12 bedroom house

Dating back to the late 17th century with later additions, and listed Grade II, the property is situated in an unspoilt valley and comes with about 14 acres of typical North Devon countryside that provides an idyllic and tranquil setting. The house is built of local stone, partly rendered, with a Cornish slate roof. The building is made up of three sections: the main house, a self-contained cottage annexe, and a studio annexe, the whole forming a combined L-shaped building which looks out across its sheltered, pretty gardens to the uplands of Exmoor beyond.

The property has been the home of the current owners for the past eight years and during that time has been extensively refurbished and adapted to create a centre for creative retreats. It offers a total of eight double bedrooms in the main farmhouse, each with its own bathroom, as well as two further bedrooms and another bathroom beneath a large artists' studio in the converted barn.

Between the house and studio there is a self-contained annexe (The Cottage) that has two more bedrooms and a bathroom beneath an open-plan living area. The house is very well presented with many original architectural features, including beams, exposed stone walls, fireplaces and bread ovens. There is great scope for adapting or modifying the interior accommodation to suit a range of residential or business requirements.

On the ground floor is an office and three reception rooms: a dining room, a large sitting room, and a smaller cosy snug. The
kitchen/breakfast room runs along the back of the house. It has a raised dining area with a built-in Welsh dresser, and walk-in larder, a 4-oven, oil-fired AGA, and a range of units with granite work surfaces. Also on the ground floor are a cloakroom, utility room and boot room. Doors from the kitchen and utility room open onto a paved courtyard and lawned area with three useful outbuildings and a single garage.

Attached to the farmhouse and accessed by an external timber staircase is a self-contained 2-bed annexe (The Cottage) on two floors, with bedrooms below and living area above. Adjacent to it is the studio, which is on the first floor and has windows on three sides looking out over the surrounding countryside. Within the studio is a kitchen area, a comfy seating area with woodburning stove, a cloakroom, and a walk-in store cupboard. Beneath the studio on the ground floor are two additional bedrooms and a shower room, and a separate large workshop. Adjacent to the barn is a bull pen, which now serves as a forge.

The farmhouse lies at the end of a long driveway that extends for about a third of a mile, passing an old limekiln, beyond which is a
hidden woodland dell, once a lime quarry, with streams running through, crossed in several places by wooden footbridges. The grassland and woodland combine to form a magnet for wildlife including many species of butterflies in the summer. Between the woodland and the house are two fields of permanent pasture bound by stock-proof fencing and hedging. In front of the farmhouse is a cottage-style garden divided into different sections by old stone walls. There is parking in front of the house and a larger parking area discreetly hidden from view.

Challacombe 1.3 miles, Combe Martin beaches 8 miles, Barnstaple 11.7 miles, South Molton 13.6 miles, Tiverton Parkway station 38.5 miles (Paddington 2 hours), Taunton 40.3 miles, Exeter city centre 46.6 miles, Exeter Airport (London City Airport 1 hour) 47.7 miles
(Distances and times approximate)

Marketed by: Knight Frank, Exeter