East Down Estate is for sale, a gem of a location set on a dozen acres of beautiful English countryside.
In deepest Devon, James Carroll of Jackson-Stops names an estimated price of £2 million for a Grade II* listed East Down estate near Barnstaple. The property sits on over 12 acres of idyllic gardens, grounds and magical woodland on the edge of the beautiful North Devon village of East Down, in the foothills of Exmoor National Park, with expansive views of the rolling North Devon countryside.
Originally the Widow’s House serving Arlington Court, now owned by the National Trust, the striking Georgian-fronted house likely dates from the late 17th century, with some 18th-century refurbishment. Now in need of an upgrade after 60 years of ownership by the same family, East Down Manor offers three main living rooms, six bedrooms, three bathrooms and two self-contained two-bedroom suites.
Once part of a large Devon estate belonging to the Pine-Coffin dynasty, the estate was purchased in the 1960s by the Victoria Scott Brown family, who recalls how her parents, then living in London, came to see a deuce, a house for two, a cottage at sea in Instowe: “They were not impressed with the cottage, they were walking home when Ma noticed in the local newspaper an advertisement for the East Down estate at almost the same price and immediately fell in love with this house. .
Pa, trained as an artist in New Zealand, was an interior designer who collected interesting and colorful paintings, furniture and ceramics from all over London. During our regular trips to Devon, children were loaded onto the wagon and large paintings or furniture were carried on the roof.”
“One day,” she adds, “a painting later revealed to have belonged to the Devon artist Benjamin Haughton, who lived on the East Down estate in the early 1900s, flew off to Salisbury Plain and was returned somewhat worn.”
“The painting of the manor garden still needs restoration and love, like the rest of the house, but it will remain with him as part of his history.”
East Down Estate is up for sale for £2 million – see details and photos.
Credit: Knight Frank
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