Ref: LCAA7916 Offers around £550,000
Owls House, Ladock, Nr. Truro, Cornwall, TR2 4PW FREEHOLD
A grandly proportioned and extensive 5 bedroomed, 4 bathroomed south facing period house extending to almost 3,500sq.ft. – a significant portion of a grand country house within a few miles of Truro. An opportunity to live in one of the area’s most impressive historic residences enjoying the high ceilinged, detail filled accommodation with integral garage, carport and long south facing garden looking out across countryside. 2 Ref: LCAA7916
SUMMARY OF ACCOMMODATION
Ground Floor: reception hall, dining room, drawing room, kitchen, sitting room, utility room, bathroom, integral garage, basement.
First Floor: landing, master bedroom with balcony and en-suite shower room. 2 further bedrooms, shower room.
Second Floor: landing, 2 double bedrooms (1 with former kitchenette off), bathroom.
Outside: long south facing garden with large terrace, deck, summerhouse, shed and deep shrub lined boundaries. Broad carport to the front opening to the garage.
DESCRIPTION
Owls House is the central portion of one of the grandest houses in Cornwall and certainly within such close proximity to Truro. The non-listed building is believed to have been started in the late 1870’s by the Rector Stanford Raffles Flint (with family connection to Raffles Hotel, named after the founder of Singapore), who went on to become Archdeacon and a Canon of Truro Cathedral. As his family grew the house was increased in size significantly but always in keeping with the original to give a harmonious many gabled appearance over three storeys with outstanding chimneys and architectural details such as stone balustraded balconies and patterned stone detailing to the exterior.
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During the First World War injured prisoners of war were treated at the house and in the Second World War it housed higher ranking American soldiers with troops camping in the surrounding fields. It is even thought that the original kitchen was dismantled and used for firewood! Between the wars the house was at the centre of village life and almost certainly would have been before as well. Photographs in the house depict huge village parties on the lawns including hundreds of people at trestle tables and dancing around a maypole.
During the 1950’s the house was divided into three and named after the three books authored by the then owner’s son. Owls House was a book about a family of owls who lived in the attic during the 1940’s and apparently scared the soldiers who patrolled the grounds at the time. A more recent owner was Penny MacBeth, a renowned ceramics artist, who created the spectacular mosaic wall art in the dining room and ground floor bathroom which has to be seen to be appreciated and is now considered part of the history of the house by our clients.
The accommodation extends to just under 3,500sq.ft. but feels all the more voluminous due to the very high ceilings over each of the three floors. The most impressive room in the house would stand out in any home as the drawing room has beautiful proportions, display and recessed alcoves and a woodburning stove set into a lovely fireplace. Extensive glazing on the south elevation in a bay includes double glazed bi-fold doors added in 2014 which open out onto the terrace and garden. In the centre of the house is the dining room with a vast ceiling height stretching up to a double glazed roof which was fitted in 2013. Beside the dining room is a dated kitchen therefore giving a new owner the option to adjust the layout as they see fit. The kitchen is open-plan to a sitting room with an open fireplace and beyond this is a large utility 4 Ref: LCAA7916 room. It would seem possible to open all of these rooms up together if desirable to a new owner creating a space of 36’ overall. The ground floor is completed by the initial reception hall which itself has great interest and the spectacular and large bathroom. A door from the hall opens to the high ceilinged and large integral garage which currently is used for storage and to house the oil fired boiler and tank although it too has enormous potential as further accommodation.
The first floor landing and one the bedrooms share half each of a huge ornate arched window. This bedroom and another share a recently updated shower room whilst the master bedroom resides above the drawing room facing south over the garden to countryside beyond and opens onto a balcony. The master bedroom has its own large modern en-suite shower room. The second floor is very impressive, still with high ceilings and a generous landing off which are two further double bedrooms and a bathroom. One of the bedrooms has an oriel window facing south whilst the other has a former kitchenette off it with many potential uses.
To the front is a long driveway owned by the neighbouring property, over which a right of way is given to a wide carport at the front of the house through which access is gained to the garage. Facing south to the rear is a large terrace outside of the drawing room with wonderful wide steps with a granite handrail descending to the long lawn below which has many mature trees and shrubs lining its sides. The more ornamental nature of the garden opens out beyond hedging to a larger lawn ideal for children to play and this extends up to the neighbouring parkland like countryside. Unusual homes of this nature are so extremely rare in Cornwall and we strongly recommend viewing to appreciate the magnificent spaces found in a home such as this.
