A five-bedroom West Country house with a ‘Monet style’ bridge in a wild part of the woodland-style garden is for sale at £765,000.
* Prime property for sale in Devon
The owners Dr John and Mrs Philomena Gallagher have lived at Truckle Park in the charming village of Lustleigh, Devon for 26 years, spending a good deal of their time cultivating the five-and-a-half acres of gardens.
‘The major shrubs were there, but we shifted them around,’ says Mrs Gallagher. ‘My husband was in charge of the bridge, arches, hedges and lawns.’
Originally a spring garden, the couple extended the scope of the gardens so now there is colour all year round. As well as a formal lawned area, there are dramatic Dartmoor boulders, including a giant ‘Cleft rock’ and secret garden paths in the woodland garden. Rhododendrons, camellias and wildflowers surround an enchanting dell.
‘The woods were all choked with brambles and shrub trees,’ explains Mrs Gallagher, who cleared them and has now got the gardens to a level where they are ‘easy enough to keep – you can do as little or as much as you want.’
The Gallagher’s six grandchildren ranging from 20 months to 15 years love visiting the two-storey house in Dartmoor National Park. ‘The little ones adore racing round the gardens,’ Mrs Gallagher adds.
The house also has outbuildings, formerly home to chickens and a pig, a double garage, workshop, greenhouse and a gated private driveway.
Lustleigh is three miles from Bovey Tracey and the moorland town of Moretonhampstead. Both the A38 with good access to Plymouth, Exeter and the M5 are nearby.
Truckle Park is available through Fine and Country’s Torbay Teignbridge and Totnes office 01803 898321, www.fineandcountry.com.
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