An elegant country house that comes with 63 gloriously unspoilt acres of Devon, and 400 fascinating years of history

Down in north Devon, the historic, Grade II*-listed Hudscott Manor at Chittlehampton has come to the market at a guide price of £3.25m by Oliver Custance Baker of Strutt & Parker.

Located near Umberleigh — three miles from South Molton and 10 miles from Barnstaple — the property comes with 63 acres of formal gardens, paddocks, woodland and wildlife ponds, with a further 113 acres of level, undulating farmland of significant agricultural, amenity and agroforestry value available by separate negotiation.

The house has at least four centuries history (of which more later) but at present house offers more than 10,000sq ft of elegant and light-filled living space on two floors, including an impressive reception and dining hall, three further reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, cellars, domestic offices, five double bedrooms and five bathrooms.

Additional accommodation is available in a self-contained first-floor apartment and two cottages.

To the south of the house, beautifully maintained lawns are interspersed with rhododendrons and a variety of mature trees and shrubs, complemented by formal landscaped gardens and inviting seating areas. Beyond the gardens, paddocks extend to the south of the house, with additional grass paddocks laid out around the house and outbuildings.

The estate also includes former parkland and a charming small copse with a pond that add to the natural beauty of the surroundings. By maintaining diverse habitats, Hudscott Manor estate supports a wide range of plant and animal species and is heavily involved in regenerative farming practices, with the woods and grassland playing a vital role in carbon sequestration.

Hudscott Manor has a long and fascinating history dating back to at least medieval times. The manor was largely rebuilt in the 17th century by the Lovering family and later served as a refuge for Presbyterian clergy who refused to use the Book of Common Prayer that, following the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, was restored for compulsory usage in 1662.

As a result of this edict, some 2,000 clergy were ejected from their livings and forbidden to preach within five miles of a town. By 1700, Hudscott had passed to a junior branch of the influential Rolle family. Samuel Rolle, who was MP for Barnstaple, purchased the manor of Chittlehampton in 1737, making Hudscott its principal estate.

According to its Historic England listing, ‘no clear visible features survive to date Hudscott Manor before the early 17th century, but its complex plan would suggest that successive remodellings in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries have very probably obscured considerably earlier fabric’.

Hudscott Manor is for sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.