A manor house near Exeter that is one of the region’s oldest has been sold to a Chinese investor for £2 million.
Canonteign Manor is a restored Grade I listed 16th century manor with views over the Teign Valley on the edge of Dartmoor.
The house which boasts a great hall / dining hall, drawing room, billiards room, living room, study, two staircases, a snug, kitchen / breakfast room, boot room, cloak room as well as seven bedroom suites with bathrooms and three further bedrooms, a long gallery/gym, sauna and a second floor office and staff accommodation was on the market after a modernising transformation.
Canonteign Manor sits among level gardens with sunken walled garden and swimming pool in 10 acres of land.
A spokeswoman for Savills which handled the sale, said: “Canonteign Manor is one Devon’s most important and ancient country houses presented in superb condition for the 21st Century and is situated in a spectacular yet convenient location.
“The property will be the buyer’s UK base.”
The ancient house, with its long history dating from the doomsday, includes being garrisoned by the King in the Civil War and ownership by notable Devon families, including the the Davys and Pellew family, later the Viscounts Exmouth.
It was the second Viscount who moved his family seat to nearby Canonteign House at the beginning of the 19th century and the Manor then fell into a state of slow disrepair over the following 150 years.
It was then restored by Lady Exmouth in the 1970s and recently during the last few years the ancient house has been brought into the 21st century with extensive and sympathetic renovation.
The Savills’ spokeswoman added: “The real magic of Canonteign Manor is its generously proportioned and simply elegant rooms, which although lit from mullion windows, are both tall and light.”
Most of the principal rooms are panelled with linen fold panelling and have a focal point of a massive granite fireplace and enjoy the spectacular views across the Teign Valley.
The house is configured to accommodate a staff flat on the second floor with its own facilities and access through the house.
The house stands in simply landscaped grounds which include areas of lawn, shrubbery and a park field providing space for grazing.
It sits about half way up the valley side of the River Teign, one of the principal rivers flowing off Dartmoor.
Canonteign itself is an exclusive community, originally based around the Manor, but now including the 19th Canonteign House, built by the then owner of the Manor House the second Viscount Exmouth.
The nearest village is Christow, which also overlooks the Teign valley and is popular due to both its location and good range of community facilities including pub, village school, shop, sports fields, doctors surgery and clubs.