Pretty Gloucestershire cottage's rural idyll belies historic industrial past it was borne of

At the heart of Britain’s industrial history stands an unassuming, pretty little cottage with roses completing its idyllic aesthetic. Within a small gated community, it overlooks the impressive Fromebridge Mill with its towering chimney and centuries-old backstory.

The site has been home to a mill since Domesday and over the centuries, since its beginnings as a cornmill, it has been involved in industries as varied as the cloth trade to cider making. Dating back more than 900 years it’s unsurprising that the site is deemed of such historic significance.

As technology moved on and made these more traditional manufacturing processes obsolete, the future of the mill became uncertain. According to the Gloucestershire Society for Industrial Archaeology Journal, “by the mid 1990s, after years of patching up and later, lack of use, the mill was beginning to show its age”.

After a number of attempts to find a new use for the imposing building, in 1998 the mill was bought by Old English Inns plc and, during the course of a year, was converted to an inn where their carvery has become a real draw to locals.

And it is that history, and the proximity of a hearty Sunday lunch, that makes Southwater on Fromebridge Lane stand out from many of the country’s country cottage homes. Sitting alongside a collection of similar period dwellings, it not only benefits from views of Fromebridge Mill but across the River Frome too, stretching out to the farmland beyond.

The accommodation of the brick-built period home is laid out across three floors, with the exterior befitting its rural location and an interior that feels both modern and sympathetic to the property’s age. While the stocky front door is rarely used, most cross the threshold via a stable door to the rear, where you are greeted by a spacious handmade fitted kitchen complete with eight seater farmhouse table.

The large lounge and dining space takes up the whole of the first floor with the triple aspect windows here offering far reaching views across the landscape. On the top floor are the two main bedrooms and family bathroom with dormer windows and tastefully decorated to make the most of the beamed ceilings.

There is the option of a third bedroom downstairs with ensuite shower room, currently used as a home office. Outside there is an enclosed courtyard garden while beyond are communal spaces with seating alongside the River Frome and green spaces where apple trees blossom.

While its position around the River Frome and weir makes you feel you are in the very heart of the countryside, it is within easy access of the M5 with Stroud less than 7 miles away, Gloucester 10 and Bristol 28.

And if you feel like this is the sort of place you could call home, then you are in luck as it is currently for sale via the PurpleBricks website. It is on the market for £550,000.