The story of east Devon’s grandest country mansion, Grade I-listed Mamhead House, set in 164 acres of glorious gardens and parkland on the slopes of the Haldon Hills north of Dawlish, with glorious views over Exmouth, is essentially one of survival.
Designed by the architect Anthony Salvin, a pupil of Nash and a fervent admirer of Pugin, the vast, 37,437sq ft, late-Georgian mansion was built between 1828 and 1833 for Robert (later Sir Robert) Newman, MP for Exeter – an enormously rich shipping magnate whose forebears were described locally as ‘adventurers’. Mamhead is now on the market through Strutt & Parker, at a guide price of £10 million.
Inspired by a ground plan proposed by Charles Fowler of Plymouth in 1822, Salvin’s brief was to create a grand mansion in the Tudor style with Classical influences, siting the house to make the most of the spectacular coastal views, while nestling it securely within the surrounding woodland.
This Salvin did brilliantly, combining the grace of the late-Georgian style with the drama and colour of Gothic interiors, the whole executed to the highest standards of craftsmanship and attention to detail. According to Country Life (June 2, 1955), the high standard set at Mamhead ‘contrasts notably in the fine quality of its materials and workmanship with the jerry-built ostentation of much early-19th-century architecture’.
Sir Robert Newman was succeeded in 1848 by his son, Capt Sir Robert Lydston Newman, who was killed at the Battle of Inkerman in November 1854, after which Mamhead passed to his brother, Sir Lydston, whose son, a prominent churchman, was created Lord Mamhead in 1931.
He died unmarried in 1945, leaving the life tenancy of the estate to his brother-in-law, Frederick Lumley, together with the contents of the mansion. On succeeding in 1948, Sir Ralph Newman, a great-grandson of the 1st Baronet, was able to buy back the furnishings, but eventually abandoned the idea of trying to live on the scale imposed by such a house.
Thereafter, Mamhead served a number of institutional roles: an evangelical holiday-and-conference centre in the 1950s, a special school in the 1980s, an events venue and, finally, as the offices of the Forestry Commission, until, in 2013, it was bought by the current owner, an overseas investor with substantial property interests in the UK.
Having considered a number of alternative uses for the estate, which has been carefully maintained throughout his tenure, he has now opted to put Mamhead House back on the market.
It will take a buyer with cash, courage and extraordinary vision to take on this remarkable house and realise its full potential. With its grand reception rooms, wonderful fan-vaulted staircase, vast galleried halls, landings and corridors, extensive domestic offices, 16 main bedrooms, eight bathrooms, 11 attic rooms and romantic camellia house, Mamhead House represents a considerable challenge for any investor, but also an opportunity to preserve and enhance a unique estate that has remained, quite magnificently, untouched by time.
Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale
A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.
A breathtaking West Highlands estate with mountains, forests and lochs to call your own
A magnificent sporting estate, extending to 11,105 acres in total, has come to the market in the West Highlands – and
An Isle of Wight 'super-cottage' built by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert is up for sale
Queen Victoria's children and guests lived for years in the exquisitely detailed Osborne Cottage, which offers its buyer the opportunity
The Great Barn at Harmondsworth: 600 years of grandeur, history and restoration, now under threat by Heathrow's third runway
The Great Barn at Harmondsworth is the largest standing medieval timber-framed structure in Britain – and it has just been restored.
-
Graham Norton's elegant East London home hits the market, and it's just as wonderful as you would expectThe four-bedroom home in Wapping should be studied for how well it uses two separate spaces to create a home of immense character and utility.
-
Sign of the times: In the age of the selfie, what’s happening to the humble autograph?When Ringo Starr announced that he was no longer going to sign anything, he kickstarted a celebrity movement that coincided with the advent of the camera phone and selfie. Rob Crossan asks whether, in today’s world, the selfie holds more clout than an autograph?
-
Graham Norton's elegant East London home hits the market, and it's just as wonderful as you would expect
The four-bedroom home in Wapping should be studied for how well it uses two separate spaces to create a home of immense character and utility.
-
About time: The fastest and slowest moving housing markets revealedNew research by Zoopla has shown where it's easy to sell and where it will take quite a while to find a buyer.
-
A wisteria clad hall built by one of the founders of the Bank of EnglandCome for the history of Old Hall. Stay for the interesting interiors.
-
A gorgeous Scottish cottage with contemporary interiors on the bonny banks of the River TayCarnliath on the edge of Strathtay is a delightful family home set in sensational scenery.
-
Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country LifeWe take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
-
380 acres and 90 bedrooms on the £25m private island being sold by one of Britain's top music producersStormzy, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones are just a part of the story at Osea Island, a dot on the map in the seas off Essex.
-
A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in KentNorth Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streetsThis six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
