Chulmleigh, Devon, EX18

Bakers Elstone is a wonderful family home with lots of character in a setting that provides peace and privacy without being isolated. It also has scope to increase the quantity of accommodation subject to consent.

Bakers Elstone has an idyllic, rural and very private setting, situated back from the end of a no-through lane and yet it is far from isolated. Once the farmhouse at the centre of a prosperous farm, the house is a traditional, 17th century Devon longhouse with painted cob walls and a slate roof. The house is also unlisted and has been the much-loved home of the current owner for 20 years. The interior perfectly combines period character with modern family life and is very well presented. It is full of character and retains many original architectural fittings including fine beams and ceiling timbers in the hall, drawing room, sitting room and kitchen, fireplaces and a vaulted ceiling with exposed roof timbers in the dining room, which was originally a barn. As is typical in a Devon longhouse, the accommodation layout is linear and all the rooms are well-proportioned and of a good size. The ground floor has four reception rooms plus a large, L-shaped kitchen/ breakfast room that encompasses the utility room and pantry. Upstairs there are a total of four double bedrooms, a dressing room and two family bath/shower rooms, all with stunning views out over the grounds to the surrounding countryside.

The house is approached off a no-through lane via a driveway to a sizeable, gravelled parking area in front of and to one side of the house, with an attached, tandem double garage off to one side. It is surrounded by about 6.6 acres of grounds, which consist of an area of level, formal garden around the house with two paddocks beyond, one of which contains a large pond. The garden is designed to be easily maintained and contains several mature, native trees plus two stands of broadleaf woodland. Attached to the rear of the house via the conservatory is a range of outbuildings, which currently provide a workshop, large workroom and office with its own kitchen. The range presents great development opportunities subject to obtaining the necessary consents: to extend the current scale of the existing house, create a single storey, self-contained annexe or provide holiday rental accommodation.

Bakers Elstone is situated just outside the tiny, tranquil hamlet of Elstone amidst the unspoilt countryside of the Taw Valley. However, it is only six minutes' drive from the small, hilltop market town of Chulmleigh, which is a thriving community with a selection of shops and local businesses capable of meeting most day to day needs. Amenities include a parish church, several shops including a butcher, bakery and delicatessen, pubs, medical centre, dental surgery and both primary and secondary schools. The town also has a cricket club and golf course (see wider requirements, the A377 half a mile away gives quick and easy access to the larger centres of South Molton, Barnstaple and Exeter. There are good nearby transport links too with nearby Kings Nympton train station on the Tarka Line linking to Bristol and Exeter. Exeter Airport is only an hour away by car.