The Shippens

Holiday Rental Description

Beautiful three bedroom converted barn in picturesque English village of Over Compton near Sherborne, Dorset. Spacious lounge and kitchen, large super king size en suite master bedroom.

Thirty minutes from the coast. Close to several top golf clubs. Access to exclusive members delicatessens and wine shop included. Nestled deep in Thomas Hardye country the historic village is in easy reach of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Dorchester, Bournemouth & Weymouth.
Perfect destination for scenic country walks, rest, relaxation and the opportunity to recharge your batteries. Sherborne boasts a stunning Abbey and Castle along with a various fantastic restaurants and unique shops.
 

Nestled deep in Thomas Hardye country the historic village is in easy reach of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Dorchester, Bournemouth & Weymouth.

Coast/Beach
22 miles (25 mins) to Bridport. 29 miles (30 mins) to Weymouth (Olympic sailing centre).

Golf
Yeovil Golf Club- 1.2 miles SW.
Sherborne Golf Club- 3.1 miles NE.
Folke Golf Centre Alweston- 4.8 miles E.
Came Down Golf Club- 15 miles S.

Haynes International Motor Museum, over 350 amazing cars- The prestigious Haynes International Motor Museum, at Sparkford in Somerset is the UK's largest exhibition of the greatest cars from around the world. A living and working museum, with over 350 amazing cars and bikes from nostalgic classics of the 50s and 60s, glorious Bentleys and Rolls Royces to exciting super cars of today, like the Jaguar XJ220 and the Ferrari 360. You can discover the world famous Red Room, 11 huge display halls and one of the UK's largest speedway collections. www.haynesmotormuseum.com/home/index.html

Fleet Air Arm- The Fleet Air Museum will change your perception of aircraft museums. The Museum has the largest collection of Naval aircraft anywhere in Europe together with the first British built Concorde which you can board and visit the cockpit. The Museum’s award winning Aircraft Carrier Experience is where the Museum meets theatre. You’ll be ‘transported’ by helicopter to the replica flight deck of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. On board the Ark Royal you will see fighter aircraft and two enormous projection screens showing a Phantom strike fighter and a Buccaneer fighter-bomber. Outside, there is a children’s adventure playground, a licensed restaurant and a shop. www.fleetairarm.com

Forde Abbey & Gardens- Forde Abbey is a treasure in an area already known for its outstanding beauty. More than 900 years of history and romance are encapsulated in this elegant former Cistercian monastery and its 30 acres of exquisite award winning gardens. The amazing variety found in this stately home makes it a wonderful place to spend a day for all ages www.fordeabbey.co.uk

Minterne Gardens- The Minterne Valley was landscaped in the manner of Capability Brown in the 18th Century. The gardens are laid out in a horseshoe below Minterne House, with a chain of small lakes, waterfalls and streams. They contain a unique collection of Himalayan Rhododendrons and Azaleas, with Spring bulbs, Cherries, Maples and many fine and rare trees; the garden is noted for its Autumn colouring. Over 1.5 miles of walks with Palm trees and towering Rhododendrons framed by tall Cedar and Beech trees, provide a new vista at each turn. The changing seasons make each visit to Minterne a memorable experience. There is free parking and picnic area facilities available www.minterne.co.uk

Cerne Abbas Giant- A huge outline sculpted into the chalk hillside above the village of Cerne Abbas representing a naked, sexually aroused, club-wielding giant. Public perceptions are wide-ranging, is he smutty, humorous or offensive? Certainly he has been used to advertise products as diverse as condoms, jeans and bicycles. Many couples today believe him to be a unique aid to fertility www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cerne_abbas_giant.htm

Stonehenge- The great and ancient stone circle of Stonehenge is one of the wonders of the world. What visitors see today are the substantial remnants of the last in a sequence of such monuments erected between circa 3000BC and 1600BC. There has always been intense debate over quite what purpose Stonehenge served. Certainly, it was the focal point in a landscape filled with prehistoric ceremonial structures, now a World Heritage Site www.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge

Tutankhamun Exhibition- The current exhibition of Tutankhamun follows the Treasures of the Tutankhamun exhibition which was shown in London at the British Museum in 1972. The exhibition traveled to many countries including the USA, USSR, Japan, France, Canada and West Germany. During this period, in spite of expert supervision and care, the exhibits unfortunately suffered from their ordeal. The Egyptian Government, in an effort to preserve them from any future stress, made a decision that the Gold Mask of Tutankhamun and many of the major treasures were not to leave their home in Egypt again. The Tutankhamun Exhibition was designed and created to overcome this problem. All the exhibits have been carefully crafted by meticulous reference to the original antiquities, photographic records and detailed measurements and diagrams. Craftsmen and artists have recreated the treasures by using, wherever practicable, materials and methods used in making the originals, making the treasures shown in this exhibition identical as possible to the originals now in Egypt. www.tutankhamun-exhibition.co.uk

