Country houses for sale

A gloriously-renovated farmhouse in Devon that comes with four lovely cottages

Penny Churchill takes a look at Greenawell, a house with land in Devon that has a huge amount of potential.

Down in deepest Devon, birdsong is said to be the only sound you’ll hear at Greenawell, an idyllic, 76-acre farm settlement in the Dartmoor National Park, near the market town of Moretonhampstead, 15 miles south-west of Exeter. It’s on the market with Strutt & Parker, who quote a guide price of £4.5m.

Originally a working farm on the Bovey Castle estate, the property, comprising the five-bedroom Victorian farmhouse and its adjoining farmstead, was acquired in 2005 by the present owner, who embarked on a comprehensive programme of improvement, restoration and alteration that saw the work completed by November 2006.

The farmhouse was enlarged and improved with the installation of granite fireplaces, floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, new oak joinery, biomass underfloor heating and all-new plumbing and wiring, to create a supremely comfortable family home on three floors.

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There are three main reception rooms, a large kitchen/breakfast room, five bedrooms and three bath/shower rooms, and a number of glass walls to make the most of the scenery.

The traditional farm buildings were re-imagined and converted to four delightful cottages, each with its own individual character.

There is the two-bedroom Granary Cottage, with its gallery/study; Horseshoe Cottage also has two bedrooms and a charming kitchen/breakfast room; Old Stables Cottage is a little smaller, all one one floor; and finally the three-bedroom Courtyard Cottage.

A former barn was converted into a 50ft indoor swimming pool, with one wall fully glazed to allow wonderful views over Dartmoor, and a range of outbuildings built to house stabling, a tack room and feed store. There is also a tennis court on the property.

The farm complex is surrounded by gardens and grounds landscaped and designed to incorporate the original dry-stone walls, farm tracks and mature trees.

As is common on Dartmoor, large granite stones border gateways complemented by modern bespoke wooden gates. 

Greenawell is for sale via Strutt & Parker at £4.5m — see more details and pictures.


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