8 bedroom house

A highly attractive Queen Anne Grade II Listed country house with 5.5 acres of land, with a further 7.3 acres and 0.6 miles of single bank fishing rights in the River Dart (available by separate negotiation). Colston House is located in a readily convenient and accessible location only 6 miles from a mainline train station to London Paddington. With over 4,000 sq ft of accommodation, providing 8 bedrooms in total, this stunning country house comes to the market for the first time in over 60 years.

Description - The sale of Colston House offers a fantastic opportunity for the purchaser to refresh this Grade II Listed country house, which has been in the same family’s ownership for over 60 years. The property retains much sought-after character and features. Currently arranged in two parts, the main Queen Anne section provides 5 bedrooms and the adjoining annex, which was built about 50 years ago, provides a further 3 bedrooms. It is interesting to note that there are a number of literary connections to the Colston House: Richmal Crompton wrote some of the “Just William” 1922 stories at the house, Roger Deakin devotes a chapter of his book, “Waterlogged” 1999, to swimming with the sellers family in the Dart and Alice Oswald talks about meeting the girls’ father, John, in her epic poem called Dart 2002.

Colston House - This impressive circa 1800’s country house enjoys a number of climbing roses and a vine on the front and is approached over its own sweeping graveled drive. The house contains two well-proportioned reception rooms either side of the bright and inviting entrance hall. Both reception rooms benefit from large sash windows overlooking the formal front gardens with working shutters.

To the rear of the building is the kitchen with a fantastic flagstone floor with a 4-oven oil-fired Aga and a range of kitchen units. There is a blocked doorway from the kitchen which leads through into the annex kitchen. To the rear of the property is the utility room/pantry with gauzed window to the outside, space for coat storage and door into the ground floor WC/shower room.

The fine turning staircase leads to the spacious first floor landing with 5 bedrooms and an en suite bathroom. The three principle rooms are spacious in size with fireplaces and some fantastic far reaching views.

Colston Annex - The annex has been occupied by the family as a separate unit of accommodation and can be accessed from a door into the sitting room, or from the rear courtyard garden into the kitchen areas. The ground floor accommodation provides a large sitting room with tall sash windows to the front and a raised area of hearth with a working fire and recessed hand-built shelving to replicate the Queen Anne style windows. Door to private courtyard and further door to the boiler room/WC. Inner hall to the kitchen, again with original slate flooring. There is a pair of patio doors out onto the private courtyard garden, making a fantastic BBQ area next to a running stream. Double gates onto the adjoining road . Upstairs there are 3 bedrooms and a family bathroom.

Agricultural Land - Below the formal garden is a field of about 3.8 acres and accessed by a track leading off the lane below the parking area into the field. Livestock can take water from the river and it is well fenced. Further land, extending to about 7.33 acres is available with Lot 2 by separate negotiation.

Gardens & Grounds - Immediately in front of the property is a level area of lawn dissected by a central gravel path which leads past an impressive fir and some English Yew trees, to the ha-ha at the end of the garden. From here, there are some spectacular views over the level paddock below and down towards the river Dart where the family have enjoyed many wild swims together. A short flight of stone steps lead down into the paddock. The garden contains some mature flowering shrubs and provides many places to sit and enjoy the views.

The hard surface tennis court is located to the side of the formal lawn, with a further area of garden with a greenhouse, composting beds and vegetable beds. There is a large parking area adjacent to the tennis court and a number of timber outbuildings/car port for log storage.

Outbuildings - There are a number of detached stone barns with huge potential for conversion or to be continued as ancillary use to the house.

The charming stone barn, below the tennis court, was once used as an artist’s studio and has a woodburning stove on the first floor with a large picture window looking east over the field and the river. Below is a ground floor area which has been used to lamb sheep in the winter. This building could be converted (subject to the necessary consents) into a stunning 1 bedroom holiday let.

Located across the quiet country lane are 2 further detached stone outbuildings, the first, known as the Workshop Barn with a woodburning stove and a timber staircase up to the artist’s studio, with windows to the front and back and a working fireplace.

The second, known as the Stable Barn, retains the cobbled entrance area with access to a lean-to store, where there is a back up generator to the house and a short flight of steps leading up to the rear paddock and orchard area, which also has access from the side of the Workshop Barn. The Stable Barn retains the original stable dividers providing stabling for three with the mangers intact. A steep loft ladder provides access to the first floor, where the chutes to pass hay down to the stables below, remain.

Lastly through the doors into the private patio area of the annex is a further workshop barn with 2 coal bunkers/bin storage area attached to the side.

Fishing Rights (Lot 2) - The single bank fishing rights on the River Dart extend from the tail of the pool known as Abbotsmead to the tail of Quarry Pool on the right bank, being about 0.6 miles. The fishing rights are currently let to the Dart Angling Association. Catch records aren't available, but the angling association have records on the opposite bank, dating back to 2005 where 11 salmon and 70 sea trout were caught in that year.

Local Authority - Teignbridge District Council, Forde House, Brunel Road, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 4XX. Tel: .

Services - Private water and drainage, mains electricity and oil-fired central heating.

Viewings - Strictly by prior appointment with Stags on .

Directions - From Exeter, Turn off at Totnes junction for the A38. This is also signposted for Salcombe & Buckfastleigh At the top of slip way turn right and follow road down to mini roundabout. Continue straight over mini roundabout following signs to South Devon Railway. Continue for approximately half a mile and turn left after garage signposted to Velwell, Luscombe and Colston. Follow this road for approximately half a mile. As it begins to dip down the hill and branch left take the road straight ahead Colston Road. Colston House is approximately one and half miles along this road on the left.



Marketed by: Stags, Totnes