Words: Ally Sinyard
In association with:
There are houses, there are family homes and then there are magnificent properties that pass through generations and become part of the family all on their very own.
If you’ve ever dreamt of filling your family photo albums with memories made in the picturesque Devonshire countryside, welcome home to the Chanters House.
Situated on the edge of the village of Ottery St. Mary, just 10 miles from Exeter, this outstanding Grade II* listed house features 10 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and one of the longest private libraries in the country.
Marketed by Knight Frank in London for £7 million, the Chanters House is an idyllic property for a family who love the great outdoors, covering 30,000 square feet and with over 21 acres of beautiful gardens, parkland, woodlands and water.
It also features stables, a tennis court and secondary accommodation in the form of a three-bedroom lodge and two-bedroom coach house.
It also comes with a fascinating history. Built in the 1340s as a chantry – hence the name – Oliver Cromwell convened the burthers of Ottery in its very dining room in 1645, demanding money and men for the Civil War.
In 1796, it was bought by James Coleridge, a Lieutenant Colonel in the army and eldest brother of poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. They, along with their ten other siblings, were raised in Ottery St. Mary after their father became headmaster of The Kings School and moved the family there in 1760. The Chanters House remained in the Coleridge family for 238 years, before being bought by its current owner in 2006.
The property’s exceptional library, 70ft in length and 30ft in height, was added to the house in around 1890 by Coleridge, the Lord Chief Justice, and architect William Butterfield, a favourite of Queen Victoria. Taking up the entire ground floor of the west wing, its collection now extends to roughly 22,000 books, all housed in a range of oak carved cases.
But don’t think you’ll be feeling the cold or blowing dust off this historic property – it’s undergone thorough renovation and modernisation in the 13 years of its current ownership.
Not only has it been re-wired and re-plumbed, it’s energy efficient, thanks to the large biomass system and solar pannelling that were installed. As for the mod cons, it now also features an indoor pool, Victorian birdhouse, palm house, games room and party room with a DJ booth.
Finished to the highest standard, the house boasts some exceptional character features, including timber floors, decorative tiles, wooden panelling and stone, wooden and marble fireplaces.
Where do you see yourself? Whether it’s curled up in the library with a copy of Coleridge, tucking into Christmas turkey in the Cromwell Fairfax room or taking in the views of the great, Devonshire countryside, it’s easy to see yourself here…
Looking for somewhere a little further afield? La Réserve is the masterpiece of the French Riviera…
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