Trafalgar flair in Lymington

Above: Trafalgar House, Nelson Place

A six-bedroom home with its own swimming pool, yet convenient for Lymington’s many amenities, Trafalgar House is an unusual property.
Owner Dr John Bradley says he believes it was built around 1780 and this beautiful Grade II Listed house in Nelson Place has retained many of its original Georgian features.
But its history is shrouded in mystery. “It was allegedly a school at one point and there were rumours that Nelson kept a mistress here,” says Dr Bradley, a retired biomedical engineer.
“We know the house has spent some of its time divided into three flats and I believe it was put back as a single house about 10 years ago, although there is still an opportunity for independent living for a relative or teenage kids in part of the house.”
 
Surprisingly snug
It’s certainly a very family-friendly house, with well-proportioned rooms arranged over three floors, as well as generous cellarage. The family sitting room is a favourite because of its superb proportions and its adaptable layout.
Says Dr Bradley: “In the winter so many people have said what a snug room it is, with its Jetmaster log fire. We can open up the doors and we use the room behind as a supper room.”
He and his partner, Anne, a food services adviser, painted the alcoves either side of the fireplace in Farrow and Ball’s Rectory Red. “It is a very nice warm colour,” he says. When I admire the curtains – and there are beautiful drapes throughout the house – he adds: “I made the frames for the pelmets myself.”