5 Wembley Avenue, Bridgewater, SA 5155

Character 8 room stone home on approx 4100sqm block w/ pool

A wonderful charismatic home on a large block plus detached meditation/music room.

This 100 year old home will appeal to those who desire a unique home in a convenient location, suit either couples or smaller families however the home has enormous potential to further develop for larger families, lots of room for garaging, tennis court or home additions, the opportunities are endless.

Discover a little piece of British India, largely unknown to the wider world, yet indelibly etched on the hearts and memories of all who have been lucky enough to call it home over the past 120 years. Find it nestled in the historic township of Bridgewater where it is known simply as The Bungalow, a pleasant stroll to the gastronomic delights of Bridgewater Mill and the Bridgewater Inn, and just minutes from the freeway into town.

It speaks volumes that the British Colonel who built this place in 1882, and who traveled so widely, chose this pretty corner of the Adelaide Hills to build a summer house. It is said that Bridgewater reminded him of the foothills of Rajasthan where he had been stationed. Would he have approved of the additions, especially the pool with its spa bench? We think so.

The current owners have spent 23 years 'fixing it up', breathing life into the central living area with its polished timber floors, impossibly high mansard ceiling and four bedrooms leading off. In winter, you can stoke the fire, close the doors and you've got yourself a cosy space for relaxing and entertaining. In summer, these same doors, and the exterior ones that allow each bedroom private access to the great outdoors, can be hooked open to let cooling gully breezes do their work.

Where once there were verandahs, the original french doors now create an easy flow between the living area and a conservatory-style sunroom at one end and, at the other, a dining room - both featuring handmade terracotta tiles from Bennett's Potteries at Magill. A Cornish style kitchen and large heritage-themed bathroom run off to either side.

Renovations and additions follow the principles of Vastu, a traditional Hindu system of design based on directional alignments and energy flow, so tangible that friends say they can feel it.

To the rear, a brick paved courtyard provides a sheltered spot for alfresco dining and, beyond, an idiosyncratic summerhouse with an octagonal roof and cupola, offers a studio retreat fashioned from a stone water tank. The convincing trompe l'oeil columns were painted by an illustrator friend.

The grounds are beautiful. Thrill to the traditional cartwheel design of the herb garden, the shady fernery beneath towering Cypresses, the woodland garden and the lawn where croquet and boules have been played for as long as anyone can remember. Metre upon metre of stone retaining walls restrain the rambling tapestry of garden and provide a solid framework for the parking bays and sweep of the gravel driveway, gate to gate. And then there's the birdlife; the endless procession of galahs, rosellas and lorikeets that crowd the bird tables surrounding the home.

It's an amazing property, breathtakingly beautiful and completely unique. Prepare to fall under its spell because you will, as many others have done before you.