Halton Quay, St. Dominick, Saltash, Cornwall

Chapel House is an impressive family home that was rebuilt in 2009 offering over 3,300 sq ft of beautifully presented accommodation. The property has retained plenty of character with exposed timber beams and feature fireplaces alongside elegant, understated modern styling and décor. The property occupies a sheltered yet commanding position above the bank of the Tamar with 122 metres of river frontage. Much of the accommodation has been configured to take full advantage of the exceptional position with the principal reception rooms and all of the bedrooms benefiting from the south-facing aspect with elevated views across the river and over the surrounding countryside. Chapel House lies in beautiful grounds of approximately 7 acres that include gardens, pastureland and woodland. Some of the finest scenery in the West Country is on the doorstep, this area of unspoilt beauty, declared by Sir John Betjeman as “the most beautiful place in England” and painted by Turner, is now designated as the Tamar Valley National Landscape (formerly AONB).

The welcoming reception hall has slate tiled flooring, which runs through into the kitchen and the study. There are five well-appointed reception rooms on the ground floor which include a comfortable sitting room with a stone-surround fireplace, which is fitted with a woodburner as well as a library and a spacious study. The dining room and conservatory feature an impressive, vaulted ceiling allowing for a wealth of natural light, with exposed beams, a logburner and panoramic views across the river. The kitchen has bespoke wooden
units, granite worktops, a central island and a stainless steel range cooker, as well as space for a breakfast table. French doors open out from the kitchen onto the terrace providing ideal space for al fresco dining. An adjoining utility provides further space for storage and appliances with a cloakroom completing the accommodation on this floor.

Staircases at either end of the home lead to the first-floor accommodation which comprises four double bedrooms. The principal bedroom has a vaulted ceiling and large windows providing plenty of natural light and benefits from fitted storage and an en suite bathroom with a freestanding roll top bath and a separate shower unit. The second bedroom provides a generous space also with a vaulted ceiling and a dual-aspect with skylights overhead as well as a seating area with a roof balcony skylight, which opens to provide a superb vantage point. The second bedroom benefits from an en suite bathroom. The third bedroom also has an en suite bathroom, one further double bedroom on this floor is served by a separate shower room.

History
The legend of St. Dominica and St. Indract tells us that these two Saints came from Ireland and travelled up the River Tamar in 689 AD. In the garden at Chapel House there is a ruin, marked on Ordinance Survey maps as a Chapel; which is where they are believed to have landed and struck a Holy Well nearby. Historical records show a mediaeval settlement at Chapel first recorded in 1422 (Cornwall Council Heritage Gateway no. 6734). There are several carved granite stones built-in to the walls of Chapel House which are thought to have come from a chapel on the site or possibly the nearby monastery at Halton Barton. Chapel House (which was then known as Chapel Farm) was offered for sale in 1831 as: “The estate called Chapel adjoining the Eastern part of the Barton of Halton, consisting of a farmhouse, suitable Out-houses and about 24 acres of arable, orchard and pasture land in a beautiful spot between Pentillie and Cotehele”. The Out-houses (which comprised cow byres, a threshing shed and a wagon shed) were sensitively adapted to barn conversions retaining much of the original architectural detail.The old farmhouse itself was in poor condition and was demolished by the present owners and rebuilt using materials arising from the original. The re-named Chapel House has the advantage of cavity walls, underfloor heating and a high level of insulation. The Federation of Master Builders competition for the Best New Home in the West Country was awarded to the well-known local builder, Farnham Bros, who completed Chapel House in 2009.

Plymouth limestone and Welsh coal were brought up river to the limekilns on the property and used to produce lime to sweeten the acid soil of the market gardens of St Dominic and St Mellion - renowned for daffodils and early strawberries sent to Covent Garden - delicious strawberries are still grown at Chapel House.

The house is set in a peaceful private position with a sweeping driveway providing a breathtaking approach to the property. The house is in the centre of its garden of approximately one acre; it is mainly laid to lawn with a variety of colourful flowerbeds, shrubs and ornamental trees. The original piggery at Chapel Farm was acquired by the present owners in 2012 and re-fashioned into a walled kitchen garden and potting shed. There are numerous peaceful seating areas and rolling lawns that gently slope down to the riverbank. The surrounding grounds include four acres of pasture, a small orchard and there is an area of woodland of approximately a third of an acre. The property also includes two early 19thcentury limekilns adjacent to their loading inlet from the river Tamar and now used for secure boat storage. The loading inlet provides direct access to the river providing excellent opportunities for sailing, paddle boarding and kayaking. Parking is available in the integrated double garage and the driveway in front with an electric vehicle charge point. There is also a barn 4.1m x 6.6m mounted with solar panels, used as a tractor shed and store configured in the manner of a stable.

The property is set in an idyllic rural position, beside the River Tamar, seven miles north of the South Cornwall town of Saltash and surrounded by the stunning scenery of the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The local village of St. Dominick has a 13th century church, a village hall, public house, village shop and a primary school, while nearby Tavistock and Saltash provide a range of everyday amenities, including local shops, supermarkets, restaurants and cafés, as well as leisure facilities and schooling. Just across the Tamar Bridge, Plymouth’s city centre is easily accessible and provides superb shopping facilities with Drakes Circus shopping centre, three theatres as well as a further choice of schooling. The Barbican area has retail art galleries, numerous bars and eating places and others at Royal William Yard. In the local area there are many opportunities for recreational pursuits including walking, riding and sailing. The property is readily accessible to Dartmoor National Park and the dramatic and unspoilt South Cornwall and South Devon coastline. Nearby are the famous St. Mellion International Golf Resort and China Fleet Golf & Country Club. The area is well connected by road, with the A388 two miles away leading to the A38, while Plymouth’s mainline station provides direct services to London Paddington, taking just over three hours.

Local Authority : Cornwall Council
Council Tax : Band G.
Servcies : Mains electricity and water. Private water and drainage which we understand is compliant with current regulations. Oil-fired central heating. Full fibre broadband (150 mbps)
Tenure : Freehold.
Wayleaves and Easements : The property is sold subject to any wayleaves or easements, whether mentioned in these particulars or not.
Guide Price : £1,500,000