The Grange

The Grange is a three-storey sandstone house on the outskirts of Marnhull, where two shops and two pubs serving food are within half a mile. Sturminster Newton is 3.5 miles away, Shaftesbury 6 miles and Sherborne 10.5 miles. It sleeps ten, with six bedrooms and six bathrooms, and it has original fireplaces, beams and deep window seats.

The kitchen and breakfast room has a four-oven AGA, an American-style fridge/freezer, a dishwasher and a breakfast table for four, and a larder, a utility room with a washing machine and tumble dryer and a WC are close by. There is a large dining room, a drawing room with a Smart TV and an open fire with logs supplied, and a snug. The first-floor bedrooms include a king-size master with a free-standing bath, and the second floor has two attic rooms with steeply sloping ceilings, low in places. A twin room, better suited to children, is available on request only.

The grounds cover 2.75 acres of tiered gardens. A rear terrace has a fountain and lily pond, six stone steps lead up to a level lawn, and further on are a woodland play area with a treehouse, an orchard, a kitchen garden and a heated outdoor swimming pool with a pool house. The pool is available from May to September, depending on the weather. There is also a tennis and pickleball court, and ample private parking. Children must be supervised in the garden at all times because of the pond, pool, steps and treehouse.

Dogs are not allowed, and stag or hen parties are not permitted. The house suits a multi-generational family or a group of friends sharing a celebration, with the pool a reason to book between May and September.