Property market
From the covetable cathedral environs to the West Wiltshire Downs and beyond, historic houses are ripe for the picking
In his inimitable Notes from a Small
Island, first published in 1995, the British-american author Bill Bryson describes Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire, as ‘the single most beautiful structure in England and the Close around it the most beautiful space’. Small wonder, then, that over the years, many of the fine historic houses located in and around the Close have been bought and cherished by Anglophile Americans, for whom this tranquil cathedral city typifies all that is best about England, its culture and its people.
One such American is Lloyd Slater, the owner of De Vaux House at 6, St nicholas Road, Salisbury, which stands just beyond the southern walls of the 80-acre Close. One of Salisbury’s oldest residential buildings, Grade Ii*-listed De Vaux House and its neighbours, no 8, St nicholas Road and no 9, De Vaux Place, were originally part of the College of De Valle founded by Bishop Giles Bridport in 1261 as a theological institution that flourished there until the Dissolution.
Interestingly, De Vaux House is the second house in St nicholas Road to be owned by the Slater family, who first moved there from Windsor some 18 years ago. now, with their son and daughter both working mainly abroad, Mr Slater and his wife, Elizabeth, have their eye on a third, smaller house in the very same street while Strutt & Parker (01722 344011) and Savills (01722 426820) attempt to find a buyer for their immaculate, six-bedroom home, at a guide price of £1.5 million.
Under normal circumstances, arranging the sale of a beautifully restored family house with a lovely walled garden within
the ‘liberty’ of Salisbury Cathedral Close— an ancient statute that gives owners the right to baptism, marriage and burial within its walls and their own key to the gates when closed—would be ‘a stroll in the park’ for any estate agent worth his salt. However, for the people of Salisbury, the events that began with the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on March 4, 2018, have been anything but normal.
Mr Slater explains: ‘Until quite recently, any mention of Salisbury would probably conjure up images of a soaring cathedral and a semi-rural Close surrounded by some of England’s most desirable houses. Then, less than a year ago, the perception of the city hailed in a 2002 Country Life survey for framing “England’s best view” altered dramatically.’
‘However, even before the Skripal affair, Salisbury was in the doldrums,’ he continues. ‘And, although the great set pieces such as the Cathedral and Stonehenge were still attracting visitors, the city was more or less resting on its laurels. Although no one could have anticipated—or welcomed —the events of 2018, their effect hasn’t been entirely negative and Salisbury is changing for the better.’
According to Mr Slater, who’s actively involved in community affairs, central, regional and local government have been galvanised to ensure the city’s recovery. Plans have been announced for a £69 million overhaul of one of its central shopping areas, the historic High Street is due a revamp and a £7 million fund is helping businesses in the short term.
The Dean and Chapter of Salisbury Cathedral have also been doing their bit. Under the leadership of newly installed Dean Nicholas Papadopulos, they launched a hugely successful Festival of Light in the Close throughout Advent, with residents illuminating their landmark houses in a ‘magical’ display.
Inevitably, the events of the past 10 months have had an impact on house prices in the city, Mr Slater says, adding: ‘Although that’s not ideal for local people, it does offer a rare opportunity for those who want the quality of life that only an English cathedral city can offer. With few bargains to be had in Winchester, St Albans or Bath, Salisbury now represents real value for money. The city is bouncing back from an extraordinary, one-off setback not of its own making and, before long, house prices will, too.’
Coming from someone who, I’m reliably informed, helped to mastermind London’s successful bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, this rare insight should not be taken lightly by aspiring residents of Salisbury’s most privileged quarter. Nor is De Vaux House
Salisbury typifies all that is best about England, its culture and its people
itself likely to disappoint. Highlights of the 3,519sq ft property, which has been expertly and sympathetically restored behind its elegant 18th-century façade in recent years, include the triple-aspect drawing room, which runs the full depth of the house, a panelled study that, like the drawing room, has original pine flooring and a corner fireplace, a dining room with a carved Jacobean fireplace, a range of built-in bookcases and a wonderful carved medieval door, and a bespoke kitchen/breakfast room with Brazilian-granite work surfaces and integrated Neff appliances.
For regular or part-time City commuters (London Waterloo is a 90-minute train ride), one of the great attractions of living in and around Salisbury is not only the advantageous price differential compared with Hampshire or Gloucestershire, but also the proximity of some of the loveliest and most heavily protected landscapes in the south of England.
Fred Cook of Strutt & Parker in Salisbury is also handling the sale, at a guide price of £1m, of picturesque, Grade Ii-listed Waterside Mill in the popular village of Downton, on the edge of the New Forest, eight miles south of Salisbury.
Historically a corn mill, the 18th-century building was converted to a power station by Southern Tannery Co in 1929 and closed in 1973, since when it has been a semidetached house on the banks of the River Avon, connected by a bridge to its own private island, with riverbank fishing available from right outside the property.
Its current owners, who have lived at the mill since 2006, have comprehensively renovated the entire building to provide generous family accommodation on four floors, including three reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, a conservatory, five bedrooms, four bathrooms and a garage —comprising just under an acre in all.
Meanwhile, Charlie Stone of Savills (01722 426880) quotes a guide price of £1.9m for Grade Ii-listed Church House on the northern edge of the village of Alvediston, 11 miles south-west of Salisbury, within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB.
Set in 11⁄4 acres of land owned by the nuns of Wilton Abbey from 955 until the Dissolution, and later by the Earls of Pembroke, Church House has been completely restored by its current owners during their 18-year tenure.
The mellow-stone house offers more than 3,300sq ft of accommodation, including a reception hall/sitting room, a dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, wine cellar, five bedrooms and three bath/shower rooms, plus an office/annexe, double garage and separate outbuilding.
It also has a swimming pool, a small paddock and panoramic views over the surrounding landscape.