Yarnscombe, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31

Positioned on its own at the end of a lane, approximately 1/4 mile from the B3227 and set in just over seven and a half acres, West Greylake enjoys a wonderfully tranquil setting and complete privacy. It dates from the 18th century and was a working farm until 2000, when it became the home of the current owners. The house was rebuilt by them to a sympathetic standard, with great care being taken to maintain the character and re-use as much of the materials from the original house as possible. The house is unlisted with rendered exterior walls beneath a hipped slate roof with deep eaves. Original architectural fittings include lovely roof and ceiling timbers, a glass covered 18' deep well in the snug plus a double clotted cream scalder and gorgeous inglenook fireplace with woodburner in the sitting room.

The sitting room and adjacent kitchen/breakfast room are south-facing, along with three of the four bedrooms, all overlooking the garden and wildflower meadow and catching the best of the natural light throughout the day. The décor is in pale, neutral tones ensuring that the light is amplified to give the interior a wonderfully light and airy feel. There are a total of three reception rooms including a good-sized dining room and adjacent snug. The kitchen is charming and very much the hub of the home, with windows on two sides looking out onto the garden and the approach lane and parking area beside the house. It has a local brick floor and is fully fitted with a range of units under timber and tiled work surfaces and a two-oven AGA inset in the original range fireplace and has space for a kitchen table seating six to eight people.

Upstairs there are four double bedrooms, which all have views out over the surrounding garden/countryside. The principal bedroom is a lovely room with windows on three sides and an en suite bathroom, which along with the bedroom are south-facing.

Little Greylake
The property includes several period barns and outbuildings. Opposite the eastern side of the house and beyond the main parking area is a collection of conjoined period outbuildings. Two of these have been converted into self-contained cottages with full residency status providing multi-generational use or potential rental income, with the two separated by a barn, carport and workshop. At its southern end is Little Greylake, a two-storey cottage incorporating a sitting room, kitchen/dining room and bedroom on the ground floor with two further bedrooms on the first floor.

Old Cob Barn
The second cottage, The Old Cob Barn, has two ground floor double bedrooms and the floor above has a combined living room and kitchen with a magnificent view to the north over the owned 4 acre field and woodland and stream beyond.

The garden extends out on three sides of West Greylake Farmhouse and is enclosed by field hedging dotted with mature native trees. The garden contains areas of lawn, some gently sloping, fringed in places by well established borders and an orchard and contains a summer house, garden store and home study. On one side of the house is a generous parking area with space for several vehicles and beyond the conjoined cottages and outbuildings (described above) are a former cart shed/garage and three
further detached barns (see Agent's Note 2 below).
To the north of the house is an area of mature pasture enclosed partly by field hedging and also by an area of woodland with an attractive stream running through it. To the south, up the garden steps, can be seen the beginnings of the seasonal Spring wild flower meadow.

West Greylake is situated in unspoilt, partly wooded countryside about 4 miles northeast of the market town of Great Torrington. The property enjoys great privacy and is also about four and a half miles from the small village of Yarnscombe, which has a pretty parish church and a village hall (see Torrington, home of Dartington Crystal, has a wide selection of shops and local businesses capable of meeting most day to day needs including GP, dental and veterinary surgeries plus a large Lidl supermarket and the Plough Theatre offering live performances, films and arts and craft workshops. RHS Rosemoor just 15 minutes away.

The larger towns of Bideford and Barnstaple are both within easy driving distance for wider requirements. Regular train service between Barnstaple/Exeter (from nearby Umberleigh station 1 hour to Exeter and 10 mins to Barnstaple) For flights Exeter Airport is about an hour away connecting to several UK and international destinations, including a regular 1 hour service to London City Airport. It is only a 1 hour drive to the main railway line at Tiverton Parkway which can get you to London Paddington in 2 hours. It is also a 1 hour drive to join the M5 motorway. There is a wide choice of schools both from the State and independent sectors. These include primary schools (OFSTED rated Good) in High Bickington and Great Torrington and a choice of independent schools within the wider area.