Surrounded by beautifully planted gardens and rolling fields, this handsome Grade II-listed house is set on the edge of the village of Newnham on Severn in Gloucestershire on the edge of the Forest of Dean. Constructed in the mid-19th century, the house comprises a smart Flemish bond red brick façade with stone mullion windows laid out in a striking symmetrical arrangement across gable frontage. Arranged over three floors stretching to around 3,500 sq ft, the house has been extensively renovated, carefully preserving many original features while introducing an atmospheric colour scheme that complements the honeyed-toned floorboards running throughout most of the house. Natural light pours through stone mullion and arched sash windows, drawing the eye to the pastoral surroundings.
Setting the Scene
The village of Newnham and the surrounding villages were once a thriving area of maritime commerce, with the nearby Severn estuary acting as a conduit for goods and produce in and out of the Bristol Channel. Reputedly built by the village harbour master, the expansive arched cellar spaces below the house were rumoured to have been used for more nefarious commerce in the 19th century in the form of goods smuggling. Despite auspicious origins, a period of borderline dereliction in the late 20th century saw the house almost lost. Thankfully in new ownership, it was saved and carefully restored and renewed, creating a period house with many quietly modern interventions. For more information, please see the History section below.
The Grand Tour
The house is set within ample grounds with a large, gravelled drive and parking area behind wrought iron gates. An elegantly symmetrical arrangement of a five-window façade, comprised of stone two mullioned casements, defines the exterior. The corners are accentuated by unique octagonal corner turrets crowned with elegant stone crenelations. A pair of wide, six-panelled doors painted in neutral grey-green tones opens beneath a pretty radial fanlight within a simple brick arch. Upon entering, a wide hall welcomes visitors, characterised by a dark timber staircase with intricately carved moulding on the treads. This staircase is a careful reproduction of the original 18th-century staircase, which was brought to the house during its 19th-century construction.
At the centre of the plan, a cheerful dining room is painted in cosy tones of red to picture rail height. Built-in alcove shelving adds storage and a period cast-iron grate is set within a beautifully carved pitch pine fire surround. An inviting half-glazed door, with red and gold stained glass panels, harmonises with the room’s colour palette and leads to a spacious country kitchen.
In the kitchen, slate flags run underfoot, warmed with underfloor heating, and lofty ceilings allow natural light to fill the room through large, deep-set sash windows. A haven of rustic charm, this room is a cosy retreat during cooler months with ample space for warming boots or drying muddy dogs next to the gas-fired Cornish-made Heritage range, which not only cooks but also heats water and runs the heating system. From here, a door opens onto the central hall, leading to the rear back door, where views of neighbouring paddocks and fields unfold.
At the front of the plan is a more formal drawing room. Enhanced by a modern wood burner seamlessly integrated into the original fire breast, this room is decorated in a creamy palette that accentuates the elegant stone mullion windows, allowing dappled light to filter through the verdant Ash tree outside. A lovely room on this level, currently acting as a snug, has an en suite bathroom and could easily be transformed into a perfect self-contained guest bedroom.
On the first floor, a large bedroom and a generous family bathroom are arranged around a central landing, with two more generous bedrooms accessed by a separate rear stairwell. A further three bedrooms are set into the eaves on the second floor; with pitched ceilings and exposed beams and brace work, these rooms have an enchanting feel, their elevated position meaning they have long-reaching views of the surrounding countryside.
The Great Outdoors
The house is surrounded by generous grounds on all sides, stretching to around .86 acres. The current owners have spent countless hours lovingly reclaiming the gardens around the house, now planted with mature borders of herbaceous perennials, flowering shrubs and fruit trees. A Virginia creeper delicately wraps its tendrils around the façade, covering it in a lush green cloak all summer, only to transform into a display of scarlet in the autumn.
A bakehouse barn complex has been turned into a perfect outdoor entertaining space. Complete with a pizza oven and ample room for table tennis; this is the perfect spot for entertaining or dining alfresco. Adjacent, an additional shed provides practical storage for firewood, garden tools, and machinery.
Out and About
The house is located in a hamlet on the outskirts of the village of Newnham, which has an array of amenities, including a well-loved village shop and deli, a post office, a car garage, a hairdresser and a dog groomer. There is also a local art gallery supporting a thriving art scene. One local favourite is The Black Pig, open from Wednesday evenings across weekends, offering a delightful dining experience. In nearby Broadoak, The White Hart is a wonderful pub and restaurant, with another option at Blaisdon with The Red Hart. Chaxhill, a few minutes up the road, is home to the celebrated Severn & Wye Smokery with an onsite restaurant. In the opposite direction, there is The Cross Inn at Aylburton and The Woodman at Parkend, both providing real ales and fantastic food.
