Georgian country home in Cornwall with links to Thomas Hardy for sale

A Georgian country home in Cornwall with links to literary great Thomas Hardy is for sale. Kirland Manor is an elegant listed Georgian country residence which is approached over a private shared stone lane and stands in an enviable countryside position.

It has the benefit of being away from, but near to, the old county town of Bodmin. Standing with it’s own mature grounds, Kirland Manor, with Thomas Hardy connections, is a quality period residence which is reflected in its status as a Grade II listed building and shows off a number of features including ceiling cornicing, moulding, window seats, box cupboards, fireplaces, panel doors, original nails, slate flagstone floors, sash windows and more.

Kirland Manor has a historical connection with the famous poet and novelist Thomas Hardy. Emma Gifford, Thomas Hardy’s first wife, lived with her family at Kirland Manor in the 1860s and appears on the 1861 census. In 1870, while working as a trainee architect, Thomas Hardy came to Cornwall on an architectural mission to restore the parish church of St Juliot and met Emma Gifford. Emma’s father, a lawyer, disapproved of Hardy as he was the son of a builder. Despite her father’s disapproval, the pair married in 1874.

The residence has been the subject of an ongoing upgrading and improvement programme over a number of years and is presented to the market requiring completion to create an outstanding residence and its annexe.

On the ground floor is an open portico porch with heavy front door to a reception hall with solid wood floor and ceiling cornicing with doors off from left and right to the two main front reception rooms. At the rear of the hall are archways leading through to an inner hall and turning balustrade stairs off to the first floor with an under-stairs cupboard.

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The main front reception room is a drawing room with solid wood floor and stone fireplace with inset wood-burner with slate and marble surround and slate hearth, off which is a spacious office room. The other front reception room comprises a dining room with wide stone fireplace with inset wood-burner with timber beam over, slate hearth, ceiling coving and door to a secondary inner hall with door to walk-in larder and small utility room.

Off is the kitchen (new 2023) with slate flagstone floor and matching range of Shaker-style units. From the kitchen is a rear hall/boot room with slate flagstone floor and a family room with slate flagstone floor. Also off the inner hall are steps up to an old apple store (with part restricted ceiling height) and large storage cupboard, perhaps ideal as a study/hobbies room or further bedroom with en suite (subject to all necessary consents and approvals).

On the first floor is a master bedroom suite with southerly outlook and a walk-in wardrobe/dressing room and en-suite shower room (new 2023). There are two other bedrooms and a bathroom (new 2023). On the second floor are two further spacious bedrooms in the roof (with part restricted ceiling height).

To the rear of the house is a detached self-contained annexe with kitchen, living room, shower room and bedroom.

From the stone lane is a gravelled drive which sweeps around the front of the house and also leads to the east through a parcel of mainly deciduous woodland to a garage building. Within the woodland are a number of mature and fine deciduous beech trees.

To the front of the house is an open lawn garden overlooking a neighbouring meadow and to the eastern side of which is a contemporary heated outside swimming pool with electric pool cover. Above is a further area of lawn with flower borders and seating areas, and to the west are delightful wall-enclosed gardens with an upper level with crazy paved paths and seating areas, an ornamental pond an old timber-framed greenhouse and a lower-level orchard. On the rear of the northern wall is a garden shed and log store. In total, the grounds with Kirland Manor extend to about 1.75 acres.

With a guide price of £950,000, contact Stags on 01872 264488 for more information.

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