A flurry of new farm stays have opened in Europe as of late – from Denmark to Estonia, Spain and Britain – answering to an increasing need for quiet, rural and simple-at-heart places to retreat. When it comes to high luxury, space and direct access to nature have trampled the allure of fancy hotel amenities, and at Fowlescombe Farm in Devon, there is precisely 450 acres of pastures to roam just outside your bedroom.
Cattle, sheep and pigs graze the rolling hills that hang over the valley on the edge of Dartmoor National Park. Vegetables are freshly picked from the kitchen garden, while buckets overflowing with tomatoes and flowers line the green house. Meadows dance in the wind around the stone buildings – some new, some existing – and a white-painted Victorian mansion, between which 10 spacious bedrooms have been carved out.
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When the current owners purchased Fowlescombe, it was already a working farm, though they envisioned far more potential. Regenerative farming remained at the base of their vision, and they have planned everything from the materials used in the rooms to menus at the farm-to-table restaurant around this commitment.
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‘The first thought we had when we found the farm is how do we preserve this paradise on earth,’ says Paul Glade, the creative director of Fowlescombe, who developed the project with his partner Cailtin Owens, whose family took over the farm in 2019. Together with Swiss architects Studio Gugger and London-based interior designer Sophia Gomm, they have created a luxury retreat that is completely unique in its approach in the UK.
Fittingly, the design of the interiors was inspired by the surrounding landscape, narrowing down materials to those readily available on the land. Walls are limewashed, which is typical of farm buildings locally. The stacked stones used to build all of the structures beside the Victorian house and on feature walls like the two-storey chimney in the Long Barn suite were quarried on site, traveling just 100 metres to their final destination. Wool from their own flock of Manx Loaghtan sheep was used for handmade mattresses by Naturalmat, while Bristol-based joiner Konk custom-designed the oak furnishings that appear generously: four-poster oak beds, minimalist armchairs, dining tables, and shelving rivalling that of Artek. It’s a Scandi show on a farm in the depths of Devon.
In contrast to the stone and limewashed elements, oak has also been used to create soft drama in some of the bigger rooms. Take Home Barn, one of the most architecturally impressive suites, which has a double-height living room extending up to the gabled roof. To one side, a wall-length limewashed stone chimney piece anchors the room, while to the other, an oak sectional wall cuts into a staircase up to a bedroom on the mezzanine. Tucked under the stairs is a sleek stone kitchen in a similar grey as that used on the flooring. Though the scheme and materials stay true to the pared-back appeal, the play on form and proportion is breathtaking.
An impressive art collection curated by Claudia Kennaugh of Art & People showcases the works of predominately English artists and makers throughout, mixed in with family heirlooms and ‘art moments’. Cailtin points to an artwork she and Paul made one uneventful evening during Covid lockdown, then to her father’s first travel book from his teens in the library.
However impeccably tasteful Fowlescombe may be – not one coffee table book is stacked out of line – perhaps what makes it feel so special are these personal connections and unexpected interactions with the family – some as subtle as a book and others like running into Caitlin in the morning at the restaurant, who can tell you exactly which beach you must go at any point or which beacon in Dartmoor to climb.
Fowlescombe Farm
Ugborough, Ivybridge PL21 0HW
From £410 per night, including breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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