Though delightfully rural, Newnham is also within easy reach of the M4 and M5 and a number of popular towns and cities in the area. Gloucester is around a half-hour’s drive away, with the revitalised Gloucester Quays providing an excellent array of shops and eateries. Gloucester Cathedral has a superb array of concerts and exhibitions throughout the year, and the annual Three Choirs Festival, reputedly the longest-running music festival in the world, offers further live music opportunities. The ever-popular town of Cheltenham is also a half hour away with internationally renowned literary, science, classical, jazz, and food festivals as well as a wide offering of marvellous independent shops, restaurants, pubs and bars. For fans of racing, Chepstow and Cheltenham both have excellent race courses. A 30-minute drive over the border, the Wye Valley AONB offers unrivalled rural beauty, and the Malvern Hills AONB is less than an hour away, as well.
Bristol, one of the UK’s most vibrant cities, is located just under an hour’s drive away. It has a strong cultural and rapidly growing independent food scene, with a diverse selection of restaurants in the city centre and various neighbourhoods. Clifton Village is known for its excellent selection of independent cafes and restaurants, including Tradewind Espresso, Spicer + Cole, and Pasta Loco on nearby Cotham Hill. Michelin-starred restaurants such as Casamia and sister restaurant Paco Tapas, founded by the Sánchez-Iglesias brothers, are notable highlights, along with Wilsons in Redland. The highly regarded Little French in Westbury on Trym is also worth mentioning.
There is a tremendous amount of exceptionally good state and private schooling, including but not limited to the local Newnham St Peter C of E primary school (rated Good this year), well-regarded grammar schools in both Gloucester and Cheltenham, King’s School in Gloucester, Cheltenham College, and Dean Close School (also in Cheltenham). Further afield, there is also Bristol Cathedral Choir School and Redland Green School as primary and secondary state options. The Downs and Badminton Junior School for prep. Tockington Manor, Clifton College, Millfield, and Cheltenham Ladies College are also excellent schools as well, along with Sherborne and Bryanston as private options. There is a convenient bus stop directly outside the house travelling to Gloucester and Lydney which is widely utilised by students to travel to schools in the area. Additionally, many school buses also will collect from the village centre.
Gloucester station is a 30-minute drive from the house, with direct trains to London in around 1 hour and 45 minutes. Lydney train station is a 12-minute drive, with regular train services north to Gloucester and Cheltenham (connecting to the Midlands, Birmingham and London) and south west to Wales (Chepstow, Newport and Cardiff) as well as Bristol and the South West. Bristol also has a busy international airport just over an hour’s drive.
Council Tax Band: D
History
The Forest of Dean and surrounding areas have for centuries been valued for their natural resources, not just for their timber but also for the valuable minerals native to the site. Despite its abundant reserves of both resources, the area’s isolation from potential markets and the presence of only a few scarcely passable roads posed a significant disadvantage, while rugged terrain rendered it unsuitable for the construction of canals, which were extensively built elsewhere.
Bullo Pill, situated on the Severn, started as a small tidal creek branching off the main river and was primarily used for boat construction. However, it underwent development in the 19th century to combat the lack of goods transport from the Forest, and a dock basin with lock gates and loading wharves for shipping goods was built. The dock facilitated the loading of coal, iron and stone from the Forest, which could then be transported via Severn trows in either direction along the river.
A private tramway was constructed to enhance transportation further, spanning from Bullo Pill to Cinderford Bridge—the tramway exclusively employed horse-drawn traffic, utilising privately owned four-wheeled wagons designed according to approved specifications. The tunnel at Haie Hill stretched for an impressive 1,083 yards, reputedly making it the longest railway tunnel in the world at that time. Interestingly, a tunnel was conceived to run under the wide-set Severn, and digging commenced on the bank between Bullo Pill and Newnham. The tunnel had been extended 226 yards, approximately halfway, but construction came to a halt in November 1812 due to water influx and never recommenced.
Starting in the late 1890s, shipments from Bullo Pill experienced a decline, and the dock saw its final cargo depart in 1926. Over time, the lock gates deteriorated, leading to the silting up of the basin. Eventually, the coal-loading chute was dismantled. Passenger service on the railway began in 1907. However, passenger operations on the line ceased in 1958, while the transportation of goods persisted until the entire branch was closed in 1967.
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