Dorset idyll is a taste of the past

A Dorset pub overlooking the setting of the film version of Thomas Hardy's famous novel Far From the Madding Crowd is for sale.

Drusilla's Inn at Horton overlooks Horton Tower, a 140-ft tall 18th-century folly featured in John Schlesinger's 1967 film.

Having been at the pub for two years, proprietors and operators Ron and Angela Wraight want to sell up and move to France.

The attractive thatched stone property has seating capacity for 120 and includes two dining areas, lounge bar and a recently refurbished public bar.

There is also two-bedroom owners' accommodation and three-acre grounds with outbuildings and a car park.

A unique feature of the inn is the conical thatched roof of its Tower Room Restaurant.

Christie+Co's Joe Harvey said: "Drusilla's Inn has an established reputation as a dining pub, with 70% of turnover derived from food sales. Given the inn's ample grounds there is scope to introduce letting accommodation, subject to necessary planning consent."

The freehold is on the market for £795,000 and Harvey expects interest from corporate and private buyers.