4 bed semi-detached house for sale

Chudleigh, Devon TQ13

A substantial & impressive unlisted period family home sympathetically converted from a convent church in a plot of over an acre with generous well-presented accommodation, private walled garden, large kitchen garden & paddock. Plenty of parking & garage.

Situation

This impressive home is located just outside Chudleigh on the road leading to Haldon Forest just south of Exeter in Devon, surrounded by the rolling Devon countryside.

Chudleigh is a popular Devon town for good reason, with a vibrant and active community there is always something going on, and the town is ideally situated between the South Devon coast and the rugged hills of Dartmoor. Haldon Forest, with miles of mountain bike trails and walking routes is also close by. Chudleigh benefits from a good range of independent shops plus two convenience stores, cafes, pubs, fish & chip shop, a restaurant, as well as a bi-weekly market selling local produce. There is a heated open air community pool which operates in summer months and several parks and green spaces to enjoy. St Martin & St Mary Church is well supported and holds regular services.

There are opportunities for all types of water sports at nearby Teignmouth or Torbay, where there is also a deep water marina. The walks, pubs and Tors of Dartmoor are only a short drive away and there are several golf clubs in the area, Teign Valley, Dainton, and Teignmouth.

The local primary school is well supported and has a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating. Secondary schools are located in Kingsteignton and independent schools in Teignmouth, Stover, and Exeter, with Grammar Schools located in Torquay.

Chudleigh is conveniently located for commuting to Torbay, Exeter or Plymouth with easy access to the A38 and A380, dual carriageways, and also for access to the rest of the country via the M5 motorway at Exeter. There are regular local bus services and mainline rail station in Newton Abbot and Teignmouth linking to London Paddington in around 3 hours. Exeter has an airport flying to national and international destinations.

Description

The Church is one of six large properties converted in 1991 from a former Brigittine convent originally dating from 1887. The convent was formally named the Abbey Church of St Bridget of Syon, or locally known as Syon Abbey. An outline of the history can be found on the Chudleigh History Group website.

The architect designed and sympathetic conversion of The Church ensures the property functions well as a comfortable family home making the best use of the available space, whilst also retaining the wealth of features and impressive dimensions of the former church. In particular the stunning dining hall with its vaulted ceilings, stain glass window commemorating the Chudleigh miracle, tiled floor, and Italian marble columns. The property has been in the same ownership since it was converted.

Accommodation extends to around 268 square meters or 2888 square feet including the dining hall/family room, kitchen, utility room, living room, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, study/5th bedroom, entrance hall, conservatory and cloakroom/WC. Outside the plot measures over an acre with a beautifully landscaped and private walled garden off the house leading to the garage and driveway parking. There is also an impressive kitchen garden and a paddock for a pony or horse, or offering potential for development subject to planning permission.

The property has all the amenities you would expect from a modern home including fibre broadband and gas central heating, and has achieved a respectable ‘D’ rating on the EPC.

Video tour in gallery/links

Accommodation

The original painted solid wood front door opens to the welcoming entrance lobby, off which is a conservatory overlooking the courtyard formed between The Church and the adjoining building. The adjacent cloakroom with WC and wash basin features a wooden screen from the original confession box. From the entrance lobby wooden half glazed arched double doors open to reveal the grand dining hall/family room. An impressive and large room retaining a wealth of character features such as the Italian marble columns supporting stone arches, a high vaulted coffered ceiling with unique carved bosses, the original tiled floor and a large stained glass window commemorating the Chudleigh miracle bringing in plenty of light. A large wood-burning stove brings a warming ambiance when required. The majority of the room is in use as a dining room but down a step on a lower level is a further area that could be furnished as a snug.

The remaining accommodation, whilst generous, is of more traditional proportions. The living room is a spacious room off the dining hall through half glazed wooden arched double doors. Leaded windows give a view over the central courtyard and there is a wood-burning stove fitted in the stone fireplace with wooden mantle.

The modern kitchen has been recently made over and features a range of high gloss cashmere off-white units below white quartz worksurfaces with contrasting textured copper brown wall units. Integrated appliances include a Stoves gas double oven and gas hob with extractor over and a Neff dishwasher, A row of floor to ceiling textured copper brown units to one side house a Neff full height fridge and a full height freezer as well as a coffee station and storage to keep other worktop appliances out of view. There is also a wooden ‘butchers block’ style breakfast bar with space for chairs. Off the kitchen is a useful larder cupboard with power, and a utility room with further storage, sink, and space for washing and drying machines. A cupboard here contains the heating pipework and valves and makes a great drying space.

In the space between the kitchen and dining hall is the study or potential 5th bedroom. However, this room also offers the potential to be combined with the kitchen to form a much larger kitchen if required, subject to any necessary consents.

Stairs to one side of the dining hall rise to the principal bedroom only giving a good degree of separation from the other bedrooms. As you enter there is a range of built in wardrobes, and off the bedroom is an en suite shower room with a Tylo steam cabinet and multi-jet shower, wash basin, WC and bidet. The room has a semi-vaulted ceiling with exposed beams and glazed double doors open to a balcony with a lovely view and space for a café style table and chairs.

A second staircase rises from the other side of the dining hall to a galleried mezzanine which is in use as a library and reading area as well as an elevated spot from which to admire size and features of the dining hall. From here a door opens to bedroom two, a generous double bedroom with a dressing room with built in wardrobes and an en suite bathroom. Back to the ground floor and a door just outside the kitchen opens to a corridor off which are two further double bedrooms and a shower room. These rooms feature vaulted ceilings and arched leaded windows.

Outside

Off the house is a beautifully landscaped high stone walled garden which has been lovingly created by the current owners. Immediately off the house is a paved terrace with plenty of space for garden furniture for alfresco dining, adjacent to which is a further large gravelled terrace. A pergola walkway with mature wisteria trained over leads to an area of lawn. Beyond which is a further terrace and summer house. There are various other seating areas and paths leading around the garden all with a different aspect to enjoy at different times of day. There is small pond attracting wildlife, and in the centre of the garden is large wooden framed catio with a bridge access from the house, which could be removed if not required. The timber framed large single garage can be accessed from the garden which has power and light and opens to the driveway. At the end of the garden, next to the garage a door opens to the driveway parking area with space for several vehicles. There is a further two parking spaces close to the front door.

Across the shared driveway a vehicular entrance, providing further parking if needed, leads to the paddock which gently slopes to the boundaries and could provide grazing for a horse or pony. It could also offer potential for development subject to planning permission. Just off the paddock access a gate opens to the impressive kitchen garden with raised beds, a paved terrace and shed. In all the plot extends to approximately 1.14 acres and there are some lovely far reaching views to enjoy from the paddock and kitchen garden.

Agents Note: The property benefits from a right of access over a private driveway with a shared maintenance responsibility.

The drainage of all six properties are connected to a shared sewage treatment plant located on land owned by one of the properties for which monthly fee is paid. This results in a reduced water bill.

Tenure: Freehold

Council Tax: Council Tax band D – approx. £2,513 pa

Services: Mains water, gas and electricity, gas central heating, shared private drainage connected to a sewage treatment plant.

Directions: Location What 3 Words: ///lunching.diplomats.appear

Local Authority: Teignbridge District Council, Forde House, Brunel Rd, Newton Abbot TQ12 4XX, .

Viewings: Strictly by appointment with the selling agent: James Taylor – The Agency UK Teignbridge