Country houses for sale

An amazing home carved out of a former reservoir

This eye-catching home just outside the pretty Devon town of Sidmouth is a genuine one-off.

It’s not every day we see a house built in a former reservoir, but that is precisely what is on offer for £895,00 at Woolbrook Reservoir house – on the market with Bradleys in Sidmouth (01395 578444).

Stairs lead down from ground – or roof – level into a keyhole-shaped atrium encircled by the two-storey glass walls of the house, with every room looking out into the central space.

The rooms are very spacious – the living room, for example, is 26′ by 21′, though given the curved walls we’re not entirely sure what that means. We certainly don’t envy the estate agent who had a to dredge up their GCSE maths knowledge to calculate that the home, including courtyard, is 6,500 sq ft.

What is easier to calculate are facts such as the five bedrooms and decked courtyard with pond and barbecue area. There is also underfoor heating, and thankfully all the glass is double glazed.

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Woolbrook Reservoir itself was decommissioned in 2003, with the owners spending five years turning it into this unusual home overlooking Sidmouth, a Regency coastal town 15 miles from Exeter.