Grade II-listed country home in Blackborough goes on sale for £1.5million

The property is located in Blackdown Hills which bordering Somerset and Devon
The mansion was built in 1838 by George Wyndham, the fourth Earl of Egremont

A derelict Grade II country mansion has been listed for just under £1.5 million.

Blackborough House, which was bought by its current owner in November 2020, has 14-bedrooms, 15 bathrooms and nine reception rooms, and was designed to be an Italianate palace.

The property is nestled in Blackdown Hills, which spreads along the border between Somerset and Devon and has been named an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Its current owner is part-way through the astonishing redevelopment, but with work taking him out of the country, he has been forced to put the property up for sale.

As part of his renovations, he installed solar panels and a biomass boiler, planted a range of trees, replenished the soil and introduced wildlife such as ducks to the land.

A derelict mansion in Devon which includes 14-bedrooms, 15 bathrooms and nine reception rooms, and was designed to be an Italianate palace has now been put up for sale

Despite its grand façade, the Grade II Listed country mansion was never completed and is in need of a complete renovation

Pre-renovation: Upon purchasing the property, the owners’ intentions were to make the mansion more environmentally sustainable which included installing solar panels and a biomass boiler

An image of the Blackborough House after undergoing some renovation by the current owner although it still needs further work

The current owner is part way through the astonishing redevelopment but with work taking him out of the country he has been forced to put the property up for sale

These changes have meant that the owner is looking to sell the property for a staggering £1,495,000 which had been previously listed for £400,000 back in 2020.

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.

‘There is a huge battery storage facility and it’s got about 30 kilo watt hours, which is almost enough to drive to London.

‘Even though it is an ostentatious English country house it still can be done up with very green principals.’

He added: ‘The house was an absolutely wreck when I bought it. There was car scrap everywhere so I spent huge amount of time sorting it out.

‘We simply didn’t know what lay underneath the overgrowth, so we found car axels and there was metal all over the place.’

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.

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 World War II 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 homed numerous old cars.

The owner described the property as ‘an absolutely wreck’ when he first purchased the home back in November 2020

Through extensive work, the owner began to uncover hidden gems like the 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 70′ foot 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 self-contained apartment with two more bedroom suites.

The East Wing, while currently acting as a separate dwelling, can be incorporated into the main house.

The Blackborough House mansion is split into two sides the East and West Wing, with the latter Wing including a cinema room

The hamlet of Blackborough is located between two villages, Kentisbeare and Dunkeswell, and the market town of Honiton is just a short eight miles away

During World War II, the property was used as a Quaker training centre for conscientious objectors, before later becoming a youth hostel

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.

While it may be nestled in rural Devon, the property is just over five miles from the M5 and within about eight miles from the express rail link at Tiverton Parkway. From the station it is just a two-hour journey to Paddington.

The hamlet of Blackborough is located between two villages, Kentisbeare and Dunkeswell, and the market town of Honiton is just a short eight miles away.

It is also just 18 miles from the Cathedral City of Exeter.

The owner went on to say that he hopes that whoever takes on the property after him will care for it the same way he has done.

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.

‘I hope they will care for it and love it as much as I did. And I hope that they will recognise the green opportunity.’