A house with five acres isn't an estate; a house with five hundred certainly is; but what about a house in 50 acres? How about 100? 200?
There has to be a line somewhere, but where? The OED is no help, merely referring to an 'extensive area of land in the country, usually with a large house, owned by one person, family, or organisation.'
Size is part of the equation, but so is location. Four acres in the Highlands would feel like a modest back garden; four acres of Mayfair — the size of the Pollen Estate, which includes Savile Row — and you're looking at a slice of property worth somewhere between £500 million and £1 billion.
On the market in Devon at the moment is an estate which seems to offer a pretty decent answer: 67 acres. That's the size of Ludbrook, a pocket estate on Dartmoor, with a £1.75 million price tag. For those looking truly to immerse themselves in the countryside and everything it has to offer, Ludbrook ticks just about every box.
With some 67 acres of paddock, garden and woodland, there’s plenty of space, and half a mile of frontage on the River Tavy comes with fishing rights as part of the package.
The main house offers a substantial 5,000sq ft of space, which includes three reception rooms, all sensitively decorated with period features, such as exposed beams, brick and fireplaces.
It's a home of nooks and crannies: a kitchen/breakfast room leads off to a walk-in cellar and separate larder, while another in the other direction goes through a utility room and into a boot room.
There are eight bedrooms, all on the first floor, with four bathrooms; and two other rooms can also be used as bedrooms, if you're having an enormous family gathering and need more space.
It's not the house which makes Ludbrook an estate, though: it's the grounds, which include a three/four bedroom cottage, a number of outbuildings, stables, woodland, pasture and that river frontage.
It's not the sort of place that you'd need to hire an estate manager, but there's enough space that you'll really feel like you have your own slice of the world — and if your plans are grander, several of the barns offer further scope for conversion.
Ludbrook is for sale via Jackson-Stops at £1.75m — see more pictures and details.
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Credit: Strutt and Parker
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