Area Info

Sands Home Search are property search & relocation agents who specialise in finding and acquiring prime country houses & estates, farm & equestrian property and waterside homes throughout Somerset, the UK, London and Cape Town South Africa for retained private & corporate clients.

Somerset is one of the largest counties in Southern England and the changes to the scenery can be quite dramatic. In general, the county is one of well-wooded undulating countryside and consists of a flat basin surrounded on three sides by hills and on the fourth side by the Bristol Channel.

To the north-east are the Mendip Hills which are dissected by deep narrow valleys such as Cheddar Gorge which provide dramatic scenery. To the north-west is Exmoor and the Quantock Hills. The Blackdown Hills are to the south and to the east of the basin is the marshy area of Sedgemoor.

The principal rivers in the county are the Exe and the Parrett, the latter flowing through a flat reedy area drained for cultivation and known as the Somerset Levels.

The north of the county includes an area formerly known as Avon but which now has been returned to Bath and North East Somerset.

Transport to the area is reasonable with trains from Taunton to the west of the county taking approximately 100 minutes to Paddington and the fast line from Bath taking only 90 minutes. The journey from Yeovil Junction takes approximately 135 minutes to London Waterloo as it is affected by single track to the west of Salisbury.

The A303 is the main trunk road running through the county and it is mostly dual carriageway. Taunton is about a 3-hour drive to London, while Wincanton to the east is less than 2 1/2 hours. The further north or south from the A303, however, increases travel times due to busy ‘A’ roads and small lanes.

The M5 services the west of the county linking it to the Midlands and the North, while Bath and North East Somerset are close to the M4.

The more popular areas of the county are centred around the hills. Centres such as Shepton Mallet and Yeovil, however, are fairly second rate due to industry and urbanisation; the Somerset Levels are not so popular because of the flat landscape and the proximity of RNAS Yeovilton which is a busy airbase.

Somerset is very much a county for second homeowners or for those who work locally and, as such, property prices have kept relatively low in the more rural areas.

Closer to Bath and Bristol, however, a mini market has emerged making for higher prices in the better parts of the cities and the surrounding villages. Tourism is quite prolific but fairly spread and much less than in the Cotswolds, though summer traffic heading on to Cornwall and Devon can make for crowded roads in the summer.

Although improved connections to London have sparked interest in the local property market, Somerset remains thoroughly rural. The Chew Valley and Wells are the most popular areas to live in.

A rural county famed for its cider and cheese, Somerset also has many mystical and religious connections. Glastonbury is the New Age centre of England, and Wells has a magnificent cathedral, founded in the eighth century. The improvement of the A303 has made the county much more accessible from London, and sparked interest in the country house market. Since the demise of the modern, and unpopular, county of Avon, the city of Bath is now once again part of Somerset, although its housing market is still largely independent from the rest of the county.

Somerset has a long coastline along the Bristol Channel, from Devon to the mouthof the River Avon, but the only natural harbour is at Watchet.

The county’s varied landscape ranges from rolling valleys and hills to the crags of Cheddar Gorge and the wilderness of Exmoor to the west.

Agriculture is the main industry, but tourism also thrives, particularly round Glastonbury and in the coastal towns of Minehead and Weston-super-Mare.

Typically, houses are built of stone, including the soft-coloured Blue Lias limestone of the Somerset Levelsand the golden-yellow Ham stone in the south, with clay-tiled roofs.

The Chew Valley and the cathedral city of Wells, the smallest city in England, are among the best places in the county to live, together with Butleigh, which is close to Millfield School, and Castle Cary. Prices have risen in recent years, but they are cheaper towards the coast.

Transport links

Train: Paddington to Taunton 1hr 50min; Paddington to Yeovil, two hours; Paddington to Bath, 1hr 25min.

Car: Taunton is 148 miles from London and Wincanton 117 miles, via the M3 and A303. Bath is 110 miles, via the M4.

