen with a gas range and Everhot stove leads into a panelled breakfast room, then on to the orangery and west-facing terrace.

The main house has eight bedrooms, seven of them en suite. The silk-lined principal suite has two of everything: bathrooms, dressing rooms, and aspects. The second dressing room even conceals a drop-down Murphy bed. Residents also have use of the second-floor gym and an indoor swimming pool lined in local Hamstone and Brazilian blue granite.

Outbuildings include the four-bedroom, 280 sq m Chedington Lodge; a modern Coach House used as an administrative centre; a storage cabin with full CCTV coverage; plus a staff room and greenhouses.

The vast, mature gardens — first laid out in 1895 by Sir Henry Peto — include ponds, wooden bridges, a private wood carpeted in bluebells, and what’s reputed to be the largest Japanese redwood in the country. The rest of the 58-acre estate is made up of parkland, pasture, and woodland. Each June, the current owners open the gardens to the public for a day in support of a local charity.

In total, the main house spans 2,600 sq m and is surrounded by over 58 acres of lawns, woodland, kitchen garden and pasture, with the option to land a helicopter.

Chedington Court is located just outside Beaminster, within easy reach of Crewkerne, Sherborne and Yeovil — all with direct trains to London.