'One of the most dramatic coastal estates in the South West' has come up for sale at £10 million, with cliffsides, woodland and its own private beach
Penny Churchill takes a look at Redlap House, a simply magnificent property on the cliffs of South Devon.
Down in the West Country, vendors are taking advantage of the longer, brighter days to launch some fine country properties onto the open market. History repeats itself, however — endlessly.
Back in August 1980, my illustrious predecessor Michael Hanson wrote in Country Life: ‘How long is it since the estate market has been in such a parlous state, with agents having so many houses on their books for sale, but hardly a buyer to be seen? Memories are notoriously short, but it was only in 1974 that the present market collapsed after the boom years of 1972 and 1973… Yet who believes that the market will not recover eventually? The question is when.’
Fortunately, life goes on and, despite the downturn, 1980 saw the sale of a number of notable houses, among them Redlap House, a striking coastal property set in 20 acres of gardens near Dartmouth, Devon, for which selling agents Jackson-Stops invited ‘offers in the region of £250,000’.
Today, a resurgent Redlap leads the West Country charge, at a guide price of £10 million through Lindsay Cuthill’s Blue Book Agency.
Redlap is as dramatic and beautiful inside as it is out.
For Devon-based property consultant Martin Lamb, who handled its sale in 1980, 2009 and 2015 and is currently advising the vendor, Redlap House, now set in more than 31 acres of magical landscaped gardens with its own private beach and breathtaking views over Start Bay, is ‘one of the most dramatic small private coastal estates in the South Hams, if not the entire South-West’.
A beach of one's own.
Situated just outside the pretty cliff-top village of Stoke Fleming, two miles from Dartmouth and 40 miles from Exeter Airport, the discreet, foliage-clad main house — reconfigured and renovated throughout by its present owner — is approached via a long woodland drive that leads to the south-facing façade, from where meandering paths run to Redlap Cove.
With not a single right of way crossing the land, everything — from the private beach sheltered by towering cliffs to the wooded valley itself — is wholly owned by the estate.
Hidden among the trees, the 7,371sq ft main house boasts proportions that are both generous and balanced. The reception hall leads to four elegant reception rooms, each of which enjoys views either over the ornate gardens or the spectacular coastline.
The study, in particular, enjoys a mesmerising outlook down the valley to the sea and beyond to the rolling South Hams hills.
The upgraded kitchen is the focal point of daily family life — and as magnificent dramatic in its decor as the landscape around the house.
Upstairs, the light-filled, 34ft artist’s studio seems to draw in the landscape and the principal bedroom suite offers the same panoramic views.
Five further bedrooms and four further bathrooms complete the accommodation.
An impressive new addition to Redlap House is the splendid leisure complex, set away from the house and designed to echo the grandeur of the setting. A 20m (65½ft) pool under a dramatic beamed ceiling opens onto a terrace that looks out across the gardens to the sea.
Two en-suite guest bedrooms make this a self-contained retreat that is ideal for visitors or as a private wellness suite.
Redlap House is for sale through Blue Book — see more details.