Public schools

Bruton School for Girls, Bruton (01749 812277). Girls only, age range 8-18, day and boarding. www.brutonschool.co.uk/

Clifton College, Bristol (0117 973 9187). Co-educational, age range 13-18, day and boarding. Associated preparatory school. www.cliftoncollegeuk.com/

Downside School, Stratton-on-the-Fosse (01761 235100). Boys only, age range 9-18, day and boarding. www.downsideabbey.co.uk/

King’s School, Bruton (01749 813326). Boys aged 13-18 (co-educational sixth form), day and boarding. www.kingsbruton.org.uk/

Millfield School, Street (01458 442291). Co-educational, age range 13-18, day and boarding. www.millfield.somerset.sch.uk/

King’s College, Taunton (01823 328210). Co-educational, age range 13-18, day and boarding. www.kings-taunton.co.uk/

Queen’s College, Taunton (01823 272559). Co-educational, age range 8-18, day and boarding. www.queenscollege.org.uk/

Taunton School (01823 349223). Co-educational, age range 12-18, day and boarding. Associated preparatory school. www.tauntonschool.co.uk/

The Royal High School (01225 313877). Girls only, age range 4-18, day. www.gdst.net/royalhighbath/

Wells Cathedral School (01749 672117). Co-educational, age range 11-18, day and boarding. Associated preparatory school. www.wells-cathedral-school.com/

Leisure

Golfcourses: Lansdown, Bath (01225 425007); Bristol & Clifton (01275 393474); Yeovil (01935 75949); Burnham & Berrow, Burnham-on-Sea (01278 783137).

Yacht clubs: Burnham-on-Sea Yacht Club, Minehead Sailing Club.

Hunts: the Exmoor, the Taunton Vale, the West Somerset.

Staghounds: the Quantock, the Devon and Somerset.

Fishing: rivers Parrett and Axe, Chew Valley Lake, Blagdon Lake.

THE BEST SOMERSET COUNTRY HOUSES FOR SALE (A breakdown of what was for sale & purchase prices)

Ven House, Milbourne Port (sublime Georgian house, Grade I, 34 acres): £6.5m

Hatch Court, Hatch Beauchamp (Grade I listed, 109 acres): £5.5m

Dinder House, near Wells (Regency House, river frontage, 21.6 acres): £2.25m

Country Life

HIGHEST VALUE STREETS IN SOMERSET

1 Withy Grove, Highbridge TA9

2 Cricket Malherbie, Ilminster TA19

3 Standerwick, Frome BA11

4 Gold Hill, Shepton Mallet BA4

5 Baltonsborough, Glastonbury BA6

6 Southwood, Glastonbury BA6

7 East Street, Taunton TA1

8 Priorygate Court, Castle Cary BA7

9 Stawley, Wellington TA21

10 Bradley Cross, Cheddar BS27

HIGHEST VALUE AREAS IN SOMERSET

1 BS28 (Wedmore)

2 TA17 (Hinton St. George)

3 TA3 (Taunton)

4 BS26 (Axbridge)

5 TA13 (South Petherton)

6 TA22 (Dulverton)

7 BS27 (Cheddar)

8 BA5 (Wells)

9 BA22 (Yeovil)

10 TA10 (Langport)

HIGHEST VALUE TOWNS IN SOMERSET

1 Wedmore

2 Hinton St. George

3 Axbridge

4 South Petherton

5 Dulverton

6 Cheddar

7 Langport

8 Wells

9 Somerton

10 Ilminster

MAIN TOWNS/AREAS IN SOMERSET:

Axbridge, Axminster, Banwell, Bath, Blackdown Hills, Bridgwater, Butleigh, Castle Cary, Chard, Cheddar, Cheddar Gorge, Chew Valley, Clevedon, Crewkerne, Dulverton, Exmoor, Frome, Glastonbury, Hatch Beauchamp, Hinton St. George, Ilminster, Langport, Mendip Hills, Milbourne Port, Millfield, Quantock Hills, Sedgemoor, Shepton Mallet, Somerton, South Petherton, Taunton, Wedmore, Wells, Weston-Super-Mare, Wincanton, Winscombe, Yeovil.

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