Rural renovated house with seasonal heated pool.

Built in 1963 this unique property is designed on the American ranch style home with a lower ground floor, covered front porch, patio and seasonal heated swimming pool. Having undergone a full renovation it is now ready for guests. Surrounded by gardens, fields and woods, Fernwood is the ideal place for a peaceful, relaxing family holiday.

Seasonal variations:
- April to October the heated pool is available.
- November to March a basket of logs will be provided for the open fires.
The space
Facilities:

There is a large open plan living space, with lounge, dining area and kitchen, ideal for those family gatherings, with amazing views down the valley to the hills beyond Totnes. There is another large living /games/ TV room downstairs with wide french doors opening onto the level lawn to the front of the house. There is no need to go further afield . Apart from the heated swimming pool, in the downstairs lounge you will find a pool table, darts board and various games for all ages. Explore the small lanes nearby or simply sit back, relax and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and great views.

Property layout:

This is a spacious property on two levels based on an American ranch style home with walkout basement. As the property was built on a hill the entrance, to the rear of the property, is at ground level, whilst the lower level to the front is also at ground level. Within the house there is a door to the stairs (which are narrower than usual) leading to the lower floor. There is also another outside flight of stairs leading from the covered porch to the lower french doors.

Upper level:

From the parking area, the entrance lobby leads into the upperspace with mahogany floor, comfortable dining for 8 -10 guests, large fully fitted kitchen and living area with sofa, chairs and TV, baby grand piano and stone fireplace. This triple aspect room benefits from a large picture window with amazing views overlooking the lawn below, the surrounding countryside with fields, horses and the occasional train winding its way down the valley. From the dining area, there is a door leading to the inner hall with bedrooms and family bathroom/shower room. From the ensuite bedroom there are french doors leading onto the patio with barbeque and swimming pool beyond. Also from the lounge area, there are french doors leading onto a porch, ideal for those lazy morning breakfasts, watching the wildlife in the trees. Outside steps lead from this balcony to the ground floor below.

Lower level:

From this upper lounge level, you will find a door opening to the stairs leading to the downstairs area. Here you will find a stone fire place, extra large TV, sofas, pool table and small bar. There is also a designated darts area with children’s games as well as competition dart board. French doors lead onto the lawn to the front of the property.

From this lounge/games area, a door leads to the large fourth bedroom with comfortable seating and king sized double bed and another leads to a utility/boot room with washing machine, additional fridge freezer, sink, back entrance door and shower room with toilet.

Outside:

Swimming pool seasonal from April to October.

In the grounds of the property there are many lawned areas, as well as a patio with barbeque, and terraced pool area. Here you will find a large area with ceramic tiling, solar and air source heated 4x10m pool, loungers, tables and wall lighting. The pool is heated by a bank of solar pipes as-well as a air source heat pump to maintain the heat. It is necessary to keep the solar blanket on the pool to retain heat and must be replaced after swimming each evening. If the blanket is not replaced, we cannot guarantee the level of heating will be maintained. There are steps up to the pool area from the patio.

History of the house:

In 1963 John and Madge moved from South Carolina to Devon, having sold their farm in Spartanburg and began their search for the ideal place to build a family home. Farm land with planning permission at Littlehempston came onto the market and the Fernwood story began.

John, having served in the US military in UK and Europe, met Madge, whilst stationed in Plymouth. They returned to South Carolina after the war and built a home there, where they had a poultry farm and peach orchards. You will see some of their original trunks in the downstairs lounge. They had two daughters and after 17 years decided they would like to return to Devon where they had met.

Having returned from the States and found the land the family set to and created what we now know as Fernwood. John turning to organic market gardening and furniture making and Madge gardening and painting. Many examples of their woodwork and artwork can be found in Fernwood today.
The design and planning of Fernwood was firmly based on styles familiar to them in South Carolina. The large open plan areas, with the main part of the house on one level and a second lower level accessed from a door in the lounge and a fairly narrow staircase leading to the “walk out” basement below. The whole property is designed for those who enjoy the surrounding nature, with large windows affording great views, porch at treetop level, patio, pool and gardens.

Please have a look at FernwoodHolidays .com for a full and detailed VR tour of the property.

Fernwood has always been a happy, peaceful home, a great place to live and is our family home. Please take care of it and most of all, enjoy your stay.
Guest access
You will have sole access to the whole house, front lawn and pool area. Please note there is land beyond the house which is restricted. Access up the drive and past the house will be used. This won’t disturb your stay.
Other things to note
Slow wifi: Unfortunately because of the area, the wifi is not as fast as we would like.

Narrow stairs: please note the inner stairs are quite narrow.

No smoking or vaping in the property

No pets allowed due to the mahogany floors and pool liner.

No events without permission

No stag / hen parties / groups