MIDGE HALL HOOK • ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT • WILTSHIRE MIDGE HALL Hook • Royal Wootton Bassett • WiltsHiRe swindon 7 miles, Malmesbury 11 miles, Marlborough 13 miles, Chippenham 13 miles, Cirencester 15 miles, Bath 28 miles, Cheltenham 31 miles, Bristol 35 miles (all mileages and times are approximate) A handsome Grade II listed 5 bedroom farm house that has been in the same family for 84 years entrance hall • 3 reception rooms • kitchen • utility room • scullery • larder • 2 cloakrooms • 2 further ground floor store rooms en suite master bedroom • 4 further double bedrooms • family bathroom • 2 first floor store rooms Mature gardens • outbuildings • commercial glass houses • extensive private parking In all about 4.25 acres Savills Cirencester 1 Castle Street, Market Place Cirencester GL7 1QD Contact: Nick Croall [email protected] 01285 627550 www.savills.co.uk Situation Coped Hall is located approximately 1.5 miles from the centre of Royal Wootton Bassett, a popular and historic market town in north Wiltshire. the town was granted its ‘Royal’ prefix in 2011, after many years of close links with the Royal air Force based at nearby lyneham and in recognition of the role the town and its people played in the repatriation of Uk service men and women killed as a result of war. the town has a good selection of everyday amenities and facilities including a post office, supermarket, banks, dentist, doctors’ surgeries and a wide variety of restaurants and cafes. there is also a weekly market and monthly farmers market. nearby Jubilee lake is a natural habitat for a variety of birds, butterflies, ancient trees and wild flowers providing a peaceful setting for anglers and walkers, whilst lydiard Park at lydiard tregoze is a 260 acre country park that holds many events and is a great place for families, walkers and cyclists alike to visit. other towns such as Marlborough, Cirencester, Chippenham and swindon are within easy reach and offer a wider range of shopping and leisure facilities. there is a good selection of local state primary and secondary schools in the local area whilst private sector schools include st Margaret’s and st Mary’s, Pinewood, Marlborough College and Prior Park. there are a number of golf courses nearby including the Wiltshire Golf and Country Club, Bassett Down Golf Course and Bowood Golf and Country Club. other sporting activities include motor racing at Castle Combe and horse racing at Bath, Cheltenham and newbury, whilst the Cotswold Water Park offers a wide range of water sports and activities. Communication links by both road and rail are excellent. access to the M4 via J16 is within very close proximity whilst there are direct and regular trains to london Paddington from swindon in approximately 55 minutes or Chippenham in approximately 73 minutes. History Midge Hall is an old farmhouse forming part of what was historically a small manor belonging to stanley abbey. at the Dissolution of the Monasteries the part of the manor still belonging to stanley abbey was granted to sir edward seymour. He was executed in 1552 but Midge Hall seems to have stayed in the family until it was bought by lawrence Hyde in 1685. the principal tenants from elizabethan times onwards were the Pleydells and after this, around the mid 18th century, the Bradford family moved to Midge Hall. the old Manor of Midge Hall once included the farms of spittleborough, Wickfield, Church Hills and Ballardsa sh but at the Meux sale in 1906 it was broken up in to separate lots. enough land remained around the old moated grange for garden nurseries to be set up in recent years but the M4 cuts in to the land nearby. of chief historical interest is the ceremony known as the ‘Word ale Court’, by which tenants of the manor were relieved from their obligation to pay tithes to the local vicar. John aubrey in ‘Collections of north Wiltshire’ said that Midge Hall was a grange of stanley abbey but, although it was worth £1,000pa, it only paid £8 because Pope innocent i, being a Cistercian, had decreed that no Cistercian should pay tithes. the form of the ceremony was always kept very secret, but every Michaelmas all tenants in the tything would meet at one of the farmhouses, usually Midge Hall. the injunction was given, ‘you are to pray for the abbot of stanley and all the monks of the Cistercian order by whom we are all tithe free, tithe free’ and new tenants were then sworn in. the last known celebration was in 1939 and although there have been several attempts at revival since then, it has lost its meaning. Description Believed to date back to the late 18th century with an early 19th century addition, Midge Hall is a very attractive farm house that stands prominently in the centre