Property News (England). www.countrylife.co.uk Reports The first swallows have already arrived at the magical Blachford Manor estate at Cornwood, near Ivybridge, in Devon's tranquil south-west corner, to the delight of the estate's owner, international investment banker Roland Peeters. ‘I've lived in a lot of places around Europe, but this has been my dream,' says Mr Peeters, who bought Blachford at the nadir of its fortunes in 2001, and has spent the past decade transforming the Grade II*-listed house and its 734 acres of land into a model West Country estate. Sadly, the constant need to travel makes it impossible for Mr Peeters to enjoy his creation to the full, and this week's Country Life sees the launch of Blachford, the first major estate to hit the market in Devon this year, at ‘offers over £8 million' through Savills (01392 455755).
One of three ancient manors in the sprawling parish of Cornwood on the edge of Dartmoor, Blachford was held in the early 1300s by the Prior of Plympton, before being bought, post-Reformation, by the Hele family of South Hele. In 1694, John Rogers, a high-ranking Customs official and wealthy merchant from Plymouth, acquired both Blach-ford and South Hele, and, in 1698, became a baronet and MP for Plymouth. That same year, he made Blachford over to his newly married son, also called John. Sir John was succeeded by 10 baronets, seven of whom became MPs, before the barony died out in the early 1900s.
At that time, the vast estate lands extended onto Dartmoor itself, and a number of boundary stones on the moor still bear the inscription ‘BB', for Blachford Bounds. In 1917, the new owner, Margaret Deare, gave the bulk of the estate to her cousin, Maj Frederick Passy, retaining only the gardens, deer park and some surrounding land. Parcels of land were later reacquired to restore the estate to its current size.
The east wing of Blachford Manor (pictured) reveals a much older, possibly Jacobean house, which was enlarged and re-fronted with a Georgian façade in the early 18th century; Blachford's famous deer park and lake were laid out by James Green in 1827. The manor then stood still for decades before the present owner undertook a major restoration of the house, gardens, cottages and land.
One of three ancient manors in the sprawling parish of Cornwood on the edge of Dartmoor, Blachford was held in the early 1300s by the Prior of Plympton, before being bought, post-Reformation, by the Hele family of South Hele. In 1694, John Rogers, a high-ranking Customs official and wealthy merchant from Plymouth, acquired both Blach-ford and South Hele, and, in 1698, became a baronet and MP for Plymouth. That same year, he made Blachford over to his newly married son, also called John. Sir John was succeeded by 10 baronets, seven of whom became MPs, before the barony died out in the early 1900s.
At that time, the vast estate lands extended onto Dartmoor itself, and a number of boundary stones on the moor still bear the inscription ‘BB', for Blachford Bounds. In 1917, the new owner, Margaret Deare, gave the bulk of the estate to her cousin, Maj Frederick Passy, retaining only the gardens, deer park and some surrounding land. Parcels of land were later reacquired to restore the estate to its current size.
The east wing of Blachford Manor (pictured) reveals a much older, possibly Jacobean house, which was enlarged and re-fronted with a Georgian façade in the early 18th century; Blachford's famous deer park and lake were laid out by James Green in 1827. The manor then stood still for decades before the present owner undertook a major restoration of the house, gardens, cottages and land.
