Events
Hire our unique, Grade II listed Regency country villa, Sages, at the heart of Devon in the Torridge valley landscape that has inspired Henry Williamson, Ted Hughes, James Ravillious and Michael Morpurgo.
Sages is a beautiful location for every occasion from family holidays to wedding fetes. Step through the wooden gate and you enter the secluded front garden, its fine lawn sheltered by camelia and rhododendron hedges, fragrant herbaceous borders and the 80ft south-facing verandah of the house. From here, a succession of level garden rooms and courtyards, enclosed by grey stone and pan-tiled cob walls, winds around the house and its magnificent outbuildings and culminates in a spectacular view over open countryside where the grounds drop away, down the valley to a stream.
Sages is also a practical location, with plenty of indoor space in the house and outbuildings in case of British weather. There is on-grass parking for over 150 guests at the rear and several hard-standings and cobbled yards for service vehicles. The village has a church, two pubs and a general store-cum-post office.
Unlike many venues, we don't mind whether you want a helping hand or a free hand with your event. If you'd like some help, we are very happy to organise your event from our little black book of the best of Devon, but if you prefer to arrange everything yourself, we are happy to hire our property as a bare venue with a bare minimum of common-sense rules for you to keep. Whichever option you take, we will be on site on the night to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Location and Transport
Dolton is 45 minutes from Exeter, just off the main A3124 road to Bideford. The nearest mainline train station is Exeter St Davids, where frequent Intercity services call from London (fastest journey time 2h10) and, via Birmingham, the North-east, North-west and Scotland. There is a regular bus service between Exeter and Dolton, which also calls at Exeter St David's train station. The nearest branch line station is Eggesford on the Tarka Line (change at Exeter St David's).
Public spaces
The principal public spaces of Sages are located on the ground floor. of the west wing of the house:
Drawing room: south-facing room with sash windows and shutters, overlooking the verandah and front garden. Communicates with the Dining Room and Entrance Hall;
Dining room: south-facing room with french doors to the verandah and front garden. Communicates with the Drawing Room and Sun Room;
Verandah: south-facing verandah, overlooking the front garden and herbaceous borders. Communicates with the Dining Room, