Do you ever look at things and wonder how they got there? As a cat owner, I do this quite often. But the things that really surprise me are houses. I imagine building a house on a flat piece of land in the middle of the city would be quite difficult. I imagine building one into the side of a hill overlooking the sea would be extremely taxing.
That is also assuming that you could do it now, with modern technology and building methods. Looking at Rockton, which is for sale with Blue Book Agency for £2.5 million, the most impressive feature about it is that it was built in the 1870s. On the side of a hill. Next to the sea.
Originally a coach house and ancillary accommodation for a Victorian mansion, Rockton has been extensively renovated by its current owner to create a five-bedroom family home with perhaps some of the finest views in the West Country.
But there’s more. Because Rockton is not just one house. It is, in fact, two houses: Rockton House (three beds) and Rockton Mews (two beds).
Both properties feature lashings of original features and modern comforts, and, looking from the outside, there is very little to give away that the interiors are achingly contemporary, with the restored spire and reclaimed roof tiles cleverly disguising the redesigned properties.
Both feature elegant open-plan kitchen/dining rooms on their lower floors, with balconies to take advantage of the imperious position on the north Devon coast. Both feature top-of-the-range appliances throughout, from DeVol fixtures to Esse log burners.
But lots of houses have those things. What lots of houses do not have is these views. The north Devon coast has long been an inspiration for visitors and residents alike, from Lorna Doone to the Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
It would be difficult not to be inspired by these views, expanding out towards the Foreland Point and over the Bristol Channel to Wales and the Brecon Beacons. So when you think about things and how they got there, the answer in Rockton’s case is, because where else would you rather be?
Credit: Knight Frank
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Penny Churchill takes a look at Charles Hill Court, a magnificent home up for sale in a hugely popular spot.
Credit: John D Wood
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