Orleigh Park, Sandford Orleigh Orleigh Park, TQ12

INTRODUCTION:
Templer House is a gracious and spacious home, spanning over 4,700 sq ft, with the main living areas spread across two floors plus a substantial lower ground floor and a double garage. It is located in a prime position on the edge of Newton Abbot and is part of  an exclusive collection of just five prestigious homes created at Sandford Orleigh, a stately home and estate of some history.

STEP INSIDE:
The hallway of Templer House immediately sets the tone of the property with the sense of elegance and character. Your eyes are drawn to the high ceilings and intricate Karndean flooring, which flows throughout the home. Double doors open to reveal the spacious south facing sitting room – a radiant reception room bathed in natural light through sash windows. The intricate ceiling coving is notable, meticulously designed with exquisite detail, a stunning testament to the craftmanship and attention to detail of this property.

A further reception room, with slate flooring, provides an additional living space, currently used as a study/snug, but would effortlessly transform into a formal dining room. Both receptions have gas fires, creating a focal point to each room.

The kitchen is truly the heart of the home – a vast, inviting space that makes cooking and entertaining a joy. With ample room for both food preparation and relaxed socialising, this is a space designed to bring people together. The crowning feature is the stunning floor-to-ceiling arched windows that open onto the private terrace and garden, infusing the space with light and a sense of tranquillity. The original stained-glass features have been lovingly restored, adding an enchanting historical touch that further elevates the room’s beauty.

For practicality there is a six-ring Rangemaster cooker, an integrated dishwasher, microwave oven and space for a fridge/freezer. The granite island provides additional worktop space and breakfast bar seating for informal dining. There is ample room for a large dining table, ideal for formal gatherings and family dinners with well-placed spotlights overhead creating a relaxing atmosphere as the natural light fades into the evening. Double doors lead into the hallway and a second door leads to the lower ground floor accommodation. The ground floor also features an understairs storage cupboard and a cloakroom for convenience.

The first-floor features four double bedrooms and three bathrooms. The principal bedroom is a masterpiece of design, offering an exemplary sense of space and elegance. With its graceful arched windows framing picturesque views of the garden, it’s a room that feels both expansive and serene. The far-reaching views beyond invite moments of quiet reflection. Inside, the room has been thoughtfully furnished with a selection of bespoke, fitted wardrobes that provide both style and practicality, ensuring ample storage without compromising the room’s refined aesthetic.

The en-suite bathroom exudes an air of spa-like luxury. A double shower, with a frameless glass screen, offers a modern yet timeless touch, while the freestanding, clawfoot bath creates a classic focal point. The geometric-patterned flooring perfectly complements the soft light grey wall tiles.

The second bedroom is equally impressive, an ideal guest suite due to the en-suite shower room, thoughtfully appointed with a luxurious double shower unit. Whether for guests or family, this bedroom offers privacy and comfort in equal measure. Adjacent is a spacious airing cupboard.

The third bedroom continues the theme of luxurious comfort, with fitted wardrobes of the highest quality, matching the style and craftsmanship found in the principal suite. No detail has been overlooked, ensuring this room is as functional as it is beautiful.

The fourth bedroom, also a generous double, is bathed in sunlight from its south-facing orientation. Currently used as a study, this bright and airy room offers a perfect setting for productivity yet could easily be utilised as a bedroom. Its light-filled nature ensures a cheerful ambiance throughout the day. Located just off the landing, an additional beautifully appointed shower room completes the first-floor accommodation.

As if the expansive accommodations above weren’t enough, there is a lower ground floor which offers an entire level of additional living space, waiting to be discovered.
This versatile area provides limitless potential, whether for a private gym, home study, or annex potential.

Descending the stairs from the main kitchen, you’ll find the overspill kitchen and utility room — a generous, well-appointed space perfect for food preparation and storage for hosting large gatherings. This practical area allows for the seamless flow of service without interrupting the main kitchen, making it ideal for catering to special occasions or managing day-to-day needs in comfort.

Adjacent to this, the boot room provides the perfect transition to the outdoors. A door leads to an external staircase, offering direct access to the garden — ideal for bringing in fresh produce or for muddy boots after a walk.

An inner hallway, with its striking exposed stone walls, adds character and charm to the lower level. This leads to a variety of functional rooms, including a well-sized workshop, two versatile storerooms, and a light-filled office, where a window brings in natural light, creating an inspiring space to work or study. Additionally, a large cupboard houses the gas boiler.

HISTORY:
Built in 1832 by George Templer, a local industrialist, Sandford Orleigh is steeped in history. Templer was renowned for constructing the Haytor Granite Tramway in the 1820s, which transported granite from his quarries at Haytor to the Stover Canal, built by his father. His company provided granite for significant landmarks, including the rebuilding of London Bridge, the British Museum, and the National Gallery, supplying thousands of tons of granite annually. After Templer’s passing in 1843, the estate was occupied by John Ingle, a well-known art collector and wine connoisseur. When Ingle died in 1872, an auction of his vast wine collection—comprising nearly 7,000 bottles—as well as his impressive art collection, featuring works by Rembrandt, Canaletto, and Titian, took place at Sandford Orleigh.

In 1875, the estate passed to Sir Samuel White Baker, an English explorer, writer, and engineer. Baker, famous for being the first European to visit Lake Albert while exploring the Nile, owned Sandford Orleigh until his wife, Lady Florence Baker, passed away in 1916. During their residence, they hosted many distinguished guests, including their friend, King Edward VII (then Prince of Wales), who occasionally sent his sons, including George—future King George V—to stay for weekends.

