Beautifully Designed Homes: Hinton Blewett, Somerset

The Old Rectory in Hinton Blewett occupies precisely such a position, and it carries that privilege with the ease of a house that has always known exactly what it is.

Dating from the late 1700s, this handsome Grade II listed Georgian rectory sits in the heart of one of the Chew Valley’s most sought-after villages, on a plot of just under an acre enclosed by mature walls and established planting. It has been carefully improved by its current owners and arrives on the market with the rarest of combinations: genuine period character and the comfort of a home that has been thoughtfully brought up to date.

At over 8,000 square feet, the scale is immediately apparent, but it is the quality of the space rather than its quantity that makes the greatest impression. The principal rooms are arranged with the natural confidence of a house designed for both family life and gracious entertaining. The drawing room is exceptional: high ceilings, a marble fireplace, and large 28-pane sash windows that flood the room with light and frame views across the gardens. A library, sitting room, characterful stone-floored dining room and a Smallbone kitchen with Aga and inglenook complete a ground floor of remarkable range.

Beyond the kitchen, the house reveals its most unexpected card. The indoor heated swimming pool is a beautifully executed space with a mirrored ceiling, changing area, shower and WC: the kind of considered finish that transforms a functional addition into something genuinely atmospheric. A gym, and access to the self-contained two-bedroom annexe, complete an offering of extraordinary flexibility.

The bedroom accommodation across the upper floors carries the same period character throughout, with several rooms retaining original fireplaces and attractive outlooks. The top floor arrangement, with its own kitchenette and shower room, provides natural independence for guests or older children. The annexe itself is a serious asset: entirely self-contained with its own entrance, open-plan living, kitchen and two bedrooms, it works equally well for extended family, staff or rental income.

Outside, the walled gardens are mature and beautifully planted, with a sheltered courtyard perfectly suited to outdoor dining. A gated driveway with generous parking and, by separate arrangement, the option to rent adjoining fields for equestrian use, complete a setting that is as practical as it is beautiful.

The Chew Valley is one of Somerset’s most quietly distinguished landscapes, with Bristol around thirty minutes away, Bath not much more, and Wells easily accessible to the south. It is the kind of location that requires no persuading once you have visited.

A house of this character, in this position, is very difficult to replace once lost.

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