5 bed detached house for sale

Rose Cottage, Beach Road, Babbacombe, Devon TQ1

Rose Cottage is situated above Babbacombe Beach, overlooking Babbacombe Bay towards Lyme Bay, The Jurassic Coast and Portland Bill beyond. Listed, Grade 2, the house is believed to date back to the 1840's and to have been built as an early seaside holiday house at the start of the period when the invention of railways brought holiday travelers to the 'English Riviera'.
It was one of a group of small, picturesque houses bought by the renowned hotelier Peter De Savary, to supplement the accommodation provided by the Cary Arms and Spa, and renovated sympathetically, stylishly and to a high standard.
The house is built of stone with stuccoed and painted walls beneath a thatched roof and faces the stunning views over Babbacombe Bay, enabling a light filled interior. The house has immense character and charm and retains many of its original architectural features. A cobbled garden path leads up to the front of the house with verandah supporting climbing plants. Either side of the entrance hall with Victorian patterned tiled floor are the sitting and dining rooms with fireplaces and woodburners. To the rear is the dining room, also with fireplace, and the stylish fitted kitchen. On the first floor are two bedroom/ shower room/ bathroom suites with barrel vaulted ceilings, and three further bedrooms and a bathroom.
From the road a 5 bar gate opens to a driveway and parking area for three cars as well as the double garage. The front of the house and verandah face an enclosed, lawned front garden with ornamental shrubs and plants and, to one side, below the driveway, is a larger lawned garden area on a higher level benefiting from glorious sea views. To the other side of the house are terrace areas on three levels, including decking, interconnected by flights of steps and enjoying stunning views over Babbacombe Bay and beyond, and providing idyllic spots for outside sitting and dining.

Rose Cottage is situated on the edge of the Babbacombe Cliffs Site of Special Scientific Interest ( sssi ), on the wooded hillside just above Babbacombe Beach and the 5 star Cary Arms luxury seaside hotel and spa.
Babbacombe Beach is a beautiful arc of shingle beach and is a prime spot for diving, sailing and fishing, with small beachside café and slipway. Babbacombe itself emerged as a romantic seaside resort in the Victorian period, praised by Queen Victoria in 1846 as a 'beautiful spot... Red cliffs and rocks with wooded hills like Italy'. It is known as 'the jewel in the crown' offering a peaceful, scenic alternative to bustling Torquay, with its lush gardens and seaside charm, and is on the South West Coast Path providing spectacular coastal walking.
The facilities of Babbacombe, including its theatre, are within easy reach of the property, as well as St Marychurch Village with its pedestrianised shopping precinct about a mile away and shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants, as well as Cary Park with tennis courts and bowls club.
About half a mile on foot is Oddicombe Beach, linked by the renowned funicular Cliff Railway to picturesque Babbacombe Downs and Torquay Golf Club just beyond.
Torquay itself is on the 'English Riviera' and about two miles away are the harbour, marina, seafront esplanade, beach and facilities of Torquay town, around the bay with its waterside restaurants and bars. The glorious South Devon coast is all easily reached with its beaches, estuaries, coves, rocky cliffs and coastal towns and villages. To the west is Dartmoor National Park, renowned for its stunning scenery.
In Torquay there is a station on the 'Riviera Line' between Paignton and Exeter and there are mainline connections to London (Paddington). At Exeter, via the A380 and A38, there is access onto the M5 motorway and an airport.