How about living in one of Winchester’s finest private residences, a Grade II-listed Georgian house with Tudor origins beside the spectacular Winchester Cathedral and close to Winchester College? This nine bedroom, three-floored house, with gorgeous landscaped gardens and private river access, could be the ideal family home for those who’d like to own a property that once belonged to Mary Tudor.
Many of the historic, original architectural features have been preserved throughout, including panelling in the drawing room, exposed timbers, oak boarded floors and the eye-catching Jacobean oak staircase.
The majority of the rooms feature impressive stone fireplaces and the living spaces are beautifully proportioned, updated for modern conveniences and comforts with subtlety.
The ground floor includes living and dining rooms, as well as the attractive, barrel-vaulted kitchen and breakfast room that has doors providing access straight onto a pretty terrace overlooking the stream.
The waterside terrace is just one charming aspect of the landscaped gardens that come with this property, with ample space for relaxing on the terraces as well as growing plants and vegetables in the kitchen garden.
The classically-English styled gardens extend to just over half an acre and serve as something of a sanctuary right in the heart of the city. There is also a private parking space and a garage.
Back inside the house, the outdoors can still be revelled in from the conservatory. This spacious, bright area could be turned to many functions, from an atmospheric dining room to a painting studio.
Climb up the stairs to find nine bedrooms across the upper floors, all classic in style and featuring original architectural flourishes. The current owners have used some of the rooms on the second floor to create a staff flat, but this could be turned back into bedrooms or to another purpose as required.
And while you may want live-in staff to help upkeep such a vast and historic house, you may not be inclined to use the old bell system that allowed the masters to call for servants to tend to them, a la Downton Abbey – but it’s a lovely authentic feature to show your guests!
A large attic space completes the accommodation, which covers approximately 7,000 sq. ft and therefore provides much scope for the new owners to turn some rooms to different uses. For example, a charming dula-aspect music room could become a library, a study or even a yoga studio.
Colebrook House is not only historically significant and impressive to live within, it also enjoys one of the best locations for a residence: in the heart of the ancient city of Winchester. The property has unparalleled views of the eastern end of Winchester Cathedral and is a short distance from the highly-regarded Winchester College and the beautiful water meadows of St Cross. Just a few minutes walk from the property is Winchester High Street which has all the shopping and dining options you could require, as well as a leisure centre, a cinema and the Theatre Royal.
The city centre has a train station which provides regular connections to London Waterloo (just under an hour), while the M3 motorway is within easy reach. Southampton International Airport is easily commutable for those who need to fly frequently; just 11 miles away.
Source: RightMove
Marketed by Savills, Winchester
9 bedroom detached house for sale in Colebrook Street, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 (rightmove.co.uk)