Sea Life Centre- The Sea Life Centre Weymouth has spectacular marine life displays covering a variety of habitats, from British coastal rockpools to tropical lagoons, house creatures ranging from humble shrimps and starfish to sharks, rays and seahorses. www.sealifeeurope.com

The Dinosaur Museum- The only museum on mainland Britain dedicated to dinosaurs, the award-winning Dinosaur Museum is a treat, especially for children. The museum combines life-sized reconstructions of dinosaurs with fossils and dinosaur skeletons to create an exciting hands-on experience. Multimedia displays tell the story of the giant prehistoric animals and their enthralling world millions of years ago. Life-size reconstructions - including the dinosaur T-rex, Stegosaurus, and Triceratops - beg to be touched by little hands - that’s encouraged. Acclaimed as one of Britain’s Top Ten Family Museums in 2006, the Dinosaur Museum is part of any Jurassic Coast experience. www.thedinosaurmuseum.com

Monkey World- A 65-acre park in the heart of the Dorset countryside is home to over 160 rescued and endangered apes and monkeys. Many have been neglected, kept in unnatural conditions or experienced unbelievable cruelty. Some are now part of international breeding programmes for endangered species. Here they can all enjoy the company of their own kind in a safe natural environment www.monkeyworld.org

Portland Castle- The history of this fortress, which overlooks Portland harbour, is diverse and fascinating. Built by Henry VIII to defend the anchorage against possible French and Spanish invasion, its squat appearance is typical of the artillery forts built in the early 1540s. It became a Seaplane Station during World War I, and was in the forefront of the D-Day preparations which helped to end World War II www.english-heritage.org.uk/portland

The Tank Museum- The Tank Museum in Bovington Dorset houses the world's largest and finest collection of Armoured Fighting Vehiclesfrom unique World War I tanks to the latest main battle tank of the British Army - Challenger. The Museum has a collection of almost 300 vehicles from over 26 countries www.tankmuseum.org

Longleat Safari Park- Longleat is an English stately home, currently the seat of the Marquesses of Bath, adjacent to the village of Horningsham and near the towns of Warminster in Wiltshire and Frome in Somerset. It is noted for its Elizabethan country house, maze, landscaped parkland and safari park. The house is set in over 900 acres (360 ha) of parkland, landscaped by Capability Brown, with 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) of woods and farmland. It was the first stately home to open to the public, and also claims the first safari park outside Africa http://www.longleat.co.uk/

 

The Sherborne, Dorset / Over Compton area

Sherborne, situated 120 miles west of London in North Dorset close to the Somerset Dorset border is a showpiece of the West of England and is one of the most attractive small towns in England. There are few, if any, other towns that can boast such a wealth of medieval buildings, 16th and 17th century houses, ancient inns and almshouses as well as its magnificent Abbey, famous historic school and two castles.

Sherborne ‘New’ Castle & Lakeside Gardens- Built by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594, Sherborne Castle has been home of the Digby family since 1617. Set in 40 acres of glorious ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped gardens and grounds around his 50 acre lake, the castle contains a splendid collection of art, furniture and porcelain www.sherbornecastle.co.uk

Sherborne ‘Old’ Castle- Ruins of the 12th Century castle built for the Bishops of Salisbury. It was acquired by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1592 but he was unable to convert it into a wonderful home, so he built Sherborne Lodge, now the New Castle. It was destroyed in 16 days by Cromwell in the Civil War. English Heritage own the site
www.english-heritage.org.uk/sherborne

Sherborne Abbey- Founded by St. Aldhelm in AD 705, the Abbey has developed from Saxon Cathedral to the worshipping heart of a Monastic Community, and finally, to one of the most beautiful of England's parish churches. For many it is still the 'cathedral of Dorset', and the Benedictine heritage lives on in the daily offering of prayer and praise. Sherborne Abbey is one of only 18 churches awarded 5 stars in Simon Jenkins' England's Thousand Best Churches. He writes "I would pit Sherborne's roof against any contemporary work of the Italian Renaissance