SHOWCASE Is this the most beautiful property in

PROPERTY PLACES TO LIVE, WORK AND PLAY

STEDCOMBE HOUSE 20 acres of glorious countryside, spectacular rooms and even an underground tunnel – this Axmouth property is truly awe-inspiring Showcase

Making a good first impression in life is crucial. A strong handshake, a winning smile, a confident walk – it all matters. And if there was an award given to the house that gives the ‘best first impression’ in Devon it would surely have to go to Stedcombe House. The property sits privately in approximately 20 acres of grounds including parkland, three walled gardens, pasture and woodland. Perched on the eastern slope of the Axe Valley, less than a mile from Axmouth, much of the land is terraced and the house overlooks its own land and the rolling country beyond. But, crucially, the house is entirely hidden until its symmetrical profile is revealed – boom! – as you approach via the bendy ascending drive. You imagine the first time you travel up that drive, you jam your foot down on the brakes just to take a moment to stop, take that magnificent view in and be really really impressed.

The sense of wonder will continue as you step inside the house. The classical post-Restoration property is made up of two main floors, plus basement and attic and the proportions are, as you might expect, huge. So much so you’ll need some giant pieces of artwork to fill these rooms; time perhaps to unlease your inner art lover and purchase a mammoth, ostentatious naked person statue. Why not.

In keeping with its era, all the rooms benefit from high ceilings with an array of fine period features, including handsome chimney pieces, original shutters and elegant panelling, which you’ll see displayed over the various rooms.

And if you’re worried about dodgy roofs, and even dodgier heating, as can be the case with older properties, the big selling point here is it doesn’t need lots of work – it has already been done for you.

The Grade I listed building, was, according to tradition, built in 1697 by the Hallett family, ship owners from Lyme Regis, who had grown rich from trade with Barbados. The house still bears small reminders of their occupation: 18th century signatures cut on the window panes of the common parlour and the north-east bedroom. Wider interests are suggested by a document discovered behind panelling, whose tally of eminent national and local names has turned out to be a list of Commissioners of the Peace for c 1724-25.

The Hallett family occupied it until 1889, when they were forced by bankruptcy to sell the estate to Samuel Sanders Stephens. The Stephens family sold up in 1960, when the estate was broken up, and in 1963 the house was vacant and left to its own devices. Neglect inevitably resulted in decay, and by the 1970s serious dry rot had affected most of the building. In 1988 Stedcombe House was sold to the current owner and a meticulous and sympathetic restoration began in mid-1988. His scholarly attention and devotion to its sympathetic architecture has resurrected this magnificent example of a William and Mary house.

As for the outside, there’s plenty more accommodation here with the outbuildings and the lodge. The stableyard, (which you can travel to via an underground tunnel from the big house, very Agatha Christie) contains a number of red brick and stone outbuildings forming an attractive courtyard which have the potential to provide ancillary accommodation, stabling, workshops, garaging and storage, while the Lodge comprises of three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, sitting room, utility room and a cloakroom.

Just under a mile away is the pretty village of Axmouth, which offers a medieval harbour suitable for launching and mooring a boat, plus church, pubs, and yacht club.

If you’re someone lucky enough to afford this thing of beauty, we suggest you hop to it. n

HOUSE NUMBERS Guide price £4,500,000 Bedrooms 9 (main house), 3 (lodge) Outside stable block, numerous outbuildings, 3 walled gardens, pastureland, woodland

Acres 20 For more: Savills Exeter, Sterling Court, 17 Dix’s Field, Exeter; www.savills.co.uk Knight Frank Exeter, 19 Southernhay East Exeter, EX1 1QD; www.knightfrank.co.uk

01395 578506 | www.devonshutters.co.uk