An Exceptional Georgian Country Estate set within its own Grounds of Approximately 187 Acres. Reception Hall - 4 Reception Rooms - 13 Bedrooms - 5 Bathrooms - Housekeeper's Accommodation - Nanny's Accommodation - Nursery - Extensive Cellarage - 4 Estate Cottages - 46 Acres of Parkland and Gardens - 50 Acres of Arable - 70 Acres of Pasture - 21 Acres of Woodland - 12 Stables - Manège - Coach House and Outbuildings - Tennis Court.

Donnington Hall is situated 3 miles to the south of Ledbury within the hamlet of Donnington. The property stands magnificently on its own facing due west and is surrounded and protected by its own parkland. Donnington Hall is Georgian splendour at its finest. This part of Herefordshire is noted for its great natural beauty, situated as it is, on the edge of The Cotswolds and close to the Malvern Hills. The setting is very private and offers peace, tranquillity and seclusion. The mixture of land, totalling approximately 187 acres, is delicately balanced between gardens, parkland, pasture, arable and woodland.

Ledbury - 3 miles - Malvern - 11 miles - Hereford - 17 miles - Worcester - 26 miles - Cheltenham - 27 miles - Gloucester - 24 miles - Birmingham - 56 miles - Cardiff - 58 miles - Oxford - 64 miles - Bristol - 65 miles.

Donnington Hall is approached via a long driveway, which sweeps through the parkland and onwards to the main hall. The driveway leads to a carriage sweep at the front of the property.

The Hall is a fine example of the Georgian period, its opulent architecture is embodied by the front entrance with its hand crafted stone pillared portico with decorative embellishments and beautifully carved oak door.

The elegantly proportioned property is laid out over three floors and boasts a wealth of reception rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms, creating a wonderful balance of formal and informal living.

Donnington Hall incorporates most of the original Georgian fabric and has a cornucopia of period features befitting such a stately residence: vaulted ceilings, marble fire surrounds and pillars, fine plaster moulded cornices and mahogany doors. This family home effortlessly blends modern comfort with period grandeur.

The imposing reception hall acts as the focal point for Donnington Hall, its seemingly acres of polished oak floor lead through matching archways to the rest of the property. Twin, open fireplaces are surrounded by pillared and panelled walls, with inset windows seats and concealed radiators. The mahogany doors, throughout the ground floor, are believed to have been saved from a stately home to the north of the country.

The formal drawing room, complete with oak parquet flooring, marble pillars, ornate moulded decorative cornice and a rare Orlando Bossi marble fireplace, offers views over the formal south facing gardens and the open parkland. The drawing room provides an elegant, yet relaxing, setting.

The formal dining room echoes the feel of the drawing room and has high sash windows which throw an abundance of natural light into the room . The dining room can easily seat sixteen guests and has oak flooring and original decorative painted cornices.

The library is situated at the end of the garden hall. It is another magnificent room and has fine views over the gardens and parkland. The library has a beautiful open fireplace, moulded cornices and original built-in traditional Georgian display cases.

The large kitchen has a farmhouse feel and is exceptionally well equipped. It is an ideal cook's kitchen complete with Aga, two further built-in conventional ovens and an adjoining pantry and freezer room. The kitchen also links well with the adjacent sitting room, which would make an ideal family room or indeed play room for younger children, and has doors leading out to the easterly gardens.

To the corner of the west wing and tucked discreetly away, lies the Housekeeper's accommodation. This part of the house can be accessed separately via the rear hall. There is a separate sitting room/bedroom, kitchen and conservatory which leads out onto a private flagged terrace.

The beautifully carved original oak staircase leads to the first floor, its simple flowing lines complemented by a Venetian window. Rumour has it that the timbers were retrieved from one of the Admiral's ships (see historical notes).
On the first floor there are eleven bedrooms. The master wing has a separate dressing room and en-suite bathroom. There are a further two bathrooms and a separate guest suite to the west wing.

