Stedcombe House, a restoration masterpiece (original) (raw)
If your heart’s desire is a listed mansion, surrounded by rolling acres and breathtaking rural vistas, Stedcombe House, near the village of Axmouth in Devon, should provide much of what you long for.
The house has been sympathetically restored throughout, with authentic tones for the decor
This “classical post-Restoration box” was built in about 1697 by Richard Hallett, a local merchant. Like other West Country magnates of the time, he had done very well from his sugar plantations in Barbados and seems to have spared no expense. The bricks of this late 17th-century trophy home were almost certainly baked on the site, according to Historic England’s property notes. The entry also highlights the Portland quoins, the stone features at the corners of the house. The Hallett family remained at Stedcombe until the late 19th century. Under subsequent owners, however, the house fell into disrepair. If the present owner had not intervened, this example of William and Mary architecture may have been lost. Thanks to his labour-of-love restoration in the early 1990s, the listing was raised from grade II* to grade I in recognition of the rarity of the house. The restoration, which the owner detailed in a book, had another plus. The grey and buff tones used for the walls and panelling were chosen not because they were fashionable, but because they were authentic. Today these shades are the height of contemporary style.
One of eight bedrooms in Stedcombe House, with en suite
Stedcombe has 20 acres of grounds, which contain parkland, pasture and walled gardens. It is also has views over the Axe Valley and the land of neighbouring estates. Nevertheless, George Nares of Savills, which is jointly marketing the property with Knight Frank for £4.5 million, considers the high-ceiling rooms, with their shutters, to be the top feature. “The rooms are wonderfully proportioned,” he says. “On the ground floor, you have an entrance hall, parlour, drawing room and dining room, each in a corner of the house and each with its own panelling.”
The property has five bathrooms
On the lower-ground floor, you will find the kitchen, a wine cellar and study. There are eight bedrooms on the first floor and attic storey. The house measures 8,039 sq ft, but if this is not sufficient, you can expand into the 1,374 sq ft lodge house, which has three bedrooms.
The rooms benefit from high ceilings and good proportions
Nares suspects that the house will be bought by a family moving out of London. However, he says that it is possible that a collector of beautiful things, including mansions, who is ready to pay the sale price might add this to their collection.