A converted monastery for sale where the chapel has become the most incredible swimming pool we've seen in years
You can't help but wonder what the Trappist monks who once owned this 80-acre site in Devon would make of how the place has turned out.
If hell is other people, as Jean-Paul Sartre once said, then heaven is surely a swimming pool in a church. It is not often that we cover properties that are part of a private estate, but when you see a pulpit transformed into a hot tub, then we have to act.
The property is 5 Wood Barton Town House, an ‘extraordinary gem’ set in an 80-acre private estate. It is for sale with Fine & Country for £875,000.
With four bedrooms set over three floors, the property blends historic elegance and contemporary design. I am a fan of the split first floor, with an open-plan dining/sitting room and a vast kitchen/breakfast room. There is also an office. Four bedrooms make up the second floor.




The unit is part of a converted monastery, constructed by Trappist Monks in the 1900s. As well as the glorious swimming pool complex, set within the former chapel, the estate also offers ‘relaxing lounges’, two gyms, tennis court, and exclusive fishing rights on the River Avon.
But where is it? A good question. It is near Kingsbridge, in Devon, which has lots of amenities and is very near the sea. But enough about all that, let’s look at some more pictures of the swimming pool. Praise be.




Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.

James Fisher is the Digital Commissioning Editor of Country Life. He writes about motoring, travel and things that upset him. He lives in London. He wants to publish good stories, so you should email him.
-
18 country houses across Britain, from £400,000 to £4 million, as seen in Country LifeOur look at the homes to come to the market via Country Life this week picks out a charming Kent cottage and an Arts and Crafts house in Leicestershire.
By Toby Keel Published
-
The greatest flowers make the greatest artA search for still-life subjects led Kate Friend to some of the greatest gardens and gardeners in the country
By Tiffany Daneff Published
-
Can you buy happiness? The latest list of Britain's happiest places, and what you could end up with if you moved thereCan you buy happiness? Of course not, but you can buy a nicer house in a better town... and, well, that's probably going to help quite a bit.
By Toby Keel Published
-
The wave of downsizing about to hit the property market in the UKThe Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget — and specifically the 'Mansion Tax' — has fired a starting pistol for downsizers, and the waves will wash across the entire property market. Annabel Dixon spoke to property experts across the country to gauge how it will play out.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
A Georgian farmhouse that's an 'absolute gem' in an ancient village on Salisbury PlainJulie Harding takes a look at the beautiful West Farm in a gorgeous Wiltshire village.
By Julie Harding Published
-
It'd be crazy to buy this 500-year-old farmhouse just because of its utterly gorgeous Aga — so thank goodness that the rest of this place is also really nicePerry Mill Farm is an immaculate yet characterful four-bedroom dream home in the country at a price that will make city dwellers immediately start Googling 'working from Worcestershire'.
By Toby Keel Published
-
'A masterpiece of timeless elegance' for sale on the charmed Surrey estate once owned by Henry VIII and the Guinness familyThe Manor House in Burwood Park is a grand, enormous and undeniably impressive. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
A grand hall in Yorkshire with 400 years of historyCarlton Hall is a wonderful family home amid glorious gardens in a quaint village location. Penny Churchill looks inside.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
Why don't more of us live in brightly coloured homes?It's not often that you see a home sporting the colour palette that you'd get if you hired a four-year old as your interior designer. But why not? The Blue House in Bethnal Green asks this and many more questions.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Five magnificent mansions, from a former monastery to an Art Deco wonder in the South Downs, as seen in Country LifeWonderful homes, including a superb beach home in Cornwall, all fresh on the market via Country Life.
By Toby Keel Published