The West awakes

All is abuzz in the West Country following a recent surge of activity in the market for large farms and country houses in some of the region's most picturesque locations

PERCHED on the western slopes of Windwhistle Ridge in south Somerset, the serene medieval parish of Chaffcombe is bounded to the north by Knowle St Giles, to the east by Cudworth, to the south by Cricket St Thomas and to the west by the market town of Chard. Half a mile south of Chaffcombe village stands historic Avishays House set in some 90 acres of parkland, paddocks and woodland, now for sale through Savills (020-7016 3822), either as a whole at $6 million, or $3.5m for the main house and buildings with some 43 acres of land.

In the early 1500s, the Avishays estate was held as a freehold under Chaffcombe manor before being sold in 1559 to John Browne of Frampton, Dorset. Several generations later, Robert Browne sold the estate in 1697 to his tenant, Elias Sealy of Chaffcombe.

Sealy was succeeded by his son, Samuel, whose daughter, Sarah, married James Marwood of Widworthy, Devon. Under her will, Avishays was to be held jointly by her Historic Avishays House stands in 90 acres south of Chaffcombe in Somerset. £6m four daughters as long as her only son, James, 'continued insane'. He died in 1811, after which Avishays passed to Sarah Bridget Marwood, whose great-nephew, William Elton, sold it to Edward Clarke, a Chard solicitor, in 1859. Thereafter, the property changed hands many times, before Savills facilitated its sale to the current owners in 2017.