Very occasionally a property comes on the market that truly represents an era, a home that pays tribute to a certain style. Wookey House is one such property. The elegant Georgian country home conceals remarkable interiors that are a tribute to the artistic mood of the 1960s. And the design and decor has been largely untouched since then.

Wookey House is in the small village of Wookey Hole, home to Wookey Hole Caves and paper mill and only two miles from the city of Wells, in Somerset. It was bought by the late sculptor and illustrator Peter Barker-Mill just before the Second World War after he happened upon it while walking in the Mendip Hills. He is said to have been so taken by the house that he bought it immediately. He and his wife, Caroline, lived there until their deaths, she passing away only last year at the age of 97.

The house is now up for sale and in need of extensive refurbishment. Sadly, this could mean the loss of most or all of the extraordinary decor.

In the 1950s the 8,000 sq ft country pile was divided into two homes - to accommodate the arrival of Barker-Mill's sister - known respectively as Wookey House and East House. There is planning consent to convert the property back to a single home.

Wookey House, where the Barker-Mills lived, is an L-shaped space. The main reception hall, with its dramatic black ceiling and geometric- patterned wallpaper, leads into the Art Deco-furnished front room, with furniture built by Barker-Mill, including an ornate sofa, pictured above. However, Caroline shunned this room and favoured the eclectic “smoking room”, with its red fabric-covered walls and small television set, where she could enjoy a cigarette away from her husband's disapproving looks.

The upstairs corridor with its many doors has an Alice-in-Wonderland quality. Behind one of these is a bedroom known as the Narnia Room, in which a wardrobe conceals access through a door into a section of the house that has remained unused for many years. This contains two bedrooms and a corridor that used to join to the main staircase, which is now part of the East House.

The East House is squarer and smaller than Wookey and includes the main staircase with its ornate hardwood balustrade. The stairs, at 4ft wide, seem too big for this one-bedroom home and perhaps this is the winning argument for those wanting to reconvert the building to a single unit.

If the structure needs plenty of work, the grounds are in pristine condition. Divided to match the house, the front consists of landscaped gardens complete with pond and fountain and a glorious magnolia arch. At the side are lawns and woodland and at the back a walled vegetable garden with vinehouse, close to the site of a former tennis court with its spectacular pavilion and terrace. The land consists of about 38 acres.

During the 1960s and 1970s the Barker-Mills were at the forefront of the UK arts scene, hosting large parties for their creative friends. During this time many of these came to stay for long periods. One Polish painter, Tadeusz Piotr Potworowski, lived for many months in the outhouse. He would, perhaps, have been pleased to hear that there is now additional planning consent to convert this into a separate two-bedroom property.

The house and grounds are a haven of peace. They lie within the development of Wookey Hole, with the garden to the front designated as open spaces of visual significance, as is the small woodland area opposite. Thus there is no fear of development ruining an extraordinary view.

The fixtures and fittings are not part of the sale so, given the extensive work needed on the property, it seems likely that these unique 1960s interiors will be lost for ever - unless there is a rich Barker-Mill fan out there willing to embrace the concept of this house stuck in time.

Fast facts

Wookey House is 8,000 sq ft split into two properties, spread over three floors

The listed building has planning consent to revert to being a single home

It would then include eight bedrooms, six reception rooms and six bathrooms

Planning consent has been sought to convert the outbuildings to a separate two-bedroom property

It is for sale, via Dreweatt Neate (01749 677667), at a guide price of £1.7 million. Renovation would probably cost a further £1 million

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