The property is just a stone’s throw from a 13th-century Gothic church. The road is lined with picturesque timer-framed dwellings and little farmhouses. A thuja hedge grows along a low brick wall with iron railings. At the right-hand end of it, a gate leads onto a shady driveway. From there, the drive lined with tall trees runs west, towards the house. The sumptuous dwelling was built at very end of the 19th century. It is an elegant home set in splendid grounds. Before, the building was known as a chateau, as were many houses built by the upper-middle classes in the period just before the First World War. Its elevations are rendered with a cream-coloured coating of local sand. The architectural embellishments are classical with stone capitals, garlands, exposed quoins and window surrounds that stand out in a pure white tone. The facade is more ornate than the garden-facing elevation. The house has a raised ground floor, a first floor and a second floor. A flight of front steps, edged with wrought-iron balustrades, leads up to the main entrance door. The facade has four windows on the ground floor – two on either side of the entrance door – and six windows on the first floor. And along the second floor, in the roof space, there are five elegant dormers. The rear elevation has two sets of ground-floor French windows that lead out to a large terrace, which you reach via a double set of steps. There are three other tall windows in the rear elevation on the ground floor and, above them, five windows on each upper floor. The house’s hipped mansard roof has slate tiles and is crowned with finials. Two imposing chimney stacks – one at each end – rise up from it. At the front, a gravelled drive marks the paths for walking and driving. Around this driveway, lush lawns draw your gaze to beautiful views of the grounds. The grounds form an English-style garden with majestic age-old trees dotted around the grand edifice. By the house’s entrance, neat yew hedges underline the ground-floor windows. At the back, there is a swimming pool. It lies parallel to the rear elevation. From a patio above the terrace, steps lead down to a paved poolside area that surrounds the swimming pool. Three palm trees tower around it. A gravelled path separates two extensive lawns that stretch to the edges of the property. Tall trees tower around the sides of the vast plot. There is an old greenhouse on the grounds too, as well as an outbuilding with a 150m² floor area. This outbuilding needs to be renovated. Beyond, there is a bucolic backdrop and the River Dives, which flows gently.

The grand house

You walk up a front flight of stone steps to a thick wooden entrance door with coloured glazing and iron grates. Two Medici vases mark these front entrance steps.

The ground floor
On the ground floor, there are three large rooms with sumptuous decor. Their practical layout follows the principles of late-19th-century designs. These three rooms have high ceilings and much space. There is an entrance hall with a mosaic floor from the late 19th century and a staircase in the middle of it. This remarkable Louis XIV style staircase is made from turned wood. It leads up to the upper floors. On the left, the hallway connects to a refined lounge via a double door. This dual-aspect lounge has chevron parquet. Its Louis XV style fireplace is made of marble and its ceiling cornices are painted in a Directoire style, mirroring the fireplace’s trumeau panel, which is in the same style. There is a second lounge, which you can reach from either the first lounge or the hallway. This second lounge in fact serves as a dining room. It offers a view of the grounds and swimming pool. It has a style similar to that of the first lounge, except that it has herringbone parquet and a Louis XIV style fireplace with an Empire style trumeau panel. On the other side of the ground floor, there is a fitted kitchen and a lavatory. And in the basement, there are cellars and a former domestic staff kitchen.

The first floor
The staircase leads up to a central landing, which connects to four bedrooms with herringbone parquet or wood strip flooring and with Louis XV or Louis XVI style fireplaces of grey marble. Soft natural light fills these bedrooms. Two tiled bathrooms with pale tones complete this first floor.

The second floor
The top landing has wood strip flooring and connects to three bedrooms. These three bedrooms are less spacious than those below them. Yet they are just as well designed, with panelled wooden wardrobes and great comfort. An office, a lavatory and a bathroom with a bath and shower complete this second floor.

The basement
The basement has two levels. One level has a boiler room and a former self-contained apartment. The other level has three cellars.