Stour Coach House
A Victorian treasure in the heart of Constable Country
Built after 1875, Stour Coach House was the former staff wing of the 800 acre estate.
Stour Coach House, located in the heart of Constable Country, is set in over four acres of formal garden and natural meadow, and was part of a joint project to fully restore the original Stour House estate. McCabe & Abel purchased the Victorian coach house, transforming it from derelict outbuilding to a dramatic, well-appointed and comfortable family home. Despite being unlisted, the project was carried out with the same care for the building's heritage, for example, using the neighbouring Stour House as inspiration for the reinstated front doors.
The property, which encompasses over 7,000 square feet, includes five en-suite bedrooms, a substantial vaulted drawing room, bespoke Aga kitchen, spacious roof terrace, and showroom garage. The property combines its outstanding natural period features with the amenities of a modern and sympathetic conversion. Accessed via two electronic cast iron gates, Stour Coach House - with a bluebell woodland and considerable outdoor space - offers stunning views over the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Stour Coach House is listed as a building of note in Bentley & Pevsner's The Buildings of England.
The original Stour House estate, named after Dedham's River Stour, was built in 1868 for landowner and seed merchant William Herbert Dunnett.
Stour Coach House, visible behind main house, 1908.
Stour Coach House once comprised part of the original Stour House estate, built in 1868 for landowner and seed merchant William Herbert Dunnett. The coach house, alongside the glasshouse and stable, were added between 1875-1897.
Dunnett was co-founder of the James Carter & Co. seed company, who by 1880 had patrons including the British, Portuguese and Italian royal families, and the Ottoman sultan. Carter's were the official seed suppliers to Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales, with much of the produce grown in the grounds of both Stour House and Stour Coach House.
Whilst the staff of the main house occupied its service wing, the remaining employees of the estate's 39 properties lived within the two wings of Stour Coach House. During the Second World War, whilst the site was occupied by the Ministry of Defence and Stour House used as a convalescent home, the medical staff were billeted in Stour Coach House.
History of Stour Coach House
The Restoration
Prior to the restoration, the property had fallen into significant disrepair. The roof was replaced, but internal and external period features - such as the cast iron ceiling beams - were restored to maintain and enhance the original fabric of the building.
