Addisford

Once the home of the renowned photographer James Ravilious (1939 – 1999), who specialised in recording the rural life of north Devon, it is easy to see how he drew so much of his inspiration from where he lived. Addisford is Grade II listed and was originally a modest thatched cottage dating from the 17th century, which has been refurbished and sympathetically extended in recent years to create a charming and characterful family home in a beautiful and extremely private and tranquil location. The property is south-facing and is surrounded by approximately 11 acres of cottage garden, water meadow, pasture and ancient woodland, with two tributaries to the River Torridge flowing through the grounds. The cottage is built of pale pink painted render under a thatched roof, with recent two-storey extensions to the rear and one side, designed by award winning Devon architect David Treadaway.

Internally the accommodation is focused on the large, primarily oak-framed kitchen/living room, well lit by natural light and having bi-fold doors that enable one side to be fully opened out to the terrace. There are separate lounge and dining areas in this room, a walk in larder, and the recently installed kitchen has a large central island and comprehensive range of electrical appliances. Also on the ground floor in the older part of the house are the snug with inglenook fireplace, a double bedroom with en-suite shower room, the family bathroom and the second kitchen / boot room, with extensive boarded loft storage space above. In the older part of the house on the first floor and accessed by
either the original 17th Century oak staircase or a new oak staircase, are the principal bedroom and en-suite shower room, both with magnificent vaulted ceilings, and a further room with potential for a double bedroom, which currently serves as an en-suite dressing room to the principal bedroom. Above the new kitchen/living room extension and accessed by another staircase is a further double bedroom and en-suite bathroom.

The cottage is approached over a beautifully cobbled shallow ford before continuing along a 100-yard drive to two large parking areas above and to one side of it. It overlooks a mature cottage garden further connected by pathways and footbridges to a floral bog garden incorporating a large pond fed by a gently flowing rill, and a small waterfall, all overlooked by a timber-built office/studio. Traversing the bog garden are Japanese-style walkways of raised oak beams that connect via a footbridge across the stream to three inter-linked, one-acre water meadows, one of which is a beautiful flower meadow throughout summer. Crossing the grounds are two pretty tributaries that flow onward toward the River Torridge after passing through the three acres of Addisford's ancient woodland, which is extensively carpeted with snowdrops, then wild garlic and bluebells, in the early part of the year. The land slopes up behind the cottage to a second car parking area beside a combined garage and pool house built into the hillside and incorporating garaging for four cars and a heated 'Endless Pool' with changing facilities. An extension of the drive leads onward to a substantial timber barn. Extending above and back from the garage/pool house is four-acre paddock, part enclosed by post and rail fencing. In all the garden and grounds amount to approximately 11 acres.

Dolton 0.5 mile, Hatherleigh 6.9 miles, Great Torrington 7.8 miles, A30 15.8 miles, A361 16.9 miles, Crediton station 22 miles (Paddington 2 hours 40 minutes), Exeter city centre 29.4 miles, Exeter Airport 34.7 miles (London City Airport 1 hour) (Distances and times approximate)

Marketed by: Knight Frank, Exeter