SHOWCASE Party house meets Harry Potter film set

SOUTHBROOK HOUSE Can a house have too much character? Imogen Davidson-Smith thinks not

This spectacular house has many faces and, I dare say, has had a very colourful life. Looking at the images, you might not realise it is all the same property but it is, I assure you. And it’s quite a lot to take in because there is so much detail everywhere. Just look at that front, double-sided, heavy churchlike door, the Gothic-style leaded light windows and flint-like cobbled stone walls. Are we in Harry Potter or Lord of The Rings? It’s also a proper party house with lavish interiors, pop star bathrooms and an outdoor pool. Like many things in life, it shouldn’t quite work but it does.

Life began for this house back in the mid-17th Century, then had a later extension during the Victorian era. The current owners also gave it a mammoth extension and renovation, so that it now sits at a perfectly plump 3,000 square foot.

Travel inside that impressive front door and the entrance hall will take you to the drawing room which comes with a raised fireplace and multi-fuel wood

burning stove. The open-plan kitchen / dining / living room provides the real focus of the property and is fitted with all the mod cons, plus stained-glass windows and a door you might expect Cadfael to walk through.

Elsewhere on the ground floor you’ve got the large rear hallway which leads into the dining room with glass atrium, utility room and a recently installed wet room, while upstairs there are five double bedrooms, the master bedroom offering an en suite bathroom.

The sweeping driveway and gardens are no shrinking violets either; a three-tiered fountain sits out in front and mushroom-shaped hedges line the path up to the house. The large gardens enjoy a parkland feel with lawns interspersed with plenty more trees and shrubbery, and a south-facing paved terrace across the width of the property. To the rear is a newly created courtyard with steps leading up to the heated swimming pool and sun terrace. Overall the property amounts to about 1.34 acres and enjoys absolute seclusion, essential for those weekend parties you’ll want to throw. Eccentric country pile with a big personality seeks eccentric human with an even bigger personality. Interested parties apply within. n HOUSE NUMBERS Square footage just under 3,000 Bedrooms 5 Bathrooms 3 Where Bovey Tracey, near Newton Abbot

Outside Garden and swimming pool Guide Price £1,150,000 For more: Knight Frank Exeter Estate Agents, 19 Southernhay E, Exeter EX1 1QD; www.knightfrank.co.uk