Mileage
Bath 6 miles, Bradford on Avon 1 mile, M4 (Junction 18) 16 miles, London (Paddington) from Bath Spa Station from 86 minutes.
Situation
The Old Malthouse is situated within the village of Lower Westwood. Enjoying a pretty setting with open countryside to the rear and fine views of Westwood Manor and the village church to the front. Westwood is to the south west of the picturesque Saxon town of Bradford on Avon and approximately 7 miles from the Georgian city of Bath with its extensive leisure, sporting, educational and cultural facilities. The village offers a pubic house (The New Inn) which is noted for its cuisine and Westwood Manor (National Trust ; open 1st April to 30th September 2pm to 5pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday). Nearby is the enchanting hamlet of Iford with its renowned Iford Manor Peto Garden which is open to the public from April to October at restricted times. Communications are good. Bradford on Avon station rail links to Bath, Chippenham and London (Paddington and Waterloo) as well as Bristol and South Wales to the west and Portsmouth Harbour and the South Coast. Westwood has a primary school and Bradford on Avon has St. Lawrence Comprehensive. Bath offers King Edwards, Kingswood, Prior Park, The Royal High School and Monkton Combe in the indepedant section with Stonar and Warminster schools both within 10 miles. A supermarket can be found at the nearby town of Bradford on Avon.
Description
From the Lower Westwood Road a gated entrance opens onto a charming and enclosed former agrarian courtyard. There is ample parking on a gravel hard standing with a useful former cow byre forming the western boundary. Paths cross a pretty courtyard garden leading to the front of The Old Malthouse. A narrow water rill runs through this garden which adds to its tranquil feel. Listed Grade II, The Old Malthouse is an 18th century village house of random stone elevations under a slate and roman tiled roof. The appealing south facing façade has mullioned windows and looks onto Westwood Manor and its orchard (National Trust). The original house has been linked to its former barn with the creation of a large family kitchen/breakfast room. The former barn now provide flexible and appealing additional accommodation.
Presently the original house is arranged as a 5 bedroom wing which contains a hall, the main staircase, kitchen, dining room and a sitting room. Formerly let it can easily be included within
the main family living space once again. The original malthouse room is now used as a studio. Internally there is much character with open fireplaces, stone, wood and tiled roofs. All rooms have good views of the delightful gardens or to the south of the Manor and the Village church. The Old Malthouse has good size living rooms and a kitchen/breakfast room on the ground floor with an elegant staircase accessing the first floor with 5 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. There are 2 further attic rooms.
The stylish conversion of the barn has provided a large ground floor reception area arranged as a sitting room and a dining area with large windows at either end of it both with splendid views over the garden. Off the dining area is a guest bedroom and bathroom. Upstairs there is a study and a playroom area which also houses a spare bed. The combination of Oak joinery and specially commissioned decorative ironwork are especially pleasing. A large terrace borders the house leading down to a formal garden enclosed by a cloister like rose covered pergola. Six island beds are set in a gravel square itself surrounded by a mown grass walk. In the centre are two circular ponds linked by a well head and a fountain from which water trickles back into the two ponds. A tall south facing wall faced with cut stone runs along the north side of this garden and the lawn beyond it which is surrounded with flowering shrubs. Here the wall supports an apricot tree, a fig and three vines as well as sheltering three apple trees. A man made stream runs from a small pond at the eastern end of the wall down to a larger pond beneath a mature magnolia. Next to it a small lawn and another border face the eastern end of the house.
A gate at one end of the pergola leads through a wide arch into the orchard and kitchen garden. Cultivated beds, fruit trees and another area of lawn run along the rear of the property. A young copse planted behind the Barn is a heaven for wildlife. This area overlooks open pasture land which is available by separate negotiation.
Accommodation
House: Hall, cloakroom, drawing room, dining room, 2 kitchen/breakfast rooms, dining hall, sitting room, utility room. Malthouse studio, 8 bedrooms, dressing room, 3 bathrooms (1 en-suite), 3 further attic rooms, pleasing garden In all about 1 acre. Further land available.
Directions
From the centre of Bradford on Avon travel south on the B3109 (Frome Road). Continue on the B3109 to the crossroads signposted Westwood and Freshford to the right and Trowbridge to the left. Turn right and after you pass the New Inn on your right. The Old Malthouse can be found on the corner of the first road to the right past the pub signposted Avoncliff.
