Château De New Wardour, Tisbury

A hugely impressive ground floor apartment occupying the east wing in one of
A hugely impressive ground floor apartment occupying the east wing in one of Britain’s finest Grade I Palladian houses
SITUATION New Wardour Estate is situated at the heart of the stunning Vale of Wardour, towards the western fringe of the popular Nadder Valley and within the Cranborne Chase National Landscape. Wardour is a rural hamlet with a highly respected RC primary school and is close to the large and thriving village of Tisbury, which enjoys a fine reputation for the quality of its independent shops, boutiques and eateries. It also has a wide range of amenities, including a sports/community centre, garage, doctors & dentists surgeries, vets and a mainline station with direct rail services to London (Waterloo). Tisbury is home to Messums West, a leading gallery and arts centre housed in an historic tithe barn. The nearby village of Semley has a community run shop, CofE primary school and pub, as well as Chaldicott Barns, where there is a clutch of small businesses, including the popular delicatessen and café, Compton McRae. Other dining inns and eateries of note include The Beckford Arms, The Royal Oak and Pythouse Kitchen Garden. The closest principal towns for shopping and cultural amenities are Shaftesbury and Salisbury, while Bath and Sherborne are also within easy reach, as is the South Coast. The West Country, London and motorway network are readily accessible via the A303/M3.
Many families are drawn to South Wiltshire by the quality of life and many excellent state and private schools. Wardour is an ideal base from which to explore many miles of local footpaths and bridleways, and there are a variety of pursuits available including walking, riding, cycling, golf and traditional field sports.
DESCRIPTION New Wardour Castle is an exceptional Grade I listed country house, designed by the Palladian architect James Paine for the Arundell family, and built in the 1770s to replace Old Wardour Castle which was destroyed during the Civil War. It is one of the UK’s most admired Georgian mansions and reputedly the largest in Wiltshire. The property was leased to Cranborne Chase School from the 1970s and converted in 2000. It now comprises eleven units, the core of which is the 23,000 sq ft principal apartment, while on the west wing is the notable All Saints Chapel which still holds regular RC services.
Occupying the majority of the ground floor of the east wing, and adaptable in its accommodation, Apartment 9 is an extensive apartment with beautifully proportioned rooms, plenty of light from long sash windows, and a wonderful outlook towards the Vale of Wardour. The property is accessed via a large, marbled communal hall to a private front door at the rear. The private hall, laid with a polished stone floor, runs the length of the property, from which the majority of the rooms are approached. Glazed doors open into the magnificent drawing room, with east-facing bay windows looking onto parkland, a large stone surround fireplace and a wall of fitted display furniture. The kitchen is well laid out with modern floor to ceiling units and a large central island. There is an electric Aga and fitted Miele appliances, while French windows open out onto the south facing lawn. A further reception room is currently used as a sitting room, but could as easily become a formal dining room or study, with further French windows leading to a stone terrace. The principal bedroom suite lies beyond this, and the further bedrooms are all generously sized, with well-appointed ensuite facilities. The adaptability of the apartment is demonstrated by one bedroom currently used as a study, while one bathroom is also fitted as a utility room.
OUTSIDE The private Estate is approached via an electric gate over a sweeping tarmac and shingle drive leading to the main house, and separately to properties in The Walled Garden and New Wardour Court. Unallocated parking is to the front of the house and there is an overflow carpark for guests. The beautifully landscaped parkland was designed primarily by George Ingham in 1773, and then later enhanced by Capability Brown. A variety of native broadleaf trees are well spaced and there are acres of beautifully tended lawns and meadows. A footpath leads through the grounds towards the ruins of Old Wardour Castle, from where miles of inter-connecting paths and bridleways weave across the beautiful South Wiltshire countryside.