This 17th century house used to belong to Brideshead Revisited author Evelyn Waugh and is now on the market for £5m.
Combe Florey House, in Combe Florey, has been a staple of the hamlet for centuries, and is Grade II listed for its historical features and significance.
Being remodelled by William Frauncies in 1730, the twelve-bedroom property was sold to the Perring family in 1799 and to the Batchelor family in 1896.
Author Evelyn Waugh bought the house in 1956, after a journalist hounded him at his home in Gloucestershire.
Waugh is best known for his works ‘Decline and Fall’ (1928), ‘Brideshead Revisited’ (1945) and the World War Two trilogy ‘Sword of Honour’ published between 1952 and 1961.
In 1960, while living in Combe Florey, Waugh was offered a CBE - Commander of the Order of the British Empire - but declined on the basis that he believed he should instead receive the higher rank of a knighthood.
Waugh remained in the house until his death in 1966, and was buried across the street, next to the church’s graveyard.
The house stayed in possession of his family, passing down to the eldest of his seven children, Auberon Waugh, a journalist who had published five novels but abandoned a literary career for fear he would be compared to his father.
The property itself is a classical manor house, with a red ashlar sandstone facade and a yellow ashlar door.
Period features of the house include the 18th century newel staircase, fine ceiling mouldings, panelled doors, panelling, chimneypieces and original stone and wooden floors.
On the ground floor, the multi-million pound house boasts a grand reception hall, leading on one side to a library and on the other to a drawing room, and heading further into the house to a family room, a dining room, a sitting room, a study, a kitchen/dining room, a workshop, a boot room, a utility room and an orangery.
Upstairs, the first floor contains seven bedrooms and four bathrooms, with the second floor housing a further five bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a dressing room.
The house also features several rooms on a lower ground level, including two wine cellars and another utility room.
The Keeper’s Cottage, in the grounds, provides three more bedrooms, a sitting room, a kitchen and a bathroom.
Also in the grounds, which span nearly 35 acres, are a summer house/party barn, a swimming pool and pool house, a pond and fountain, and a large multi-car garage/workshop.
The expansive property is being marketed by Strutt & Parker for an eye-watering £5m.
Oliver Custance Baker of Strutt & Parker commented: "It’s rare to find a house of such good stature, standard and significance as Combe Florey House, and one with such a fascinating and rich history.
“There’s a lot to offer here for potential buyers, it has everything when it comes to the perfect family home with a tennis court, swimming pool, party barn and land.”
“As with many Georgian country homes, their proportions and elegance stand the test of time making them well suited to modern family life.
“The house today follows the traditional floorplan but has been adapted to 21st century living with an impressive orangery added to create a communal heart of the home.
"This part of the world has been somewhat of a well-kept secret, but we’re seeing more people looking to this part of Somerset as families seek more space.
“From here you are able to get to Exeter, Bristol and London from Taunton station, while the numerous excellent schools in the town and surrounding are popular with relocating families.
"Nestled in the foothills of the Quantocks and views extending down to the West Somerset Railway, Combe Florey House is a hidden gem that’s been well looked after over the years.
“The length of time it’s spent in the ownership of the Waugh family is testament to how treasured it has been as a family home."