Brown's Lane, Alton Barnes, Marlborough, Wiltshire

Maslens Farm is a house of layered history, its fabric telling the story of several centuries of building and rebuilding. The oldest parts date to pre-1470, with a 17th century wing including mullioned windows and further brick elevations under a handsome thatched roof. The current owners have added a fabulously bright studio/garden room, completing a house that wears its history with warmth rather than formality so that the interiors combine age with the comfort of a much-loved family home.

The heart of the house is the kitchen, fitted with a four-oven Aga, a Neff electric cooker with induction hob and griddle, Shaker-style cabinetry and a walk-in pantry cupboard. A back hall connects through to a separate larder and utility room, boot room, cloakroom, a downstairs WC and the glazed studio/gallery. Stairs from the front hall lead down to a basementwith wine store, storage and boiler room/workshop.

The principal reception rooms and stairs open off a central entrance hall. The drawing room has a wide Tudor inglenook fireplace; the hall has hand-painted decorative door panels, and the front door opens onto a terrace overlooking the front garden.

The dining room has a further open fireplace and window seats looking out to the lawn. A snug study and a cosy library sit just off the drawing room, both fitted with bookshelves. A separate TV room on the mezzanine floor doubles as a sixth bedroom when required. Upstairs, the bright principal bedroom enjoys a lovely outlook over the main garden and five steps up to its own en-suite bathroom. Across the landing, a dressing room links through to a further single bedroom; there is an additional double bedroom and a family bathroom.

A second staircase leads to two more bedrooms, including the Star Room – an engagingly quirky room with views over the Downs; part of this room has been converted to make a large walk-in wardrobe.Maslens Farm is particularly well suited to multi-generational living. The Barn offers self-contained accommodation, ideal for grown-up children coming to stay, or for grandparents wishing to be close by while retaining their independence.

Maslens Barn

A short distance from the main house, Maslens Barn is built of brick under a slate roof and offers exceptional and flexible accommodation. The ground floor is open-plan and arranged as a library/living/dining area, home office and kitchen, plus a cloakroom. Upstairs are two generous guest bedrooms, one with an en-suite bathroom the other with a freestanding roll-top bath within the room and a separate WC. Both are comfortable, self contained spaces ideal for family or guests.

The grounds are just short of half an acre. The garden has been shaped to suit both family life and the addition of the new garden room. The result is of intimate, well-defined spaces rather than one open expanse; a hydrangea walk, a pool garden and a fruit garden each with their own character, linked by gravel and brick paths and screened by clipped hedging and mature planting. Lawns, generous borders and a series of garden ‘rooms’ create constant variety, with something in flower for most of the year and no shortage of colour or scent. Wildlife is abundant, with birds, bees, dragonflies and pond life drawn to the garden through the seasons. But, for all its maturity, the design remains flexible and could readily be adapted by a new owner.

Maslens Farm sits on the edge of the small village of Alton Barnes in the Vale of Pewsey and beneath the Marlborough Downs with its White Horse. It is within the North Wessex Downs – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Pewsey, Marlborough and Devizes are the closest centres, each offering a good range of day-to-day amenities: shops, restaurants, pubs and supermarkets, including a Waitrose in Marlborough. Alton Priors, the neighbouring village, holds an annual music festival in their medieval church, Honeystreet (0.6 mile) has an excellent farm shop and café as well as a pub – the Barge Inn. Racing can be found at Newbury with Lambourn and the ‘Valley of the Racehorse’ around 22 miles away. Chalk-stream fishing is available on the River Kennet and River Avon. There is an excellent selection of schools nearby including St Francis Pewsey, Pinewood, Marlborough College, St Mary's Calne, Dauntsey’s, and St John's Marlborough.