Defined by its classical proportions, this handsome four-bedroom house is located in the bucolic village of Wingfield, Wiltshire. Built in the early 18th century using buttery Cotswold stone, the sizeable country residence was converted into four dwellings in the 1940s, of which Wingfield House forms the original portion. A wonderful fusion of architectural styles, the interiors comprise early Georgian reception rooms and a fine Arts and Crafts ballroom, which was built as part of wider extensions in 1899. With fine, landscaped gardens spanning just over an acre, the house is complemented by a large external garage and a horticultural-grade greenhouse. Wingfield is a seven-minute drive to Bradford on Avon and Trowbridge stations, with regular services into Bath, Bristol and London Paddington.
Setting the Scene
Wingfield House, once a substantial country residence, was initially constructed in the early 18th century and underwent significant expansion in the late 19th century under the ownership of the Caillard family. During this period, there was a demand for additional entertaining rooms and separate wings for bachelors and children. Wingfield House is a fine example of this trend, characterised by its distinctive Gothic revival extensions.
Historical records from an 1861 bill of sale refer to the manor as ‘Winkfield House,’ which likely underwent a name change sometime before WWI. During the war, the manor was used as a military hospital. In the 1940s, the property was divided into four separate dwellings, with Wingfield House occupying the oldest and original section of the building. It forms the lower portion of an ‘L’ shaped plan and retains the historical essence of the property. For more information, please see the History section.
The Grand Tour
The home is accessed via an enclosed communal courtyard and a Gothic revival doorway. This opens to a magnificent double-height entrance hall paved with wonderful York stone flags. The walls have been colour washed with a stone effect, while an original stone mullion window and side gable is set into the walls facing the ballroom. This window and gable form part of the original side façade of the house, both paying tribute to the house’s unusual amalgamation of architectural styles.
The impressive ballroom continues from the entrance hall via an arched, glazed screen. This vast space features a timber barrel-vaulted ceiling, creating a striking and imposing statement. The room holds particular significance, as it is specifically mentioned in the Grade II-listing of the house. Described as having a ‘large inglenook with a segmental-arched opening and a Tudor-arched fireplace within,’ the ballroom has the Caillard family arms above the arch, along with a French motto on top of the fireplace. Adjacent to the fireplace, a pair of trefoiled windows sit above a segmental arch that once housed an organ. The room also has a pair of large glazed doors that open onto the formal lawns. Architectural lighting by John Cullen and an independent heating system have been thoughtfully incorporated into the space.
The entrance hall leads to a 39 ft library hall (and the oldest part of the house), with six floor-to-ceiling oak bookshelves, giving both open and closed storage options. It leads to the reception areas, defined by their wonderful views of the gardens. A fine drawing room with early Georgian plaster panelling is at the far end of the plan. The room is finished in a vibrant shade of turquoise and has a white marble fireplace dating back to 1760 that came from No. 26 The Circus in Bath. This is all accented by marvellous deep cornicing crowing and a French door leading to the external terrace.
Adjacent to the drawing room is a large kitchen and dining room with cream-painted cabinetry by Mark Wilkinson and Little Greene walls. Wide, stripped timber flooring runs underfoot, and an original limestone fireplace creates a focal point in the room. The kitchen has been cleverly designed with integrated appliances, ensuring a seamless and cohesive look. Both the kitchen and reception room feature original, working wooden shutters.
Ascending to the first floor via a fine early Georgian staircase with waist-height panelling and a delicate domed lantern above is the remarkable primary bedroom suite set in the corner of the plan. This space features dual-aspect windows and has been meticulously crafted by the current owners in collaboration with Stuart Interiors. Bespoke, hand-made fixtures are particularly beautiful, including Gothic-inspired doors, door casings and built-in seating in an oriel window. The oriel window is inset with contemporary stained glass inspired by the Pre-Raphaelite movement. The room is finished in a stone effect paint and has a modern marble shower room cleverly concealed behind double wardrobe doors.
Adjacent to the primary bedroom is a handsome second bedroom flooded with natural light from three windows. The room is elegantly finished with pretty ‘Pomegranates’ wallpaper by Sanderson. At the end of the hall is a spacious family bathroom clad in marble and oak, designed by Mark Wilkinson. Above the bath is a bespoke mosaic frieze depicting doves and olive branches. The bathroom includes a vanity, WC, large linen store, and an original diamond lattice window.
On the top floor of the house are two generously sized eaves bedrooms. The larger bedroom offers dual-aspect views of the private front and side gardens, while the second bedroom features an en suite with a shower, vanity, and WC. The roof of the house has undergone recent renovations, with old Cotswold stone tiles used for repairs; at this point insulation and repairs to the wooden roof beams were also completed, ensuring the house’s structural integrity while retaining its original charm.
The Great Outdoors
The house is approached via a meandering, private driveway lined by well-established Beech hedges. A communal court is landscaped with a circular lawn and provides access to the main entrance to the house.
Unfolding along the fully private main façade of the building, the garden is a horticulturalists dream. Several well-established specimen trees line the large plot, and the grounds have been extensively landscaped. The main lawn is enclosed by pretty flower beds with fragrant David Austen roses, perennial flowers and shrubs. Leading from the drawing room is a quiet terrace beside a natural look pond, an oasis for wildlife; the water reflects an old Magnolia tree which gives shade when dining in sunnier months. At the far end of the formal gardens is a re-wilded meadow with walking paths.
Beyond a high, old Yew hedge is a separate area with a triple aspect garage and private driveway. The space could be reconfigured to provide an imposing, private entryway to the house, subject to planning permissions.
