This 18th century country house for sale was once home to an explorer who founded a capital city.
Allerford House, in Minehead, dates back to the 1700s and was home to Royal Navy Captain John Moresby, who founded the Papua New Guinea capital of Port Moresby.
Moresby was the first British person to see Papua New Guinea, and he named the capital in honour of his father, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Fairfax Moresby.
The property retains nods to the Moresby family, with a room on the lower ground floor being named the Wizard’s Cott, as the name of their ship was ‘The Wizard’.
Allerford House is part of the Holnicote Estate, which was donated to the National Trust in 1944 and is set in a rural idyll with the wooded upland of Selworthy Beacon behind.
There are period features throughout the home, such as original fireplaces, timber floors, a wide staircase and elaborate cornicing.
On the ground floor, there are two south-west facing principal reception rooms either side of the hall, as well as a study and a kitchen/breakfast room with a walk-in larder, a two-oven Aga cooker and a pantry.
Upstairs, there is a principal bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, plus two double bedrooms, a family bathroom and a WC.
On the lower ground floor is a self-contained flat, along with a wine cellar and storage areas, while the attic contains another apartment, which was formerly staff quarters.
Outside, there is a sweeping gravelled drive with parking for several cars, a timber stable block and an enclosed level paddock.
The gardens are mostly laid to lawn with an assortment of mature fruit trees, a vegetable garden and a polytunnel, while behind the lower ground floor flat is a stable, a gig house and a feed store.
The property is being sold by estate agent Knight Frank for a price of £925,000.
Florence Biss of Knight Frank commented: “This is a stunning 18th century edge-of-village house offering ancillary accommodation set amidst the most beautiful, unspoilt countryside.”