4 To advertise call 07903 008925 www.sherbornetimes.co.uk

Butterfly House is a gorgeous country house with an imposing and spectacular front façade, located on the edge of the small hamlet of Over Compton in Dorset. There has been a house on the site since the Doomsday book. The current house was largely re-built between 1839 and 1843 and is constructed in mid-16th century style with ham stone elevations, crenelated parapets and a slate roof. Most recently the house was used as a butterfly farm- famously providing the silk used to make Princess Diana’s wedding dress in the early 1980’s. Despite various attempts to keep it going, the house finally fell into disrepair and was un-occupied for a number of years before being bought by the current owners in 2005. The Fletchers were looking for a house in Umbria, Italy when by chance Celia saw an advert for Butterfly House. She decided it was worth a look and

travelled by train to view it a couple of days later, fell in love with the house and the location and decided to buy it there and then! The next two years were spent completely renovating it- all windows, central heating, fireplaces, plumbing , lighting and gardens- it didn’t even have a light switch- everything had been removed. All original features have been restored, including the grand oak central staircase and the original bookcase in the drawing room and the double height stained glass window that dominated the central hall, which was removed and sent away to be cleaned and repaired. Its historic pedigree is now complemented by a Poggenpohl kitchen built for large scale catering, a state of the art cinema room, and power showers in limestone and marble bathrooms.

Celia Fletcher oversaw the metamorphosis of this run-down

country house into the beautiful and elegant home it is today

T he Butterfly Effect

Images © Unique Home Stays

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5 To advertise call 07903 008925 www.sherbornetimes.co.uk

The owners were regular visitors to hotels like Babington House and Cowley Manor and were inspired by the contemporary and luxurious interiors housed in beautiful grand manor houses. The objective at Butterfly House was to achieve a similar look. Some of the furniture had to be commissioned given the large scale of the rooms- drawing room and kitchen 32ft by 25ft each. The project took longer than expected to complete but the final product was worth the wait. Most of the work was carried out by local workmen. Some were good including a fantastic carpenter in Frome who made all the new windows and doors-and a few bits of furniture. Some were terrible and preferred playing cricket on the lawn to getting down to work! Managing the workforce was by far the most taxing job-the design was a breeze in comparison! If you’re interested in staying at Butterfly House it is available from Unique Home Stays. It sleeps up to 14 guests (10 adults and four children) and is bookable for a Monday to Friday 4 night stay, two or three -night weekend breaks or a full week’s stay. Prices start from £2,510 for a 2 night stay, and vary throughout the year and depending on the length of your stay. To check availability and more details call 01637 881 942 or visit the website at www.butterflyhouse.uniquehomestays.com. Images © Unique Home Stays

Master June edition

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Thursday, 23 May 2013 14:10

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