Leading off the drive of the house is a separate plot with a large Victorian style Hartley Botanic cast-iron greenhouse.
Out and About
The house is well located for the best of Somerset and Wiltshire. Messums in Tisbury, just a 36-minute drive away, is the Wiltshire offshoot of the well-known Mayfair gallery. Bruton, about 40 minutes away, is home to the world-famous Hauser & Wirth, and a little further up the road is The Newt, a wonderful hotel set in beautiful country house grounds. Just 20 minutes from your doorstep is Babington House, the south-west’s branch of Soho House. For art enthusiasts, the creative village of Frome is just 15 minutes away.
Just off the doorstep of Wingfield House is The Poplars, a Grade II-listed country pub dating from the 1700s with extensive gardens and a private cricket pitch. The village lies approximately three miles to the west of Trowbridge, a famous market town on the River Biss. Both Trowbridge and the picturesque riverside town of Bradford-on-Avon, each about a five-minute drive from the house, have several amenities, including supermarkets and greengrocers, independent restaurants and shops, well-regarded schools and their own railway station.
Visit the Fairfield Animal Centre for a fun family day out, an animal park and cafe set in 15 acres of Southwick Country Park near Trowbridge, or the Farleigh Hungerford Castle, a fortified 14th-century mansion house with its own crypt. Both sites are less than a 10-minute drive from Wingfield.
Just up the road is the historic mill town of Freshford, which can be reached in 10 minutes by car or about 20 minutes by bus. Freshford is bounded by the rivers Frome and Avon, and the Two Valleys Walk is a pleasant walk along a canal towpath connecting The Inn at Freshford, a 16th-century gastropub with open fires and a beer garden, to the Cross Guns at Avoncliff, another 16th-century country pub. Near Freshford is the Homewood Hotel and Spa, home to the lovely Olio Terrace, a restaurant and bar overlooking the stunning Somerset hills.
Wingfield is crossed by numerous paths and bridleways, with several nice trails along the rivers leading to the Cotswolds AONB. There are several charming heritage attractions in proximity, including the Avoncliff Aqueduct, a 100-metre-long waterway over the River Avon that opened in 1805 and is ever-popular for cycling, walking and canoeing. The Grade I-listed Iford Manor Gardens are a short seven-minute drive away and offer numerous year-round activities for all ages, including a renowned opera and jazz festival each summer. Be sure to stop in the tea room after taking a stroll through the Italianate Peto Garden, named for revered Edwardian architect Harold Peto when Iford Manor was his home from 1899-1933. Its cloister garden is full of terraces, columnar cypresses and Peto’s vast collection of statues, urns, sarcophagi and terracotta.
Bath is less than 10 miles from the house and is well-served by outstanding retailers and restaurants, focusing on independent provisors. Colonna and Small’s, Beckford Bottle Shop, Café Lucca, Corkage, Landrace Bakery, and the weekly farmers’ market are of particular note, while the Olive Tree restaurant, Bath’s Michelin-starred establishment, is conveniently located at the northern end of nearby Russell Street. Cultural attractions are plentiful as Bath is the only city in the UK to achieve UNESCO World Heritage status, which continues to be vehemently protected. The Roman Baths, which gave the town its name, and the Grade I-listed Bath Abbey are essential stops, while brilliant theatres and galleries such as the Holburne Museum, the Francis Gallery, and The Edge arts centre all host must-see world-class exhibitions.
While Wingfield does not have a train station, there are rail connections in Freshford, Avoncliff, Trowbridge and Bradford-on-Avon, with regular services to Bath, Bristol, and Weymouth on the Dorset coast. From Bradford-on-Avon, it’s a quick six-minute train to Bath Spa station, which provides a direct line to London Paddington in under 80 minutes. The M4 motorway lies north of the city and is reachable by car in about 40 minutes, while Bristol’s busy international airport is about an hour’s drive.
Council Tax Band: G
History
Wingfield was first mentioned in a charter attributed to King Edgar dating to 954 AD. The village is also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, recorded as a settlement named “Winefel”, composing 12 households and a mill. Wingfield manor was historically linked to Keynsham Abbey, a nearby monastic abbey, from at least the 1200s until the Dissolution, when Henry VIII declared himself head of the Church of England and disbanded all Catholic monasteries, priories, convents, and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland.
In 1539, the king granted Wingfield to Thomas Bayley, a clothier from Trowbridge, a significant centre for woollen cloth production from the 14th century. The estate continued to change hands over the following centuries, and Wingfield House was constructed in the early 18th century. The house was later purchased by Camille Félix Desiré Caillard, who was born in Paris and became a County Court Judge for Wiltshire in 1859. Caillard not only replaced the current judge in his political role but succeeded him as the owner of Wingfield House in 1861. Caillard went on to own most of the parish of Wingfield.
Under the Caillard family’s ownership, the manor underwent a major extension. The family spent a vast fortune creating gardens and updating the house to include a music room to satisfy Caillard’s passion for organ music. The impressive music room stands today as a fine example of late 19th-century architecture, with a deep, arch-braced collar truss roof resting on stone corbels overhead, a large inglenook with segmented-arch openings and a Tudor-arched fireplace on one end and a pair of trefoiled windows above an arch that was formerly filled by an organ on the opposite end. Drawing The drawing room even has a white marble fireplace brought from one of the elegant Georgian townhouses in The Circus, Bath.
Wingfield House was used as a hospital during the First World War. In 1935, the house was gifted to the Waifs & Strays Society in memory of the owners’ daughter, who had died at a young age. It operated as a home for boys until 1938 when the army requisitioned the house again during WWII. Following the Second World War, the home was divided into four private residences, each with its private garden, as it exists today.
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