A Short Break at Pickwell Manor, North Devon

I love Devon, although I’m a little biased. I was born in south Devon and brought up just over the border in Cornwall so I know the area well. But the north coast of Devon has always been a bit of a mystery to me. It was like going over to the dark side, all brooding and rugged with the wild Atlantic Ocean unforgivably battering the beaches.

So, I was delighted when my family and I were invited* to stay at Pickwell Manor near Braunton for a few nights. Pickwell Manor has been named the best alternative to Centre Parcs by The Guardian and their Laundry Room features in the Wall Street Journal’s Year in Photos 2014 and has often been quoted as having the laundry with the best view!

I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to see a laundry room and as this is the first year Pickwell Manor are staying open for the winter, including Christmas and the New Year, I was curious to see what it had to offer for the colder months.

pickwell manor north devon
The manor house at Pickwell Manor

The Grand Manor House of Pickwell Manor

We arrived after a very long journey (my fault for being overly optimistic that it would be fine to head down the M27 just before rush hour!) and were able to find Pickwell Manor and our apartment easily.

We were staying in Constance which sleeps up to 4 people, 1 double bedroom and a partitioned bunk room with built in bunk beds within the lounge which my kids absolutely loved and couldn’t wait to get to bed!

We were warmly welcomed with freshly cut flowers, home made brownies, a bottle of white wine from the region (which I can confirm was delicious) and plenty of information of Pickwell Manor and surrounding areas all contained in a tablet for you to use. I loved this idea as it’s a great way of cutting down on paper.

Wine and chocolate brownies greeted us
The sitting area of the apartment
kitchen
The large kitchen diner with oven, hob, fridge freezer, microwave, dishwasher and table to seat 4 – Constance
The large double bedroom with door out onto the roof terrace of Constance

After an extremely comfortable night’s sleep, we went for a walk around the grounds and Mr B took the kids to the Games Room whilst I went to explore the rest of the apartments and tree houses gloriously unaccompanied. Pickwell Manor itself sits in six acres of garden and grounds with views to the Devon coast and surrounding countryside. It has been divided into 10 individual apartments, all with their own unique style and includes a 16th century private chapel with an outside bath!

The beautiful and child friendly grounds of Pickwell
Plenty of areas to sit and enjoy the great outdoors.
My Son playing with the Lego in the well stocked Play Room

THE SNUG

We entered Pickwell Manor through a lovely courtyard and into a reception area with an imposing grand staircase which is in keeping with the Jacobean style of the manor. Through the reception there is a long hallway with doors that lead you into “The Snug”. This runs along the south facing ground floor of the manor and includes a ballroom, seating area around a wood burner and large open plan living area with a kitchen and separate island I could only dream of!

This area can be hired out as a venue in itself, or it can be used as a “hub” when the apartments Grace, Bliss, Affinity and The Chapel have been booked together (which combined can sleep up to 30 guests!)

A mixture of old and new – the seating area around the wood burner in The Snug
Beautiful bay windows
A large kitchen with island, copper backsplash and copper details. A great area for socialising
A cosy reading corner with plenty of books
Beautiful views out onto the Devonian Countryside

BLISS – SLEEPS 10

Coming out of The Snug and heading up the grand staircase takes you to two large apartments. Upstairs to the right is Bliss which still has the original oak panelled doors, high ceilings and feature fireplaces. Bliss consists of 4 bedrooms, my favourite being the large super-king bedroom with in-room bath, kitchen with large range cooker and a huge lounge and dining room that can easily accommodate all the guests in the apartment. I particularly liked the raised seating area looking out over the south facing gardens and the pops of colour in this room.

The ultimate in luxury – the Master Bedroom in Bliss
Pale grey units and walls, metro tiles and painted floorboards give this kitchen a wonderful country feel – Bliss
Another sympathetically decorated bedroom in Bliss with original beams and fireplaces
The wall hanging providing pops of colour in the dining area
 The large raised seating area and dining table of Bliss

AFFINITY – SLEEPS 7

Next door to Bliss is Affinity which consists of three bedrooms, again one bedroom with in-room bath, a self-catering kitchen and a large dining table and seating area. The lounge looks out of the south facing old mullion windows with a galley style kitchen running along the full length of the room. The rooms are huge and have retained a lot of the character and personality of Pickwell Manor which adds to the essence of staying in Affinity.