of its own grounds and has been well cared for by the same family for three generations. the property boasts excellent proportions and an abundance of original features, whilst there is also plenty of scope to update and modernise the house to suit one’s individual taste. approached via a shared tree lined avenue leading to a private gravel driveway, the house, built using brick and rubble limestone beneath a slate roof, is set back in a private position behind a wonderful horse chestnut tree and surrounded by well tended gardens. the entrance hall is a welcoming space, central to the house and with oak parquet flooring, an archway through to the rear hallway and stairs rising to the first floor.t he drawing room has a stone surround Jetmaster fireplace, dado railing, two recessed alcoves with built in cupboards below and a beautiful circular bay window with window seat overlooking the front gardens. to the right of the entrance hall is the triple aspect dining room with working fireplace, traditional shutters, a feature alcove and French doors leading out to the front of the house. adjacent to the dining room is the morning room/study/ snug, which benefits from generous storage, a small Jetmaster fireplace and a large window with adjoining door leading out to the side of the house. the kitchen/breakfast room is at the rear of the property and comprises a range of fitted wall and base units, an oil fireda ga, ample room for a table and three large windows giving lovely views across the rear gardens. there is a large utility room and scullery, both of which have adjoining cloakrooms whilst the scullery provides a separate rear staircase to the first floor.a t the other end of the house are two additional rooms, currently used for storage but were once the old dairy and the old wash room. also on the ground floor and presently unused or modernised is the sizeable north facing larder with original slate ‘cold shelf’ and food safes. at first floor level is a particularly spacious landing that you can walk all the way around with the staircase in the centre and access to all rooms. the master bedroom has fitted cupboards, an en suite bathroom and south facing views over the gardens to the front of the house. there are four further double bedrooms, one of which has a wash hand basin and WC and two of which have wash hand basins. all are a very good size and most are equipped with fitted cupboards.a lso at this level is the family bathroom, a large airing cupboard and a large storage room (once the apple store) that could be converted (subject to the necessary planning consents) in to a further bedroom, play room or hobby room. there are two separate attic rooms, one of which is boarded, providing further storage. outside, the extensive gardens wrap around the entire house and are very well tended. Predominantly laid to lawn and incorporating raised borders stocked with an array of mature shrubs and flowers, there is also a water feature, dovecote and several seating areas. West of the rear gardens are the nurseries, from where a successful family business was run. this could be re-established should one wish to as several commercial glass houses, potting shed, one further outbuilding and areas of hard standing still exist plus there is a small paddock that lies to the front of the nurseries. alternatively if one did not wish to pursue a business, there would be opportunity here to create formal landscaped gardens or an additional paddock. Further outbuildings that border the garden include an old coal house, mixing house and traditional livestock buildings that could be re-built as modern stabling or perhaps converted to residential use as a self contained annexe (subject to the necessary planning consents). GENERAL INFORMATION Services Mains electric. Mains water. Private drainage. oil fireda ga. Water softener. Fixtures And Fittings only those mentioned in these sales particulars are included in the sale. all others such as curtains, light fittings, garden ornaments etc are specifically excluded but may be available by separate negotiation. Directions Postcode SN4 8ER exit the M4 at J16 and take the second exit signposted for Wootton Bassett (a3102). at the next roundabout take third exit towards Hook. Go past the Marsh Farm Hotel on your left hand side and after a short distance the sign for Midge Hall can clearly be seen on the right hand side just before you get to the M4 flyover.t urn right on to the tree lined avenue and proceed through the pillars at the end on to the gravelled driveway that leads to the house. leave Cirencester via siddington and head towards ashton keynes. Continue through the village and stay on the ashton Road (B4696) following signs towards Royal Wootton Bassett.