Many of Devon’s finest country houses are owned by a handful of large hereditary landowners and will never be sold. However, it’s a feature of the country-house scene that, once a grand house is sold away from its surrounding estate, it tends to come back on the market at regular intervals.
Such a property is Warnicombe House, three miles from Tiverton, a handsome, Grade II-listed Georgian family house, which has been launched to the market via Country Life, at a guide price of £3.375m through the Exeter office of Knight Frank.
Warnicombe House stands in 5¼ acres of landscaped and walled gardens, orchards and woodland, with wonderful views over the surrounding countryside. The house, which is in excellent order throughout, offers more than 6,500sq ft of light and cheerful living space on three floors.
There are four main reception rooms, a large country kitchen, eight bedrooms and four bathrooms.
Traditional outbuildings house a workshop, gym and stores, alongside a courtyard garden with a garden store and dog shower.
The country idyll is completed by a heated outdoor swimming pool and a stone terrace for lazy outdoor dining.
The location is also noteworthy. Mid Devon’s largest market town, Tiverton, the name of which means ‘a town on two fords’, is situated at the confluence of the rivers Exe and Lowman, within the scenic landscape of the Devon Redlands, 16 miles due north of Exeter. Tiverton was an important centre of the wool trade in the 16th century and many of the town’s finest buildings were built by wealthy clothiers, among them Blundell’s grammar school, founded under the will of Peter Blundell in 1604 and now a highly rated independent school with strong links to colleges in Oxford and Cambridge.
Good houses within easy reach of Blundell’s are notoriously hard to find and the location of Warnicombe House just over 1½ miles from the school gates, will be a huge draw for parents of children taking up places there in 2023.
This was also part of its attraction for the current vendors, who bought the house, previously owned by the Carew family, in May 2013 and, having educated their three children at Blundell’s, are now moving to Dulverton on the Devon/Somerset border.
Warnicombe House is for sale at £3.375m through Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
-
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.
