The Lower & Upper Arches, luxury Converted Barn in Devon countryside

‘The Lower & Upper Arches’ is an isolated self catering holiday accommodation in the remote Devonshire countryside. The let is situated just off the beautiful Taw Valley in the green rolling hills of central Devon. The luxury accommodation is a former barn and is believed to be built at a similar time to the main house, (Nethercott) and original farm buildings. ‘Nethercott’ falls on what was the Portsmouth Estate and was built by the Earl of Portsmouth in 1862.

In 2010 the conversion of ‘The Arches’ began and the building itself was completed in Mid-2012 (although development to the grounds and gardens continues). A local architect and builder were employed for the design and construction and wherever possible local materials have been used. Construction is of stone, oak and slate and the exterior retains its traditional character and appealing brick arches. Despite being double glazed all doors and windows are custom made from solid oak to match the charm of the original building. The interior of the houses retains this style but also with the inclusion of modern materials, (stainless and glass) giving a ‘twist’ of new and old. The open plan, upside down, layout is exceptionally spacious providing 2 self-contained exceptionally large lets for large families or groups.

The dwelling is a quiet retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the city and is conveniently situated for countryside activities. If you require a luxury stay then forget damp caravans or pokey wooden huts in packed campsites and stay at a location of true quality. To make your stay the most enjoyable much care was taken during construction. We have concentrated our utmost to provide accommodation of the highest standard and have included small improvements such as wall soundproofing, light blocking curtains and low temp central heating to all rooms as standard.

If you are looking to take over the whole property, there are a total of 6 bedrooms and 2 large sofa beds within both lounge/dining areas. This will allow a total capacity to sleep up to 20 people between both the 'Upper and Lower Arches'. An outline of what each unit contains is listed below. The 'Upper Arches' contains a greater capacity to seat more in its dining area than the 'Lower Arches'.

The 'Lower Arches' let has 3 bedrooms, with either king or super-king beds, (we can supply little beds for little people) with 100% cotton bed linen (and towels in bathrooms). All rooms have luxury extra deep pile carpets and solid oak furniture. Hairdryers are available in each bedroom. In addition to the main large bath/shower rooms 1 of the master bedrooms also have their own en-suite wet room c/w high volume power showers. For larger groups, further to the bedrooms, each has 2 sofa beds situated in the open plan lounge/dining area providing a total sleeping capacity of 6 – 10.

Upstairs, the 'Lower Arches' conversion has its own fully fitted kitchen with hob, oven, microwave, a large American style fridge/freezer, toaster etc and is very open/spacious in design, (being 45’ approx. long). The dining/lounge areas have 50” plasma TV and surround entertainment system. The lounge/dining area has fabric seating for all guests and dining table for a capacity of 10.

The 'Upper Arches' let has 3 bedrooms, with either king or super-king beds, (we can supply little beds for little people) with 100% cotton bed linen (and towels in bathrooms). All rooms have luxury extra deep pile carpets, solid oak furniture and 22” HDTV. Hairdryers are available in all bedrooms. In addition to the main large bath/shower rooms 1 of the master bedrooms also have their own en-suite wet room c/w high volume power showers. For larger groups, further to the bedrooms, each has 2 sofa beds situated in the open plan lounge/dining area providing a total sleeping capacity of 6 – 10.

Upstairs, the 'Upper Arches' conversion has its own fully fitted kitchen with hob, oven, microwave, Large Butchers Block Island with integrated fridge, additional small fridge freezer, toaster etc and is very open/spacious in design, (being 45’ approx. long). The dining/lounge areas have 50” plasma TV and surround entertainment system. The lounge/dining area has leather seating for all guests and a solid oak dining table, (which will cater for up to 18 should you have friends visiting).

Recently we have installed a gym area which guests may use. The gym is comprehensive with commercial grade machines and dumbbells up to 25Kg.

We have a new Studio Gym Adjacent to the Arches. Currently contains Bench/Rack, Oly Bar/Weights, Dumbbells, Treadmill , Crosstrainer, Recline Bike, Punchbag, Commercial Multigym and Bike.

There is a Large BBQ / Garden area to the rear of the property shared between the 'Lower & Upper Arches'. There is direct access to the garden from the 'Upper Arches' through a door to the rear of the property. However, the 'Lower Arches' does not have direct access to the garden. This is accessed through a side gate around to the rear of the property.

Should you wish to have washing / laundry done, we are able to offer this service at a small fee.

Recycling bins are located at the front of the property for your use.

The 'Lower Arches' only is pet friendly. Whilst we do not charge any extras for pets, we do ask that you please keep pets off any soft furnishings and out of all the carpeted areas/bedrooms. Pets are permitted on all the wood/slate floored areas.

Pets are not permitted in the 'Upper Arches'.