5 Ref: LCAA7916 LOCATION
Owls House is located in the village of Ladock which is set in an attractive valley of open farmland and woodland beside the Tresillian River. Ladock provides an excellent local inn and a very useful shop/post office in the centre with major retail, leisure and commercial facilities found in Cornwall’s capital city Truro, which is just 15 minutes’ drive away. Owls House offers the benefits of rural life but with all the perks of a city centre just a short drive away. Waitrose supermarket is on the east side of Truro as is a park and ride scheme into the centre of the city. Truro has a main railway station which provides a direct link to London Paddington (approximate travel time 4½ hours). There are nearby primary schools in Ladock and Probus, which has further facilities and secondary schooling either at Tregony or Truro where there is also a college.
Within easy driving distance to the south are beaches around the Roseland Peninsula and sailing facilities around both sides of the Carrick Roads including at St Mawes and Mylor. A short drive to the north are the surfing beaches around Newquay and it is only about half an hours’ drive to Padstow.
Ladock is an extremely convenient and central location with easy access throughout Cornwall via the A30 expressway which is a few miles to the north linking Land’s End to the motorway network at Exeter and only a couple of miles to the south is the A390 which runs along the south coast of Cornwall before joining the A38 and leading to Plymouth. Cornwall Airport Newquay is about 20 minutes’ drive away to the north and provides plentiful flights to Heathrow as well as many other internal and international destinations.
THE ACCOMMODATION COMPRISES (all floor plans and dimensions are approximate)
COVERED ENTRANCE / CARPORT – 22’2” x 13’. Monopitched roof structure and open front, exposed stone surrounding walls with a beautiful circular window into the utility room. Pair of painted timber doors to the garage and a slate canopy over a gorgeous Victorian door with leaded window over opening to:-
RECEPTION HALL. 9’3” high ceiling, doors to a recessed cloaks cupboard, further recessed cupboard housing the hot water cylinder with slatted wooden shelving over. Doors to the sitting room, dining room and:-
GARAGE – 15’5” x 12’. Oil tank and oil fired boiler. 14’5” high ceiling with canopied edges, window over the garage door. 6 Ref: LCAA7916 DINING ROOM – 22’10” x 11’. 11’ high ceiling minimum extending higher as a monopitched glazed room filling the room with light and allowing a view up to the beautiful arched window at first floor landing height. Staircase to the first floor, broad deep recessed arch. Oil fired pale blue four oven Aga. Broken ceramic mosaic tiled walls to full height on two sides created by the previous owner Penny MacBeth, a noted ceramics artist. Painted panelled doors to the drawing room, kitchen and the bathroom with that door set into a leaded stained glass windowed surround.
DRAWING ROOM – 32’ reducing to 24’2” x 18’3”. A splendid room of grand proportions under an 11’ high ceiling with mouldings, frieze between the cornicing and picture rails, high skirting boards, exposed floorboards and various display shelves and recesses. Extensively glazed southern wall with bi-fold doors opening to the terrace and garden looking toward countryside and trees beyond, with further windows to the east and west sides. Woodburning stove on a decoratively tiled hearth with painted wooden surround and mantle. The door into this room from the dining room is of exposed woodwork with an elegant surround and brass fingerplates. 7 Ref: LCAA7916 KITCHEN – 12’ x 8’6”. Semi open-plan to the adjacent sitting room creating a space of almost 26’ overall. Tall partly obscure glazed sash window, painted range of dated kitchen units under roll edged stone effect worktops with a stainless steel sink and drainer with chrome mixer tap over. Painted match boarded splashbacks. Space within the units for a dishwasher. 9’9” high ceiling, wide opening to:-
SITTING ROOM – 15’5” x 12’9”. 9’2” high ceiling, large window to the side, painted stone fireplace with a thick wooden mantle and inset open grate fire. Doors to the reception hall and utility room. This room along with the adjacent kitchen and utility rooms have huge potential to create a more contemporary open-plan family kitchen that could potentially extend to 36’ long overall.
UTILITY ROOM – 12’ x 9’6”. Triple aspect with large windows to the side and rear as well as the circular window looking into the covered entrance. Tiled floor, 9’1” high ceiling. Fitted 8 Ref: LCAA7916 with a range of painted units with a pale blue sink and drainer with mixer tap over. Plumbing for a washing machine and tumble dryer.
BATHROOM – 13’4” x 13’3”. A wonderful theatrical space fully mosaic tiled with broken ceramics, mirror and objet d'art created by the former owner, Penny MacBeth. Mix of white painted wooden floorboards and blue mosaic floor tiles to the wet area where there is a white enamelled bath, wc and pedestal wash basin. Recessed cupboard, 9’5” high ceiling, door opening to a spiral staircase down to:-
BASEMENT – 27’8” x 11’ overall. Concrete floor and painted stone walls. This very useable space is currently a gymnasium and store.