The second floor is what would have historically been the children's area. There are a further two bedrooms, a large nursery and a separate nanny wing which has another bedroom, sitting room and bathroom. There is also plenty of storage space lying within two additional rooms central to the second floor.

Sitting within mature gardens, the march of seasons is always reflected within the formal planting. Donnington Hall is decorated by a beautiful, delicate, light-shaded lilac wisteria which blossoms in the spring.

Once beyond the two entrance lodges, the front drive leads through traditional, open parkland, dotted with native and ornamental trees to the west-facing front of the house.

The formal gardens can be found to the south and east, with lawns to the west of the property. They are beautifully framed by the 16th Century Tithe Barn, as well as Donnington Hall itself.

Sitting on the flagged terrace, in the south facing garden, one looks out over parkland down to the one acre, spring fed lake, which is well stocked with carp.

The eastern garden, flanked by lawns, is accessed by stone steps leading to gravelled footpaths and the croquet lawn beyond.

The naval theme, introduced by the architect Gilbert Ogilvy in 1909, is evident in the sunken garden and is framed by yew hedging, established flowerbeds and low stone walls.

Further beyond is the extensive vegetable garden, complete with greenhouses, a variety of fruit trees and bushes including mulberry and raspberry. This leads on to the walled garden which is designed to attract local wildlife including native birds, butterflies and insects. The nearby wood is adorned with bluebells in the spring.

In the spring, the grounds of Donnington Hall are awash with a profusion of wild daffodils, which is a notable feature of the parkland.

For recreational purposes, there is a full sized tennis court which lies to the north east of the property.

ESTATE COTTAGES AND OUTBUILDINGS
Donnington Hall has an abundance of complementary ancillary accommodation. There are three separate detached cottages - White Rose Cottage, Lower Lodge and Brick Lodge. Also privately situated within the grounds lies Stable Cottage, which is attached to The Coach House. The Coach House itself offers further scope for additional accommodation if required (subject to the usual planning consent).
The properties are all accessed privately independent of the main house, thereby not encroaching on the privacy of the main residence. Set back from the main house is a further range of traditional, period outbuildings, which can be utilised for a variety of purposes including storage, equestrian, residential or commercial use (again subject to the usual planning consent).

EQUESTRIAN FACILITIES
Donnington Hall is an excellent equestrian property, surrounded, as it is, by its own pasture. The land is divided up with post and rail fencing and an abundance of water troughs. Edwardian stables, with ten loose boxes are arranged in an L-shape around a courtyard. These stables are further complemented by additional loose boxes and storage adjacent to The Coach House, a full size manège and open pasture.

Council Tax Band: H Herefordshire County Council

Method of Sale
Donnington Hall is offered for sale as a whole with vacant possession on completion.

Estate Cottages
The estate benefits from four cottages, let out on individual Assured Shorthold Tenancies. The notice period to gain vacant possession is two month's for each cottage (normal Assured Shorthold Tenancy rules apply).

Local Authorities
Herefordshire Council
Telephone: 01432 260000
Website: www.herefordshire.gov.uk

Services
All properties have centralised private water supply, electricity, oil-fired central heating and private drainage.

From the M5 Junction 8, take the M50 to Junction 2 and exit on to the A417 towards Ledbury. At the roundabout take the first left signposted Hereford. At the next roundabout take the first left on to the B4216 signposted Dymock. Proceed for exactly 2 miles, past the signs for Donnington and Donnington Farm. The entrance to Donnington Hall is on the left, between the two entrance cottages and over a cattle grid. Viewing
Please contact our office on 01531 630030 if you wish to arrange a viewing appointment for this property or require further information.

Disclaimer
Hayes Sales and Lettings endeavour to maintain accurate depictions of properties in floor plans and descriptions, however, these are intended only as a guide and purchasers must satisfy themselves by personal inspection.