Chagford, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ13

Higher Stiniel is one of only five dwellings in the tiny hamlet of Stiniel 1.5 miles from the small country town of Chagford in the Dartmoor National Park. The house is a Grade II listed building which is recorded by Historic England as being of late 15th century to early 16th century origin, there is certainly evidence of the antiquity of the house in the features throughout, including cruck timbers in the main bedroom and the large axial chimney stack in the sitting room, which is believed to have been added in the house in the 16th century. The accommodation provides a warm and comfortable atmosphere, which is characteristic in buildings of this type. The main house is south facing, with large sash and leaded windows, allowing light to stream in, creating a
wonderfully bright and airy interior.

The property includes a range of interesting and useful outbuildings, two of which are thatched and listed in their own right as of historical interest. The buildings lend themselves to a variety of uses for storage, workspace, entertaining, small livestock or stables. The gardens are a particularly pleasing feature, full of colour with plenty of scope for the keen gardener to develop. The south-facing walled garden at the front of the farmhouse is an unusual and beautiful feature, with levelled lawn, mature shrubs, flowered boarders and rose beds. At the rear of the house is a further large, level lawn, interspersed with a number of large trees and shrubs including, Oak, Maple, Cedar, Apple, Rhododendrons, Hydrangea, providing a multitude of beautiful, sheltered areas to meander through and explore. The large barn at the rear of the property opens up to a sloping paddock (once a cider orchard), still with two old apple trees that continue to produce bountiful quantities of fruit each year. The land is perfect for the small-holder or for anyone with equestrian interests.

The main house provides excellent accommodation with a beautiful kitchen with an AGA and connecting dining room perfect for entertaining. For cosy evenings there is a spacious sitting room with a wonderful original fireplace and bread oven. There is also a separate meditation room with French doors leading to the front garden and the courtyard.

Upstairs there are four bedrooms including a fabulous principal suite as well as a separate family bathroom. The separate utility room is generous as is the walk-in larder. From the main house there is an attractive conservatory leading to a terraced granite courtyard with pond and well established flowers and shrubs, with a large party barn and woodstore to the rear. It is also worth mentioning the beautiful round house which is a key feature of the overall look of the property and separate stables and outbuildings which perfectly complement the rural lifestyle which is fully available at Higher Stiniel.

The grounds around Higher Stiniel are a key feature of the property. From the top of the land there are beautiful views over Dartmoor towards Hookney and Birch Tor. The fields around the house have been sensitively planted with over 2000 native trees for both wildlife benefit, shelter and privacy.

Lot 1 consists of four fields full of well-established wild flower meadows and includes one of the largest Ash tree in Devon. Lot 2 is a beautiful hidden valley, with a small bubbling stream running through the middle, surrounded by rare wet meadows, mature woodland sloping to the west, and a wonderful secret mossy boulder glen. The land is a spectacular haven for wildlife.

The immediate walled garden in front of the house is full of mature plants and shrubs and the remaining garden has some beautiful mature trees providing an attractive contrast to the wild meadows surrounding Higher Stiniel. The courtyard garden is also a real sun trap.

Lot 1: House and outbuildings with four fields - 10.62 acres.
Lot 2: Secluded valley meadow with stream and woodland - 4.33 acres.
In all about 14.95 acres.

Stiniel is an 'exceptionally picturesque Dartmoor hamlet' (Historic England) with quintessential Dartmoor buildings of granite with either slate or thatch roofs, positioned in a small valley approximately 1.5 miles from the equally attractive small country town of Chagford. Chagford is a picturesque stannary town on the north-easterly edge of Dartmoor.

Chagford has been voted “Best rural place to live in Britain” by the Sunday Times and boasts a wide range of conveniences and speciality shops including a Post Office, surgery, dentist, pharmacy, family butcher, wine shop, bakery, greengrocer, two delicatessens, various restaurants, cafés, pubs and a large hardware and household store. There are three hotels including Bovey Castle which has excellent facilities including a golf course, tennis, heated indoor pool, spa and excellent dining and the world famous Gidleigh Park close by with it's Michelin starred restaurant. Further afield is the market town of Okehampton which has a large Waitrose supermarket.

The village has a primary school, pre-school and Montessori. The Cathedral City of Exeter has a good selection of private schools, including The Maynard and Exeter School. The nearby ancient stannary and market town of Tavistock has Mount Kelly which is also a private school.

The A30 at Whiddon Down, is 4.5 miles away, giving good, quick access to the cathedral city of Exeter and the M5. Exeter offers a wide range of amenities befitting a centre of its importance including excellent shopping, dining, theatre and recreational pursuits. There are regular rail services to London Paddington from Newton Abbot and Exeter. Exeter Airport has a growing number of national and international flights, including daily flights to London City Airport.

Chagford is perfectly situated for Dartmoor's vast array of activities such as Riding, fishing, walking and cycling which are all within easy reach of the property. It also boosts excellent sport facilities including a football pitch, cricket pitch and pavilion, bowling club and a seasonal open air river fed swimming pool.