The Cider House is a property of Medieval origins standing within the grounds of stunning Buckland Abbey, a Cistercian community founded in 1278 and dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539. Bought in 1581 by Sir Francis Drake this property remained in this family until the estate was spilt up in 1946, when the main part of the estate and the Abbey was given to the National Trust but the Cider House was converted into a family home. The property consists of two ranges of buildings around a central courtyard to the north of the old abbey with the tower and cottages to the east and the Cider House to the west with wonderful views across the Tavy valley.
The whole property lies within the Scheduled Monument formed by the Abbey complex and the Cider House is listed Grade II, with the Tower scheduled as of specific historic interest. It should be noted that although the property lies so close to a national historic monument the property has a distinct identity of its own and there is no public access.
The house is extremely pretty and well laid out with good formal rooms for entertaining but has also been made cosy and comfortable for family life. All in all the accommodation comprises a drawing room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room with Aga, pantry, boot room, utility room, cloakroom, master bedroom with dressing area and en suite bathroom, three further bedrooms and two bathrooms. The annexe is an integral part of the main house with internal access at ground floor and first floor levels.
Outside there are two cottages which are let: tower cottage is a separate property currently used for holiday lets and has a hall, a sitting room, a kitchen/breakfast room and a fully fitted kitchen with three bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor. Cider cottage also comes with the property and is currently let on a shorthold tenancy, is a very attractive end-of-terrace cottage with a well stocked private garden.
At the southern end of the lot are the stables and the Tower. The stables are accessed by an ancient door in a granite arch and consist of three traditional loose boxes, a secure tack room and a hayloft. An internal door here gives access to the Tower where a wonderful circular stone staircase leads down to the lower room and up to two more rooms and then out onto the small rampart.
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Also outside in the front garden of the property is an old Linhay which has been adapted to provide an office or studio lit by tall south-facing windows and in the courtyard behind the house is a further building which houses a workshop and a gardener’s WC. The garage has space for two cards and further garden storage.
The gardens have mostly been developed over the past 25 years, apart from the walled kitchen garden which has been cultivated for centuries. The formal gardens are laid to lawn with many specimen trees, and there is a sunken herb garden with a mirror pond and a Ha Ha to the front gives fantastic views over the countryside. Beyond the main garden lies the Wild Garden which has a wonderful mix of camellias, magnolias and rhododendrons as well as lots of more unusual woodland plants. The walled kitchen garden is a feature of the property and produces an abundance of vegetables and cut flowers for the house as well as a cage of soft fruit.
All the paddocks in the property are well fenced and provide useful grazing for stock and horses and ponies.
The Cider House is set between the western boundary of Dartmoor National Park and the Tavy valley. Plymouth is just eight miles distant, and Tavistock just six miles away, with the former providing regular services to London Paddington. Local schooling is excellent and sporting opportunities range from sailing on the south coast to walking, riding and golf. All in all the property has around 16 acres.
The guide price is £2m. For further information please contact Savills on 01392 455 740 or visit www.savills.co.uk.