In 2001, Sandford Orleigh was fully restored, transforming the stately home into five charming individual residences that each retain the original building’s character, history and ornate features. Templer House has been lovingly styled and furnished by the current owner, the result is a tastefully presented home exuding modern luxury living.

 SELLERS INSIGHT:
“I don’t think I really knew what I was looking for until I walked into Templer House almost 20 years ago. Once inside – I knew.  I wanted something warm, elegant and well connected by road and rail to London – and which would give me entertaining space in abundance. With two large dogs I needed easy access to the moor and the sea with a good variety of walks. And I love to have art and culture on my doorstep which I found in quirky shops in nearby towns and villages, in jazz festivals, opera performances and international classical musicians in concert on tour.  

What I hadn’t expected was to be blown away by the architecture of Sandford Orleigh, a building developed by George Templer of Stover in the 1830’s, and later a residence of Samual and Florence Baker, English explorers in Africa. It’s a home which oozes its history. The tall ceilings, floor to ceiling windows in the kitchen dining room, formerly the billiard room of this great house, give a warm sense of space and calm. That room used to house the Sandford Orleigh Overmantle (fire surround), now in Newton Abbot Museum. It has seen many a happy family Christmas and looking out onto a sizeable patio has hosted some equally sizeable barbeque parties.

Directly above the former billiard room, now kitchen breakfast room, is the master bedroom which has always given me great pleasure every morning as I wake up to stunning views across the Teign valley and Haldon Hills. It’s a great way to start the day enjoying this panoramic picture of nature.  Like the kitchen, there is an incredible sense of light and space – and peace. You wouldn’t know you were in the middle of Newton Abbot. While the kitchen had been beautifully kitted out with oak and granite and modern fittings by the developers of what is now the modern Sandford Orleigh, the bedrooms had been untouched. An opportunity which I took to create an elegant bedroom with plenty of built in wardrobes with a few character features here and there a couple of years ago.  I also rebuilt and modernised the two ensuite and one stand-alone bathroom. The remaining three bedrooms had the same treatment.

The sitting room on the ground floor on the other side of the house is a sun trap. Sun streams through the windows, sharing its heat and light. Of an evening, we usually sit either enjoying a warm fire or curled up in a couple of corner chairs enjoying the remaining sunshine or by candlelight as we put the world to rights. But that room has seen some lively New Year’s Eve parties and friends and family celebrating those lifetime milestones. When it’s really cold, the snug/study opposite (my predecessors used this room as a dining room) with its own huge cast iron stove and slate flooring ( as a former kitchen/pantry) might well be where we would head.

We have a lower ground floor which is not what you might envisage it to be. It has a sizeable footprint. With floor tiling throughout most, it’s home to the boiler (replaced 4 years ago and of an industrial size) so it’s warm with huge amounts of useable space. It houses my utility room well away from “public view” and home gym for our early morning workouts. Three rooms which we have used for storage have been brilliant. One has a workman’s bench. The last room in the basement is the “sports bar” where the boys can be found glued to the Six Nations rugby, football or a cricket match or a grandchild focused on doing a spot of aeroplane modelling. And the walls are full of character with exposed stone, most of which has been sealed to limit dust.

I wanted a garden which was secure for the dogs and big enough for them, but not so large I couldn’t lock and leave it while I was travelling. The split-level terrace and garden give me exactly that. It took some years to resurrect it from the jungle it was but now it’s easy to manage and a joy throughout the year with lots of colour, whether it’s the yellow Mimosa that comes out early, or the Camelias and Magnolia. We put in garden lighting to light plants and other features and enable us to use the garden year-round. And there is always the parkland in which Sandford Orleigh sits in which to wander with a few remaining specimen trees.

Sandford Orleigh has been a great way of life. Our homes are big enough that you may not see a neighbour from one day to the next, but you know they are there for you - including taking in those parcels you were not expecting so they are not left in the rain. It gives a great sense of security. It will be hard to leave. We have enjoyed the journey, modernising our home and giving it the character and personality it now has. But now it's time to settle closer to our rather large family while we are still fit enough to move. It will be another chapter. I have little doubt Templer House’s new owners will be as happy as we have been, in this unique and very unusual home.”

USEFUL INFORMATION:
Grade II Listed
Services: Mains water, drainage & Electric, gas central heating (boiler installed 2021)
Tenure: Freehold
Local Authority: Teignbridge
Council Tax Band: F (£3736.90)
Broadband Speeds: Ofcom.org.uk
Management charge: Please contact us for more information

Garden

STEP OUTSIDE:
The property is approached via a private driveway with pillared entrance, flanked either side by large parkland lawned areas, private to Orleigh Sandford residents, amounting to approximately 2 acres. The driveway splits and bearing left sweeps to the main house. In the courtyard with its fountain, there is private parking and a block of garages. Templer House has two parking spaces and a double garage.
The terrace spans the full width of the house, creating a truly private outdoor sanctuary. The sense of seclusion here is palpable—the neighbours remain unseen, and the atmosphere is quiet and still. Mature shrubs line the terrace on all sides, adding natural beauty and enhancing the sense of privacy.

From this peaceful vantage point, steps lead down to the lush lower lawn, where vibrant flower borders bring colour and life to the landscape. A rear gate offers a convenient alternative access. Well positioned, subtle lighting has been placed around the terrace and in...

Parking - Double garage

Parking - Allocated parking