The antique fireplace and dining area of Affinity
The cosy living area in Affinity
The galley style kitchen which sits comfortably between the dining and lounge areas
One of the bedroom in Affinity, I love the dark wood panelling in this room
 The green wall, painted white brick work, large mullion windows and vintage furniture made this corner one of my favourites in Affinity

GRACE – SLEEPS 9

This had to be my favourite apartment within Pickwell Manor. I loved the use of old and new, dark and light colours, views across the south facing grounds and north facing courtyard and the huge amount of space! Grace comprises of 4 bedrooms with my favourite bedroom of the Manor having an in-room bath and a wonderful contemporary shower room.

There is also a shared family bathroom, private laundry room and wet room, a huge lounge with seating for 12 people centered around a wood burner for cosy autumnal evenings and an incredibly large country kitchen with double electric AGA style oven.

The court yard that sits in the middle of the Manor with Grace on the ground floor
The wonderfully grand and rustic farmhouse kitchen of Grace
Beautiful features and stone flooring
The large and tranquil lounge with pops of blue reminding you the sea is a short distance away
Old and new. A imposing fireplace with pops of blue from abstract art and soft furnishings
The award for my favourite room in the manor has to go to this exquisite master bedroom with in-room bath in Grace
What a show stopper!! Why would you ever need to leave this room? 🙂
the fabulously contemporary shower room and toilet
another large double room in grace

Pickwell Manor also consists of 6 smaller apartments, 4 of which are on the 1st and 2nd floors of the Manor, one an old converted Chapel and the other the old laundry, Amity! It also has two Tree Houses located in the woodland around the Manor, which needs a blog post all to itself (coming soon!) as they were truly stunning!

To access the Pickwell Manor apartments, you enter to the side of the manor, through a boot room (which is well stocked with wellies and outdoor wear and a cupboard of useful stuff!) and in through a cosy reception with green leather chesterfields.

No room has escaped the amazing decor fairy in the Manor – the reception area to the 4 smaller apartments
 We did indeed rest!

JUBILEE – SLEEPS 6

3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a bright, modern and airy kitchen with dining table and a cosy lounge area with south-facing stone mullion windows overlooking the countryside.

The kitchen diner with mullion windows in Jubilee

LIBERTY – SLEEPS 4 + 2

Liberty consist of 1 double bedroom, 2 single beds and a double sofa-bed in the lounge. It has a lounge diner which can comfortably accommodate 6 people and a fully furnished kitchen.

A double bedroom in Liberty

SERENITY – SLEEPS 3 + 2

Serenity is on the second floor of the Manor and is a firm favourite with guests. It is light and airy and has wonderful views over the Devon countryside. It has a modern fitted kitchen with dining table.

The lounge with far reaching views in Serenity

DIVINE – SLEEPS 2 + 2

A warm and cosy apartment with fully fitted kitchen and angled lofty ceilings in the bedroom.

The very light and bright bedroom with sloping ceilings in Divine

AMITY – SLEEPS 2

This was the former laundry and is now a cosy cottage for two people. It has an airy beach-hut feel with a mezzanine bedroom, bathroom and fitted kitchen.

A former laundry, now a cosy cottage for 2
The lounge and mezzanine bedroom in Amity

THE CHAPEL – SLEEPS 2

This is a 16th century chapel that has been modernised to provide a “camper-van” style getaway. Again, it has a fully fitted kitchen, private decking area and an large outside bath!!! But don’t worry, for those cold winter months, there is a double shower in the wet room inside The Chapel.

The entrance to the 16th century Chapel
The “camper-van” inspired kitchen in The Chapel

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Pickwell Manor. They have thoughtfully planned for all weather eventualities with books, games and entertainment systems in all apartments, a large and fully stocked play room for the children, a tennis court, basketball hoop, woodland trails, an animal area, croquet and a giant chess set to name but a few.

The beach is a brisk walk away or 5 minutes by car and of course, you have the wonderful rugged and sandy coastline of North Devon all around you. They have also recently built two Tree-houses, The Hideaway and The Loft and are in the process of building a family tree-house. They were so incredible that I’ve decided to give them their own blog post! We can’t wait to get our next visit booked in soon!

For more information visit – www.pickwellmanor.co.uk

*This was a gifted stay for 2 nights in Constance

Mel x

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *