EAST Lambrook Manor, a 15th century Grade II* listed Somerset Hall house with mainly hamstone and brick elevations under a tiled roof, is for sale.

The spacious accommodation is arranged over two floors.

On the ground floor are three characterful reception rooms with fireplaces, exposed ceiling timbers, a fine plank and muntin screen, timber panelling and stone floors.

Also on the ground floor is a well fitted kitchen with lovely old hamstone fireplace and Aga, a breakfast room, utility room, reception hall and office.

On the first floor are five bedrooms, a charming principal bedroom with part vaulted ceiling and stone fireplace, bedroom two with fireplace, three further bedrooms, two bathrooms and one shower room.

The delightful and diversely planted cottage garden is Grade I listed Grade I owing to its association with the renowned plantswoman and gardening writer Margery Fish.

The gardens, which are open to the public for nine months a year, were designed to provide year-round interest and are laid out as a series of carefully considered garden rooms.

Principal areas include: The Terraces, a series of island beds designed to look good from all sides; The Silver Garden, home to silver-leaved plants of contrasting texture and shape; The White Garden, with its magnificent magnolia and davidia (handkerchief tree) covered in white bracts in May; The Lido, with white flowering wisteria and moisture-loving plants; The Ditch, whose banks are lined with snowdrops in February; The Woodland Garden, with multi-stemmed Himalayan birches and an understorey of shade loving plants including hellebores.

The Margery Fish Plant Nursery is well known for cottage garden plants, interesting perennials and snowdrops. Comprising a gravelled area with bespoke display tables and sales shed, polytunnels, a large potting shed with office, stock beds and areas for the cultivation of plants. There is vehicle access from Owl Street and car parking. A large visitor car park is situated opposite the garden entrance in Silver Street.

To the north west of the Manor House is the fine old stone Malthouse, with its café/tearoom, the impressive main Malthouse Gallery, the Studio and the Margery Fish Room (used for teaching horticultural courses). This building has a multitude of possible uses with cloakroom facilities, storage areas and workshop.

Mike Werkmeister and his late wife Gail bought East Lambrook Manor in 2008, having seen a feature about the property and its famous garden being for sale in the Sunday Times. Despite not actively looking to move, the couple were attracted by the idea of moving to the Somerset countryside and - like the Fish’s - made the move from London, taking over the running of the open garden, nursery, tearoom and gallery.

“My late wife Gail, an antenatal teacher and President of the National Childbirth Trust at the time, saw the Malthouse Gallery as a fabulous teaching space whereas I, a gardener from the age of about four, embraced the garden and nursery. I knew nothing about Margery Fish but we’d opened our Wimbledon garden for charity through the NGS so we thought ‘Why not’. We grew to love the beautiful and welcoming old house, said to date from around 1380, and I shall be sorry to say goodbye to both,” says Mike.

Along with a very small team of staff and volunteers, the Werkmeisters have carefully maintained and improved the gardens over the last 15 years. Mike has built up the snowdrop collection and established a Festival of Snowdrops, which attracted over 3,000 visitors in February this year. Mike says his aim has always been to ‘maintain the ethos of Margery Fish’s garden’ and he now wants to find a like-minded buyer to take on the property and keep the garden open to the public.

Ashley Rawlings of Savills says: “East Lambrook Manor is a very special home with important Grade I listed gardens renowned for being the premier example of the English cottage garden style. The property presents a wonderful lifestyle opportunity for an incoming buyer in this beautiful part of Somerset.”

Prospective purchasers should be aware East Lambrook Manor is not being sold as a business. The fixtures and fittings in the Malthouse could be available by separate negotiation as could the display tables in the Nursery. Also garden ornaments are not included within the guide price of £2,250,000.

The property is for sale through Savills - for further details click HERE.