The £1.5m architectural gem needing some TLC
THE opportunity to restore a crumbling architectural gem in the West is up for grabs for just under £1.5 million.
Despite its grand facade, the Grade II Listed country mansion was never completed and is derelict and in need of a complete renovation.
Blackborough House has 14-bedrooms, 15 bathrooms and nine reception rooms, and was designed to be an Italianate palace.
It is nestled in the Blackdown Hills, which spread along the border between Somerset and Devon and is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The property is perched on a hill, overlooking its 10 acres of parkland and the rolling Devon hills.
The current owner has already made a start on the massive project but has been forced to sell as work has taken him out of the country.
When he bought the house, he had environmental sustainability at the forefront of his mind.
With the help of the latest green technology, he has managed to bring the derelict mansion into the 21st century.
He has installed solar panels, a biomass boiler, planted different trees to positively contribute to the environment, replenished the soil and introduced wildlife such as ducks to the land.
The owner, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I was always very clear from the start that I wanted to do up the house being conscious of the environment.
“I thought that the house lent itself very well to showcase historic building techniques with the latest technologies and energy transition for sustainable means.
“To illustrate that, we have two huge solar arrays, which are already tailored towards winter production, which means we try and keep the house off grid at all times.
“Even though it is an ostentatious English country house, it still can be done up with very green principles.”
The owner bought the house in November 2020 when it was in complete disarray.
He added: “The house was an absolutely wreck when I bought it. There was car scrap everywhere so I spent a huge amount of time sorting it out. We simply didn’t know what lay underneath the overgrowth, so we found car axles and there was metal all over the place.”
Through extensive work, the owner began to uncover hidden gems such as a walled garden and even a swimming pool.
He said: “We just didn’t know how big the walled garden was or what it was like because it was like Jumanji.
“So when we sorted it and found the most beautiful walled garden it was great.”
The property is split into two sides – the east and west wing.
In the west wing there is a galleried library, a triple height stairwell, cinema room and two 70ft entrance towers.
Up the stairs to the first floor there are three bedroom suites and an office, while on the second floor there are four more bedroom suites and a gym.
The second floor also offers a selfcontained apartment with two more bedroom suites.
The east wing, while currently acting as a separate dwelling, can be incorporated into the main house.
This part of the property has three bedroom suites and an open plan living space and kitchen kitted out with roof lanterns.
The grounds spread just over 10 acres and feature a mature woodland, a formal walled garden, a small stream and a swimming pool.
The hamlet of Blackborough is between two villages, Kentisbeare and Dunkeswell, and the market town of Honiton is eight miles away.
The mansion was built in 1838 by George Wyndham, the fourth Earl of Egremont, and was designed as an Italianate palace by renowned architect James Thomas Knowles.
But financial problems hit the earl and his original vision never came to fruition.
Since then, the house has had a story full of twists and turns.
The earl first divided the property into two residences, where he lived with his cousin, the local rector.
It remained a rectory for a while and for a time became a school.
During the Second World War it was used as a Quaker training centre for conscientious objectors, before later becoming a youth hostel.
It was also used as a car breakers’ yard for some time, where the car collector Ralph Sanders housed numerous old cars.
The current owner is partway through the redevelopment but with work taking him out of the country he is forced to part ways with his labour of love.
He said: “It’s been a very interesting and fun journey – I just don’t have the time to continue it.
“Whoever takes it on will have an incredibly special house and I hope they give it the same love as I have.”
The property is being sold by Humberts for £1,495,000.
I was always very clear ... that I wanted to do up the house being conscious of the environment CURRENT OWNER