Late medieval lodge with a toilet in a train carriage on the market for £2.5 million
A 1,000-year-old door with carvings to scare off witches is one of the many unique features of this house
Netley Lodge, which dates from the late medieval era, is on the market for £2.5 million with Kai Carter Estates.
Although the six-bedroom home in Netley Abbey, Southampton, officially dates from the 16th century with some Georgian editions, parts of the house are thought to be even older.
The double planked and bolted door is from Netley Abbey itself – acquired some time after Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries presumably – and is believed to be 1,000 years old.
There’s no need to be afraid of any spooky goings on despite the property’s age. Historic carvings on the door are designed to keep witches away. Called witch marks, these pre-Elizabethan symbols were carved over entryways to deter evil.
“We love so much about this house, mostly the quietude,” said Netley Lodge’s current owners, who are looking to downsize.
“It’s like a tapestry stretching back hundreds of years we’ve had the privilege to embroider our own memories on, as will the new owners. There’s a natural flow from room to room and we use all of them which is really unusual for a big house,” they added.
“We both work from home, love to entertain, and often have people stay. We’ve even hosted a wedding reception here – there’s a room for every need and purpose.”
Along with the six main reception rooms, some featuring wooden beams and a brick fireplace, there is a secret room behind an unassuming doorway.
Other unique features include along the remains of a marmalade kitchen – a special area for the messy work of preparing and preserving fruit added by Netley Lodge’s owners in the 1920s.
Another zany addition is a bathroom created from pieces of a 1930s train carriage. The WC cubicle – complete with the ‘engaged’ lock – serves as the shower.
More standard features include a wine cellar, an orangery with underfloor heating and a bespoke kitchen with countertops made from Amazonian riverbed granite.
Netley Lodge is set on a 6.4 acre estate, with an outdoor heated swimming pool complete with an eletric cover.
There’s also both a double and single garage, and a shower room – which the estate agents point out is useful for washing off muddy boots and dogs after a walk through the estate’s ancient woodlands.
