Situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and an Area of Tranquillity, Lee Manor is the perfect place for those in search of peace and privacy. Penny Churchill takes a look.
Refreshingly untouched by time, the picturesque village of Lee on the north Devon coast, between the holiday resort of Ilfracombe and Bull Point lighthouse, is strung out along the slopes of a deep wooded combe, bordered on three sides by rolling Devon countryside and on the fourth by the Bristol Channel.
At the head of the combe known locally as Fuschia Valley, where in summer the hedgerows are ablaze with scarlet flowers, stands Lee Manor, a solid, stone-built, late-Victorian manor house set in 49 acres of gardens and woodland with access to a secret cove and far-reaching views out to sea over Lee Bay.
Now back on the market with Strutt & Parker after a ‘Covid break’, the house, which is unlisted, was built in 1896–98 for Charles Drake Cutcliffe, the squire of Lee, whose coat-of-arms is inscribed on a wall of the entrance porch. Selling agent Oliver Custance Baker quotes a guide price of £3.95m for Lee Manor, which was renovated throughout by the owners when they bought it some 30 years ago and has been meticulously cared for ever since.
Approached through electronically operated wrought-iron gates and up a wide tree-lined drive flanked by rhododendrons, the house offers more than 8,000sq ft of well-proportioned living accommodation centred on an impressive reception hall with an open fireplace, a stone mullioned stained-glass window, wide, three-tiered staircase and minstrel’s gallery.
It boasts three reception rooms, a study, kitchen/breakfast room, spacious master suite, six further bedrooms with en-suite facilities and a cellar with games room and bar.
Lee Manor is currently on the market via Strutt & Parker with a guide price of £3.95 million — see more pictures, or enquire with the agent for further details.
Lee: What you need to know
Location: In the heart of the Fuschia Valley in North Devon, just a stone’s throw from the coast. Woolacombe is 3 1/2 miles to the south west and Ilfracombe is 2 1/2 miles further up the coast.
Atmosphere: The quiet, secluded village is home to the Grampus Inn and a village church. Day-to-day amenities can be found in both Woolacombe and Ilfracombe.
Things to do: Explore the wonderfully secluded Lee Bay Beach or take long walks through the pretty countryside. Surf at Woolacombe or enjoy its 4-mile-long stretch of beach. Visit the Landmark Theatre in Ilfracombe or head to the market town of Barnstaple (13 miles) for its weekly market and shopping facilities.
Schools: Ilfracombe Infant and Nursery School, Ilfracombe Church of England Junior School and Woolacombe School are within the local area.
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