Interior & Grounds

The majority of the furnishings and decorative items in the house have a story attached to them.  For example: the dolphins adorning the library fireplace were taken from the host’s grandfather's ship and the five-thousand-strong collection of books has been assembled by successive generations since the 17th Century.  At Polden Park, the past and the present stand shoulder to shoulder making this an interesting as well as a comfortable and inviting venue.

On the ground floor level, you’ll find the Dining Room, which, with its American oak table and hand-carved chairs, comfortably sits 14.  French windows lead out from this room into the garden, making this the perfect venue for aperitifs or after dinner drinks as well as formal dining.  Also on the ground floor, is the Kitchen which has been planned with large group catering in mind.  Designed in farmhouse style, this well equipped room gives on to the Breakfast Room which can be used for more casual dining as well as accessing the Kitchen Garden.  The Larder, or food store, also houses an American-style fridge freezer with ice maker and water dispenser, plus a second dishwasher.  The further, Original Larder is now a well-equipped laundry room, with further food refrigeration if required.  With its door to the Kitchen Garden, this is an ideal boot/cloak-room.

Also on the ground floor, you’ll find the old Library, which is now the main sitting room with ample comfy seating, card tables, satellite TV and video.  This room has doors to the main garden and plays host to the 5000-strong book collection at Polden Park.   The Drawing Room is designed with complete relaxation and peace in mind.  With its fine oak beams, its Clementi piano; it’s sofas and chaises-longues you’ll be drawn to this room, no matter the time of day.  Like the other ground floor rooms, the Drawing Room has doors leading to the garden and this room has the additional feature of a conservatory.

On the first floor of Polden Park, there are six bedrooms and four bathrooms.  The sleeping accommodation caters for up to 12 adults and four or five (depending on their age) children in various arrangements.

The first bedroom offers a super king-size bed, plus an additional sofa bed and en suite bathroom. This is the oldest bedroom in the house and has oak beams and period furniture including a mahogany dressing table and desk.

Bedroom 2 offers twin beds and is a large room overlooking the grounds.  This bedroom has a large en suite bathroom, complete with separate shower and roll-top bath.  This room has communicating doors with Bedroom 3, which is a sunny double. 

Bedroom 4 is one of the smaller rooms in the house, with a queen-sized, modern four poster bed and views over the Kitchen Garden.  Bedroom 5, which is a good-sized room, was once part the staff quarters of the house and has a double bed and views to the front.   The final Bedroom, bedroom 6 is a twin (or double room: the twin beds can be zipped together) with a modern, en suite shower room.  There is an additional room on this floor, which is set up as a small lounge, but contains two single sofa beds and can be used to provide additional sleeping accommodation.

Grounds:

Like the house itself, the 22-acre grounds of Polden Park are steeped in history.  Amongst other things, you’ll find rare species of oriental elm, which were brought from china by the host’s ancestors, together with a wide variety of fruit trees, lime trees and various ponds (which are unfenced, so visiting children should be carefully supervised if playing around these areas).   Within the grounds you will find a children’s play area, a games field, a paddock, a barbecue and the Kitchen Garden.