An idyllic thatched cottage where you can run your own Devonshire tea garden
Amid steams and waterfalls, Rose Cottage boasts a stunning tea garden perfect for hosting a few friends – or 185 neighbours.


It’s not often that you find a home and profession all rolled into one but we've seen a few cross our desks in recent months. We’ve had vineyards from all around the world, beautiful country hotels perfect for family living or running as a business, and now we've added a new potential career to our collection: a thriving tea garden complete with a restaurant that can cater for 185 tea-lovers.
Mini waterfalls, a footbridge, a lake and a clear stream pepper the playfully picturesque 1.4-acre grounds around Grade II-listed Rose Cottage, currently on the market at a guide price £995,000 with Jackson-Stops.
In the centre of Cockington village, a mere mile from Torquay, the delightful cottage is in fine fettle. A fireplace with wood burner greets one walking into the sitting room where doors lead out into the garden, a rolling 1.4 acres teeming with delightful features.
A bedroom with a dressing room sits at the top of the house, charmingly worked into Rose Cottage’s unusually quirky, historic architecture.
The first floor boats three further bedrooms and another bathroom, while a dining room and idyllic country kitchen join the sitting room on the ground floor.
While these attributes alone make this property worthy of consideration, the tea garden is what sets Rose Cottage apart from other country houses currently on the market.
Decked terraces and covered dining areas spread out from the house into the surrounding tree-lined gardens, sporting their own dedicated kitchen, bathrooms and serving area.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
The cottage has become quite famous for its cream teas and live piano music, entertaining the residents of the quiet village for the last twenty years.
With summer around the corner we cannot think of a more idyllic place to enjoy a few scones – just make sure you put on the cream first, then the jam. This is Devon, not Cornwall!
Credit: H Tiddy
12 stunning character properties for sale at under £400,000
Thatched homes in Cornwall and West Sussex are among the many highlights of these gorgeous character cottages for sale.
A grand country house built by Robert Bruce, with a billiards room, tennis courts and equestrian facilities beyond belief
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.
Credit: Strutt & Parker
A magnificent ten-bedroom country house in Devon for sale at a startlingly low price tag
Curious Questions: How do you make the perfect cream scone?
-
Sold, singed and sunk: The sorry tale of Normanton Hall
Few English country houses suffered more than Normanton Hall.
By Melanie Bryan Published
-
A Clarkson's Farm of one's own: Five properties with just enough farmland for you and your family, from under £1 million
Moving to the country is one thing; moving to the country and being able to grow and rear all your own food is another level entirely, and all these properties offer exactly that.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
A Clarkson's Farm of one's own: Five properties with just enough farmland for you and your family, from under £1 million
Moving to the country is one thing; moving to the country and being able to grow and rear all your own food is another level entirely, and all these properties offer exactly that.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
Six superb homes, from chocolate box cottages to grand Tudor mansions, as seen in Country Life
Our regular round-up includes charming home counties houses and superb grand country house in Ireland.
By Toby Keel Published
-
A billionaire's thatched cottage is for sale in Surrey, once owned by the oil magnate J. Paul Getty
Chestnut Cottage is a joyous little home — albeit one with the most unusual bedrooms to acreage to price balances we've ever seen. Toby Keel takes a look inside.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Medieval Italian? 19th century French? 16th century German? You're spoilt for choice if you're looking to buy a gorgeous continental castle
From hills of Italy to a Bavarian palace, Toby Keel takes a look at three of the finest castles for sale across Europe today.
By Toby Keel Published
-
How to buy a house at auction
Buying at auction can mean you secure your dream property for a bargain price, but preparation is the key
By Annabel Dixon Last updated
-
The homes of two 1980s TV icons are both up for sale at the same time
The houses where Bob Monkhouse and Sir Terry Wogan spent decades of their lives are currently on the market. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
Living on the edge? A lighthouse for sale on a clifftop on one of the most remote islands in Britain
Bressay Lighthouse was built by the father and uncle of the 'Treasure Island' author.
By Rosie Paterson Published
-
Alan Titchmarsh is selling his Hampshire home (and the garden that comes with it): Exclusive pictures and interview
After many happy years in Hampshire, the writer, broadcaster and national treasure Alan Titchmarsh is selling up and looking to move. He spoke to Penny Churchill about his years at Manor Farm House.
By Penny Churchill Published