Clovelly, Bideford, Devon, EX39

Once the childhood home of the renowned Victorian novelist Charles Kingsley, when his father was employed as the local rector, The Old Rectory is a gorgeous Georgian home, set in a sublime and very private woodland setting on the gorgeous 4,600-acre Clovelly Estate, which has been owned by only three successive families since the middle of the 13th century. Charles Kingsley became known for his concern for social reform, most notably via his illustrated story, The Water-Babies published in 1863. Surrounded by the peace and beauty of the surroundings he enjoyed as a child, it is not difficult to understand how he later came to compare his own idyllic, care-free childhood with that of those brought up in poverty.

The Old Rectory is a lovely example of a large 19th century family house. It has three upper floors and a basement, with a white-painted and rendered exterior under a slate roof. The house has an east/west axis with the rear of the house facing east towards the sea. Tall, wide sash windows look out across the grounds ensuring that the interior remains light and airy throughout the day. The house has a classic, four-square layout with a deep stairwell above the hall and has retained many of its original architectural fittings including numerous Victorian fireplaces, panel doors and working shutters. The ground floor has three good-sized reception rooms, all with open fireplaces, with the sitting and dining rooms interconnected creating a single, larger family room if desired. These are supplemented by a very large games room in the basement, warmed by a wood-burning stove and well-lit by natural light flowing in through wide, semi-circular windows at ground level. The kitchen is also generously sized and fitted with an engineered oak floor and a four-oven AGA. The house has a total of eight double bedrooms and two bathrooms spread over two floors, all with views out over the grounds, of which five of the eight look out towards the coast. There is also an 8 person lift ( big enough for a large wheelchair) that goes to three floors.

Garden and Grounds
The Old Rectory is approached via a 70-yard long drive that sweeps round in front of the house before returning around a teardrop shaped turning circle. There is ample parking space in front of the house supplemented by further parking on a spur off to one side of the drive. Between the two is an attached single garage that opens onto the drive and has an internal door through to the house's rear lobby. The house sits centrally within its grounds, which amount to just under one and three quarters acres. They consist of level lawns surrounding the house blending into mature woodland that contains a rich mix of broadleaf and evergreen native trees and a timber summer house.

The Old Rectory is situated within the North Devon Coast AONB amidst the 4,600 acre Clovelly Estate. The house is just half a mile away from the harbour village of Clovelly, which is built into wooded sea cliffs on the north Devon shoreline. The village is on the South West Coast Path National Trail and has a RNLI lifeboat station, two hotels and a parish church. Bideford, an historic port town 20 minutes away by car, has a wide choice of shops and local businesses including several supermarkets plus GP, dental and veterinary practices. Barnstaple is just half an hour away and has wider amenities including a train station with regular rail services to Exeter Central (1 hour 15 minutes). Exeter Airport is about an hour and a half away connecting to several UK and international destinations, including a regular, 1-hour service to London City Airport. There are two primary schools within a five-mile radius and a selection of independent schools across the wider area.