In 1999 we moved down to Devon and started a small business at the property offering adventure weekends with quad-bikes, go-karts, sno-cats and 4x4 vehicles that went charging around a track on the perimeter of the property. Then foot-and-mouth hit the country and particularly this area and that put paid to our venture. It was time to concentrate on the buildings.
The Manor was in a bad way, stripped of much of its character features, a leaking roof causing massive damp problems and inevitable rot. The beautiful staircase was near collapse, much of the plasterwork gone. Luckily we are experienced builders, but even then we had not realised quite how bad the decay of the building was.
So the work started, painstakingly restoring the building back to its former glory. The beautiful staircase became a major project taken on by our son, Paul. He lovingly restored it, replaced rotting and worm-ridden timbers with reclaimed wood. Plaster mouldings that were retrievable were carefully removed and rebuilt and replicated by some of our old colleagues back in London. It was then sent down here for us to fit to the newly plastered walls. Then came the fun bit, redecorating and furnishing the Manor to a standard determined by the stature of the building. The Manor demanded quality and that is what we aimed for.
We then turned our attention to the outbuildings, not that we could now ignore the Manor. We started to convert the barns, stables and granary which were also in a state of collapse. Slowly but surely, we are getting there. With properties such as these we will never finish, but we have plans for further improvements, completing the grounds and adding a new lake.
The result is that Snurridge Manor is regaining its grandeur, once again proudly standing in its elevated position overlooking the beautiful Devon countryside. We fell in love with the doll’s house and it became our labour of love.
We look forward to welcoming you to our impressive house and cottages and hope that you will see why we fell in love with this house and hope that you do too.
Ron and Bernadette Soton
