Go country and western

A wealth of fine properties in the West Country offer all the peaceful seclusion you could wish for

- Penny Churchill

WITH 35 years’ experience of selling country houses and estates in far-flung corners of the West Country, property consultant Martin Lamb thought he had seen it all—until Covid-19 turned the market on its head. ‘There’s always been a strong pull towards the South-West for buyers of both permanent and second homes from London and the South-East. Quite simply, we have what they don’t: space, darkness at night, silence, fresh air, beautiful countryside, magnificent coastlines—all now more desirable than ever in the face of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.’

Since May, Mr Lamb has acted on behalf of the vendors of six major properties, whose goal was to achieve a successful move within a reasonable time frame. Of those, three are now sold or under offer, the most significant being the Grade I-listed Cothay Manor on the Devon/Somerset border, a 15th-century house of national importance, sold through Knight Frank following a launch in COUNTRY LIFE on June 10.

Space means safe in the new normal. Add to that ‘an unbelievable position with total privacy, protection from the winds and the best sea views in Devon’ and you get Rock Vale, a contemporary, ‘grand design’ house in its own secret valley at Redlap, a hamlet between Dartmouth and the village of Stoke Fleming, within the South Hams AONB.