- For a tenth of the price of the painting, you could own a pond just like Monet's Water Lillies paining - with an accompanying country house
- Easterlands in Somerset features garden just like Giverny, Monet's home
- One of Monet’s water lily paintings sold for £41 million in 2008
First impressions will count very favourably for potential buyers of this £3million property, not necessarily thanks to the grand house, but because of the garden pond.
Easterlands is an eight-bedroom house built in the 19th century, sitting in more than 44 acres ofprime Somerset countryside.
The real selling point, however, is its beautiful pond, which looks just like Monet's Water Lilies paintings.
Spot the difference: The Japanese bridge at Easterlands House in Sampford Arundel, Somerset which is identical to the bridge painted by Monet
The iconic painting: Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge 1897-99 by Monet, which bares a striking resemblance to the pond in Somerset
At the centre of the rambling grounds and gardens is the elegant water feature with its Japanese bridge, which could be right out of a garden in the French village Giverny, Claude Monet’s famous home.
The artist moved to the village in 1883 and had a beautiful lily pond which he would regularly sit and paint.
Both Monet’s pond and the one at Easterlands, which pre-dates the artist’s, have the same bridge and beautiful trees hanging over the water.
The Frenchman, who died in 1926 aged 86, painted approximately 250 pieces around the pond and bridge with works in galleries across the world.
Relative bargain: Owning Easterlands House for £3million is a snip compared to buying one of Monet's water lily paintings, which sell at £41million
View of the grounds: The conservatory at Easterlands, from where the new owners will be able to survey their beautiful garden and pond
But while one of Monet’s water lily paintings sold for £41 million in 2008, Easterlands is on the market for less than a tenth, with the owners asking for £3.1 million.
The stunning home, in Sampford Arundel, has a reception hall, study, drawing room, dining room, garden room and billiards room.
On top of the eight bedrooms, there is a coach house with stables and barns as well as a tennis court, covered swimming pool, a two-bed cottage and three-bed lodge.
It is on the market with Savills, who describe it as 'one of the area’s most important homes'.
Idyllic: The sweeping driveway up to the house, which sits in more than 44 acres of land
Restful: A perfect country scene with the house in the background, reminiscent of the gentle landscapes painted by Monet
Luxurious: The swimming pool is discreetly set back within a walled garden and attached to an old out-building
Richard Addington, from Savills in Exeter, said: 'The property sits among the rolling countryside on the Devon/Somerset border at the foot of the Blackdown Hills.
'Although built in the 19th Century, the style of the property harks back to the Georgian era.
'The gardens and grounds are nothing short of glorious.
'The bridge over the pond bears a striking resemblance to that featured in Monet’s paintings of Giverny and offers quite a bonus for purchasers.'
The reception rooms boast high ceilings and have elegant detailing including substantial fireplaces and panelling.
Bonus: As if one big country house were not enough, it also comes with a separate guest house
Grand interior: The sitting room is just one of the many reception rooms that offers dramatic views of the Somerset countryside
There is also a conservatory and billiards room while the bedrooms are nearly all arranged with en suite access to a bathroom and the cellars beneath the house offer plenty of usable accommodation.
In the mid-1920s, the house was lived in by the Fox family, which were behind Fox Brothers and Co, the textiles business now run by Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden.
The current owners have lived in the property for around 35 years and, while they have carried out a lot of work, it could do with some updating.
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