A house that blends five centuries worth of architecture, set on the shores of a famous salmon river in Devon

Over in West Devon, the village of Horrabridge in the Dartmoor National Park, four miles south of Tavistock, grew up around an ancient crossing over the fast-flowing River Walkham, a famous salmon river, its 15th-century bridge one of the oldest in Devon.

Here, Richard Addington of Jackson-Stops is handling the sale of historic, Grade II*-listed Sortridge Manor, built in about 1550 by John Skerret, described by local historians as ‘a churchwarden at Tavistock, who married into the Glanville family’, an old Norman family from Pont l’Eveque, who remained at Sortridge until the late 19th century.

The front porch was added in the mid 1600s. In the early 1700s, the house was remodelled inside, the rear service wing added and the staircase hall, reminiscent of that at Stuart House, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, was installed.

In the late 1800s/early 1900s, the south wing of the original Elizabethan building was rebuilt after ‘three successive fires’ destroyed ‘the hall and one wing’.

In the late 1800s, three sisters sold the 400-acre Sortridge estate to a Plymouth stockbroker who immediately sold it again in lots, thereby doubling his money.

The manor and 140 acres of land were bought by Col Marwood Tucker, whose widow sold the property to George Porter Rogers in 1955. In November 1961, Mr Rogers sold the manor with three acres of grounds for £5,500 to Cmdr C. R. Smythe, who sold it in turn to Cmdr Stubley.

There followed a succession of owners, among them the Skiltons, who added four acres of additional land, and the Ramsdens, who carried out a major renovation of the house and grounds some 25 years ago.

The present owners, who bought the manor in 2019, have added two new bathrooms and ‘generally refreshed the place’, Mr Addington reveals.

Now for sale at a guide price of £1.6m, the striking stone-built manor house, which blends five centuries of original architectural features with contemporary styling and comfort, offers some 7,760sq ft of accommodation on two floors, including three main reception rooms, two kitchens, a home office suite, a yoga/media room, eight to 10 bedrooms and five bathrooms.

Its 7½ acres of delightful gardens and grounds include a barn, a walled kitchen garden, woodland, ponds, a wildflower meadow and an outdoor swimming pool.

Sortridge Manor is currently on the market via Jackson-Stops for offers in excess of £1.6 million — see more pictures, or enquire with the agent for more details. 

Horrabridge: What you need to know

Location: Horrabridge is located four miles south of Tavistock, 12 miles from Plymouth and is set within the Dartmoor National Park. The closest train station offering mainline services is Plymouth Station.

Atmosphere: Horrabridge is a small village in West Devon home to a family bakery, post office, two pubs, a florist and newsagents.

Things to do: Get outdoors! With the Dartmoor National Park on your doorstep, enjoy the countless hikes and walks on offer in the area — including around the Burrator Dam. Keen fishermen (and women) are in luck — as Horrabridge sits on the River Walkham — known for its Salmon fishing. There are also two good pubs — London Inn and the aptly named Leaping Salmon.

Schools: There are a number of primary and secondary options in the area, including, Horrabridge Primary and Nursery School (which was rated outstanding in an ofsted review), Whitchurch Community Primary School and Lady Modiford's Church of England Primary School and there are excellent secondary options with Devonport Highschool for Boys, Devonport Highschool for Girls and Kingsbridge Academy.

See more property for sale in the area.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

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