Ashford, Barnstaple

Available on the market for the first time since it was converted in the 70s and tucked into a quiet valley between Barnstaple and Braunton, Knowlwater Mill is a former working watermill turned five bedroom family home, set in mature grounds of approximately one acre. From the soaring galleried hall to the walled garden framed by old buttressed stone, this is a house with real presence and a story to match. Converted in 1970 by G. Loosemore & Son Ltd, the mill has kept the scale and proportions of its working life. Inside there are five bedrooms, four bath and shower rooms, a generous kitchen and dining room, a sitting room, snug, reading room, conservatory and office.

The long, low stone elevations still show the building's origins. Family history tells how the mill once served the Williams Estate, powered by the Knowl Water running through the valley below. Grain was carried in at first floor level, ground by the water driven machinery and collected beneath. When the mill became a home, the conversion kept that volume and made it the defining character of the house.

As you step through the front door, that character is immediately clear. The reception hall rises through two storeys, lined with timber panelling, with a handsome staircase climbing to a broad galleried landing. High above is the house's signature feature, a tall leaded window set into the opening where sacks of grain were once hauled into the mill.

At the heart of the home is the kitchen and dining room, a sociable, spacious room with fitted cabinetry, generous work surfaces, a central island and a traditional Rayburn. It is easy to picture winter mornings here, with the Rayburn warming the room and the family gathered around the table.
There is plenty of space for everyday meals and for entertaining friends. From here, a separate office offers a quiet spot for home working, while the snug, with its exposed ceiling timbers, leads straight through to the conservatory and out to the garden.

Beyond lies the sitting room, a superb reception room with exposed beams, a stone fireplace with a wood burning stove and wide leaded windows looking out over the grounds. It is a room made for long evenings by the fire. A separate reading room adds welcome flexibility, whether as a library, playroom, music room or simply a peaceful retreat. A ground floor shower room and useful storage complete this level.

Moving upstairs, the galleried landing is a striking space in its own right, with exposed roof timbers and the old grain loading opening as reminders of the building's industrial past. The principal bedroom is beautifully proportioned, with its own dressing room and en suite bathroom. A second double bedroom also has an en suite, while the three further double bedrooms share a shower room and separate WC. Throughout, the rooms keep the generous scale of the original mill, a rare quality in a family home.

Entrance Porch -

Dining Hall -

Kitchen/Dining Room - 6.71 x 5.26 (22'0" x 17'3") -

Study - 3.82 x 3.39 (12'6" x 11'1") -

Shower Room - 3.22 x 2.47 (10'6" x 8'1") -

Lounge - 7.82 x 3.61 (25'7" x 11'10") -

Conservatory - 6.45 x 3.03 (21'1" x 9'11") -

Sitting Room - 9.05 x 5.25 (29'8" x 17'2") -

Snug - 4.68 x 2.40 (15'4" x 7'10") -

Bedroom 1 - 5.44 x 5.14 (17'10" x 16'10") -

Ensuite & Dressing Room -

Bedroom 2 - 6.46 x 5.41 (21'2" x 17'8") -

En-Suite Shower Room -

Bedroom 3 - 3.89 x 3.70 (12'9" x 12'1") -

Bedroom 4 - 3.52 x 3.73 (11'6" x 12'2") -

Bedroom 5 - 3.51 x 3.74 (11'6" x 12'3") -

Shower Room - 2.59 x 2.16 (8'5" x 7'1") -

Wc -

Triple Garage - 8.80 x 7.71 (28'10" x 25'3") -

The gardens provide an attractive setting for the house and combine more formal areas immediately adjoining the property with extensive lawns, mature trees and established planting.
To the rear of the mill is a particularly attractive enclosed garden framed by substantial stone walls. Neatly clipped hedging creates distinct garden areas and terraces, while the former mill building provides an impressive backdrop. The conservatory opens directly onto this part of the garden, creating a natural connection between the principal reception rooms and outside space.
The grounds extend away from the house into broader areas of lawn with a variety of mature specimen trees and established boundaries, giving the property an unusually private feel despite its accessibility.
The aerial perspective demonstrates particularly well how Knowlwater Mill sits within its landscape, with open farmland rising around the valley and mature vegetation sheltering the property. There is extensive driveway parking, together with generous triple garaging and further outbuildings/workshops, which offer useful storage and potential for other uses, subject to any necessary consents.

Situated to the edge of Ashford which is a small, peaceful hamlet between Barnstaple and Braunton, with countryside on the doorstep and North Devon's towns, beaches and transport links close at hand.
Barnstaple lies around 4 miles away and is the area's main centre, with a wide choice of shops, leisure facilities, schools and North Devon District Hospital. Braunton, around 2 miles away, has a thriving village feel, with independent shops, cafés, restaurants and pubs.
The coast is wonderfully accessible. Saunton Sands and Saunton Golf Club are a short drive away, with Croyde, Putsborough and Woolacombe beyond, all renowned for surfing, walking and long days on the beach. Braunton Burrows is on the way, and the Tarka Trail is close by for traffic free walking and cycling along the estuary.
Families are well served by primary schools in Braunton and Barnstaple, Braunton Academy for secondary education and West Buckland School for independent education. Exmoor National Park is within easy reach for weekends on the moor.
For travel further afield, the A361 North Devon Link Road connects with Junction 27 of the M5. Tiverton Parkway offers direct trains to London Paddington, with the fastest services taking a little over two hours, and Barnstaple station has regular services to Exeter.