FIRST FLOOR
LANDING. 10’ high ceiling, staircase rising to the second floor with generous space below. Doors in surrounding architraves to:- 9 Ref: LCAA7916 MASTER BEDROOM – 18’4” x 15’3” extending to 17’4”. 11’ high ceiling with cornice, glazed double doors with surrounding near floor to ceiling windows opening to a leaded floored balcony with lichen covered brick balustrade facing south over the garden, surrounding grounds and countryside. Door to:-
EN-SUITE SHOWER ROOM – 9’ x 8’6”. A contemporary space with grey floor and wall tiling to half height and patterned white and grey full height tiling in the glazed screened shower enclosure with Mira Alero shower. Contemporary white wc and wash basin with chrome mixer tap over a drawer unit. Chrome heated towel rail, mirror with integrated lighting over the wash basin, extractor fan.
SHOWER ROOM. Glazed screened and grey marble effect tiled shower enclosure with a Mira Sport shower. Grey marble effect floor tiling, white contemporary wc, wall hung wash basin with chrome mixer tap. Extractor fan.
BEDROOM 2 – 12’9” x 12’. Tall sash window to the front with window seat, 10’ high ceiling. Large display recess.
BEDROOM 3 – 12’ x 7’9”. This room was previously part of a much larger landing and uses half of the original ornate arch topped window to the front. Near full height arched recess, 10’ high ceiling with cornice.
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SECOND FLOOR
LANDING. Large landing with space for seating, galleried over the staircase with a white painted handrail. 9’ high ceiling with interesting angles, display recess, obscured leaded window lending light to the bathroom and doors to:-
BEDROOM 4 – 16’3” x 14’4”. 9’3” high ceiling with interesting angles, oriel window facing south over countryside. Near full wall of fitted cupboards and wardrobes, white painted floorboards.
BEDROOM 5 – 12’ x 9’5”. Window to the front, 8’3” high ceiling with canopied edges and painted timbers. Doorway to:-
FORMER KITCHENETTE – 12’ x 5’. Window to the front, painted units and roll edged worktops with a stainless steel twin bowl sink and drainer with chrome tap, white painted floorboards.
BATHROOM. Bath with chrome mixer tap and wall mounted shower over. Twyford white cantilevered wash basin, white wc, white painted floorboards, obscured leaded window borrowing light from the landing.
OUTSIDE
The property has a right of way down the driveway which leads to the carport/covered entrance.
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The bi-fold doors from the drawing room open onto a wide flight of three granite steps descending onto a large paved patio standing grandly above the garden below with a further wide flight of granite steps and thick shaped granite handrail leading down to the garden. As soon as one reaches the garden there is a deck to one side and this, along with the entre garden, faces due south. A lawn then stretches to the south with shrub lined beds to either side filled with all manor of trees, shrubs and grasses. A walkway leads below a holly tree and through a hedge, past a summerhouse clothed in wisteria and a garden shed before opening out onto a larger area of lawn ideal for children to play. To the bottom of the garden is a sizeable tree and there is also an apple tree to the side. The garden backs onto fields dotted with trees making a stunning outlook. 12 Ref: LCAA7916
GENERAL INFORMATION
VIEWING – Strictly by prior appointment through: Lillicrap Chilcott, Landrian House, 59-60 Lemon Street, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 2PE. Telephone: (01872) 273473. E-mail: [email protected].
POST CODE – TR2 4PW.
SERVICES – Mains water, drainage and electricity. Oil fired boiler. For Council Tax see www.mycounciltax.org.uk.
DIRECTIONS – Proceeding north on the B3275 into Ladock (from the Truro side) enter the village and then take the first right hand turning signed to Ladock Church and School. The driveway leading to Owls House and the neighbouring property will then be found prominently on the right hand side. We advise parking by the roadside and walking down the drive.
AGENT’S NOTE – The above particulars have been prepared as a general guide only for prospective buyers. Whilst we have endeavoured to provide a fair and reasonable description of the property, no specific survey or detailed inspection has been carried out in relation to the property, the services, the appliances and any fixtures and fittings or equipment. All buyers should rely on their own surveys and investigations in connection with any purchase of the property. All measurements, floor plans, dimensions, acreages and distances are approximate only and should not be relied upon for accuracy.
OFFICE OPENING HOURS – Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm. Saturday - 9.00am to 1.00pm. NB: A number of staff are available for viewing appointments all day Saturday and all day Sunday.
13 Ref: LCAA7916 Not to scale – for identification purposes only.
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