Ground floor:
Open-plan living space with kitchen, dining table, and sitting area with wood burning stove
Bedroom with king-size bed
Bathroom with bath with overhead shower, basin, heated towel rail, and WC
First floor:
Snug
Bedroom with twin beds
Electric central heating, wood burning stove
Electric oven and hob, microwave, Nespresso coffee machine, kettle, toaster, fridge/freezer, washer/dryer
WiFi
Smart TV
Fuel and power
First basket of logs for the wood burner
Bed linen and towels
Designated parking available
Patio with furniture and barbecue
Children and infants welcome
Travel cot and highchair available on request
Two well-behaved pets welcome
Strictly no smoking
Shop 2 miles, pub 0.3 miles
The Old Swill House is a beautifully restored historic farm building set on a working farm within a picturesque estate in the village of Foxham. Once used to store pig feed, this charming cottage dates back over 300 years and has been thoughtfully renovated to provide comfortable accommodation for couples or a small family looking to explore the stunning Wiltshire countryside.
Original features including vaulted ceilings, timber beams, sturdy trusses and exposed stone walls sit alongside warm rustic interiors and carefully chosen furnishings.
Approached along a tree-lined drive past the period manor house, the cottage opens into a spacious entrance hall with room for boots and coats. Beyond is a bright open-plan living space where antique pieces, prints depicting rural life, vintage cartwheels, and soft furnishings and rugs create a relaxed home-from-home feel.
The shaker-style kitchen is well equipped with butcher’s block worktops and modern appliances, while a dining table provides space for leisurely meals and planning the days ahead. The sitting area has plenty of comfortable seating gathered around a wood-burning stove, a cosy spot to unwind with feet up enjoying a film or playing a board game, while a small desk area provides space to catch up on work if needed.
Also on the ground floor is the master bedroom, a peaceful retreat with exposed stone walls, and a comfortable bed dressed with crisp white linens and soft blankets for chillier nights. A stylish bathroom with both a bath and a shower completes the floor.
Upstairs, a mezzanine snug overlooks the living space below and offers a quiet corner for reading with views across the surrounding fields. A charming twin bedroom with sloping ceilings is also located on the first floor.
Outside, a courtyard with outdoor dining furniture and a barbecue is a sunny spot for morning coffee or relaxed al fresco meals.
Guests are also invited to enjoy the manor house gardens, which extend to four acres. Laid out in the 1950s in the French style, the gardens are arranged as a series of ‘rooms’ divided by hedges and moats, and dotted with specimen trees, fountains, and statues. Known for their beautiful displays of old roses, the gardens also have drifts of spring bulbs, wisteria, irises, phlox, lavender, and peonies, as well as extensive vegetable and herb gardens. A particular highlight is the water garden set within an old canal, where moisture-loving plants such as irises, hostas, cornus and bamboo flourish. Keep an eye out for the 16th-century dovecote, and follow the spectacular avenue leading to a temple-like folly.
The surrounding 150-acre farm is managed using regenerative methods that encourage wildlife through tree and hedgerow planting. It is home to free-range chickens and a herd of 100% grass-fed Beef Shorthorn cattle certified as 100% grass-fed, with calves born in both autumn and spring.
Foxham is a charming village with a friendly pub and church just a 10 minute walk away. Footpaths follow the Old Wilts and Berks Canal and cross neighbouring farmland and woodland, while the nearby Christian Malford, less than two miles away, has a village shop and another welcoming pub.
Wiltshire is home to some of the most beautiful countryside in the British Isles with an important history that stretches back to prehistoric times. Its most iconic attraction is Stonehenge, a must-see monument and a powerful testament to human ingenuity, imagination, and creativity. Alongside the famous stone circle, visitors can explore an exhibition showcasing archaeological objects discovered in the surrounding landscape, ranging from jewellery, pottery, and tools to ancient human remains. Wiltshire is also rich in other Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial sites, including the henge and stone circles at Avebury, the West Kennet long barrow and stone avenue, the causewayed enclosure at Windmill Hill, and the mysterious Silbury Hill. Comparable in height and volume to the roughly contemporary Egyptian pyramids, Silbury Hill remains an enduring mystery, as it contains no known burial.
There are plenty of more recent attractions to enjoy as well. Highlights include Longleat Estate, whose magnificent house is regarded as one of the finest examples of Elizabethan architecture, set within 900 acres of landscaped parkland designed by ‘Capability’ Brown and home to a drive-through safari park. Other notable sites include Old Wardour Castle, a six-sided 14th-century tower house with a Georgian banqueting house and a fantasy-Gothic grotto, and the National Trust’s Stourhead, a grand Palladian-style villa set within a world-famous landscaped garden dotted with classical temples and follies.
No visit to Wiltshire would be complete without time spent in the medieval city of Salisbury. Its spectacular Early English Gothic cathedral has Britain’s tallest spire and houses one of the four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta. The city’s 800-year-old Charter Market still takes place in the historic centre, offering everything from fresh produce and deli foods to vintage clothing and household goods. Salisbury also has a wealth of independent shops, with a visit to Fisherton Mill, home to a large art and craft emporium, highly recommended for finding a unique memento of your stay.
With almost half of the county designated as a National Landscape, Wiltshire is ideal for outdoor enthusiasts and offers a wide variety of walking and cycling routes, from long-distance trails to gentle afternoon strolls. The White Horse Trail is a circular long-distance route that links eight chalk white horse figures and numerous historic sites with chocolate-box villages, rewarding walkers with glorious views along the way.
The chalk downlands of Wiltshire support a rich and varied range of flora and fauna. Visit Ham Hill, a small nature reserve known for its wildflowers, including the rare and powerfully scented musk orchid. For butterfly enthusiasts, Morgan’s Hill is an excellent spot, where species such as Adonis blue, chalkhill blue, common blue, small blue, and the endangered marsh fritillary can be found. At Winterbourne Downs, the RSPB has recreated wildlife-rich habitats, including flowering grasslands once typical of downland farms, to provide a haven for ground-nesting birds such as stone curlews, skylarks, yellowhammers, and grey partridges.
Distances are calculated “as the crow flies”, so actual driving, cycling, and walking distances may differ.
