Widworthy, Honiton, Devon, EX14

A charming Arts and Crafts style country house, set in a secluded valley, with a cottage, annexe, barns, stabling and grounds of about 44.30 acres including pasture, a pond and woodland.

Description

Halshayne Manor Farm forms the principal, south-facing portion of an attractive Victorian house, constructed in 1890 on the site of an earlier farmhouse. The property offers a highly versatile rural lifestyle, with a combination of character accommodation, useful outbuildings and land suited to a variety of uses.

The origins of the farmstead date back to at least 1383, recorded in the Close Rolls as part of the historic Widworthy Manor estate. Following a fire in the 1880s, the house was extensively rebuilt in the Arts and Crafts style. In more recent years, the property has been thoughtfully extended and sensitively divided into two distinct residences. The adjoining Halshayne Wing lies discreetly to the east of the courtyard and benefits from its own access.

Constructed of mellow local stone with brick quoins beneath a decorative tiled roof, the house retains a wealth of original character, including bay windows, ornate roof detailing and bargeboards. Internally, period features include original tiled floors, fine fireplaces and a decorative plaster ceiling in the drawing room, while the library provides a particularly inviting space with a wood-burning stove.

The kitchen is fitted with bespoke solid wood units, an Aga and a Belfast sink, and is complemented by a dining room featuring an impressive inglenook fireplace and the original smoke chamber. Both rooms open into a light-filled morning room with direct access to the gardens. The first floor provides a principal bedroom suite, four further bedrooms (one en suite) and a family bathroom.

The property is approached via a driveway which leads around to a generous parking area and garaging to the rear. To the front, a charming courtyard garden provides an attractive setting, centred around a magnificent magnolia tree that offers shade to a stone terrace. Beyond, stone steps lead down to a further landscaped garden with lawns and flower beds enclosed by box hedging.

A delightful woodland garden lies beyond the outbuildings, with specimen trees surrounding a pond with an island. Overlooking this is a cedar summer house, thoughtfully equipped with underfloor heating, internet access and a telephone connection, creating a peaceful and well-appointed retreat.

Attached to the western side of the courtyard is a characterful one-bedroom stone cottage, which has previously been let to generate income, but would also serve well as ancillary or guest accommodation.

To the front of the house is an attractive L-shaped range of traditional former farm buildings. Part has been converted to provide additional accommodation and amenity space, including a studio/study with mezzanine floor and an adjoining gym.

A further studio/annexe offers independent ground floor accommodation with an en suite bathroom and storage.
The remaining buildings include a tack room, tractor shed, cart shed and stabling with two loose boxes.

In addition, located opposite the traditional buildings, there is a steel-framed general purpose building (approximately 22.61m x 9.63m), suitable for a variety of uses, including potential American-style stabling, livestock housing or storage. A separate garage building is also provided.

The land forms an important and attractive part of the holding, offering both practical and ecological appeal. It is well suited to equestrian or smallholding use, as well as those seeking a private and unspoilt rural environment.

To the south of the farmstead are well-fenced, gently sloping paddocks, accessed via a hard track and leading down to a stream, a tributary of the Umborne Brook. Beyond lies an area of native woodland, with rides cut through for access and a tucked-away timber cabin, ideal for wildlife observation or informal recreation. Further pasture and woodland lie to the west. In total, the property extends to about 44.30 acres, comprising approximately 19.07 acres of pasture and 21.89 acres of woodland.

Location

The Property occupies a wonderfully secluded and sheltered position at the end of a no-through lane, set within a hidden valley surrounded by the rolling hills and wooded combes of the East Devon National Landscape.

Nearby is the attractive 14th-century church of St Cuthbert at Widworthy, while the village of Wilmington (1.4 miles) offers a public house and village hall. The thriving market town of Honiton (about 4.6 miles) provides an excellent range of amenities, including a leisure centre with swimming pool and a mainline railway station on the London Waterloo line.

There are a variety of well-regarded state and independent schools in the area, including primary schooling at Offwell, state secondary schooling at Honiton, and the excellent Colyton Grammar School. Further afield, independent schools in the area include St John’s Sidmouth, Blundell’s at Tiverton and the Exeter Schools.

The World Heritage Jurassic Coast is within easy reach, with Lyme Regis (about 11 miles), famed for its historic Cobb and sandy beach, and Sidmouth (about 12.1 miles), offering a wide range of leisure facilities, including a cinema and Waitrose.

Despite its peaceful rural setting, the property benefits from good communication links, with access to the A30 and A303 providing routes to London and the wider motorway network. Exeter (about 21 miles) offers extensive shopping, cultural and educational facilities, together with access to the M5 and an international airport. Tiverton Parkway provides fast mainline services to London Paddington.

Square Footage: 4,270 sq ft


Acreage: 44 Acres

Directions

What3words ///project.peachy.beep

From Honiton take the A35 east, at Wilmington turn right
at Home Farm Hotel signposted Widworthy Church. Then
take the next left passing the church, continue until the
end of the lane (just over a mile).

Additional Info

Halshayne Manor Farm: Mains electricity. Private water.
Private drainage. Solar panels. Oil-fired central heating.

Halshayne Cottage: Mains electricity. Private water. Private
drainage. Electric heating.

Agents Note: Some asbestos has been identified in the farmhouse roof area.

Photographs: 2025 & 2026.