Tipton St. John

Situation
Tipton St John is a charming and well-connected village set within the beautiful Otter Valley, surrounded by some of East Devon’s most attractive countryside. The village has a strong community feel and a good range of amenities, including a popular primary school, community hall, playing fields, local shop, garage, church and the much-loved Golden Lion pub.

Chestnuts enjoys a particularly desirable position on the very edge of the village, with the surrounding countryside immediately beyond and far-reaching views across the Otter Valley. Despite its wonderfully rural setting, the property is ideally placed for access to both the coast and countryside, with Ottery St Mary to the north and the Regency coastal town of Sidmouth to the south.

Ottery St Mary offers a good range of everyday amenities including independent shops, a post office, medical facilities and the highly regarded King's School. Sidmouth provides an excellent selection of shops, cafés, restaurants and leisure facilities, together with its beautiful seafront and access to the Jurassic Coast.

The surrounding countryside is particularly well suited to walking, cycling and equestrian pursuits, with an extensive network of footpaths and bridleways providing access to the wider Otter Valley and East Devon coast.

For commuters, Exeter is readily accessible via the A3052 and offers extensive shopping, restaurants and cultural amenities, together with a mainline railway station with services to London Paddington, the M5 motorway and Exeter International Airport.

 
Description
Chestnuts is a beautifully presented late 19th-century detached home, occupying an exceptional semi-rural position on the edge of Tipton St John and set within over 3.25 acres of land. Once the gardener's cottage to the prestigious Tipton Lodge estate, the property retains a wonderful sense of period character while having been thoughtfully updated to create a spacious and highly versatile home for modern family life.

Built of traditional brick, the house has a lovely warmth and character throughout, complemented by a number of beautifully finished rooms and an abundance of natural light. What makes Chestnuts particularly appealing is the combination of generous living space, flexible accommodation, superb outside space and the exceptional views enjoyed from the property.

At the heart of the house is a spectacular open-plan kitchen and family room, which provides a wonderful focal point for everyday life and entertaining. Finished with beautiful oak floorboards, the room features a charming inset wood-burning stove and enjoys a dual aspect, with bi-fold doors opening directly onto the sun terrace. The kitchen is exceptionally well appointed, centred around a substantial island with quartz worktops, a comprehensive range of integrated appliances and excellent storage. From here, the outlook across the gardens and the undulating Otter Valley beyond is particularly impressive.

The accommodation is arranged to offer a good degree of flexibility, with the potential to adapt the existing spaces to suit a variety of requirements. A separate utility room and ground floor cloakroom add practicality, while the principal sitting room at the front of the house provides a more formal reception space. French doors open onto a further sun terrace, again making the most of the property's wonderful relationship with the gardens and countryside beyond.

A second reception room or snug offers a more intimate space and features its own wood-burning stove and delightful dual aspect. This room could equally lend itself to use as a family room, study or additional bedroom depending on the needs of the next owners.

Upstairs, there are three generously proportioned double bedrooms, each enjoying a pleasant outlook, with the principal bedroom benefiting from the peaceful rural setting. The family bathroom has been beautifully finished with a freestanding slipper bath, walk-in shower, vanity basin and low-level WC, complemented by stylish tiling and a contemporary ladder-style radiator.

The house has been thoughtfully designed to make the most of its position, with several rooms enjoying direct access or views towards the gardens and countryside. There is also scope to extend the accommodation further, subject to the necessary planning and consents, providing additional potential for those looking to create an even larger family home.

 
Outside
The setting of Chestnuts is undoubtedly one of its greatest attributes.

Approached via a private, part-shared driveway, the property occupies a wonderfully secluded position on the edge of Tipton St John, surrounded by its own land and enjoying far-reaching views across the Otter Valley to the south and west.

There is extensive parking for several vehicles together with a detached double carport. To the side of the house is a charming private garden area, with access to a detached studio complete with power and lighting. This versatile space could work equally well as a home office, studio, gym, creative space or garden retreat.

Several areas have been levelled to create a large vegetable plot with adjoining potting sheds connecting into a seperate, private water supply from a victorian underground storage tank. 

The equestrian facilities are positioned across the driveway and comprise two brick and timber stables, a feed store and separate hay store, arranged around a small concrete yard. The facilities provide an excellent opportunity for those with horses or other animals, or simply for anyone looking for substantial outbuildings and land.

Beyond, the land extends to over 3.25 acres, divided into fully fenced paddocks and interspersed with a wonderful collection of mature trees, including Sweet Chestnuts, Sycamores and Oaks. The combination of mature trees, gently sloping pasture and open views gives the land a particularly attractive parkland feel.

The land slopes gently westwards towards a copse close to the historic mill leat, with the free-draining nature of the ground adding to its versatility. A Tree Preservation Order further reflects the established nature and importance of the surrounding landscape.

A public footpath running along the river Otter passes alongside the boundary, with secure fencing separating it from the paddocks and maintaining the privacy and security of the land. This footpath offers a stunning scenic walk directly from the fields, towards either Budleigh or Ottery St. Mary. 

The overall setting is exceptionally peaceful, yet the convenience of being on the edge of such a well-connected village means Chestnuts offers a rare balance of rural seclusion and everyday practicality.

 
Services
Mains electricity, gas, water and drainage.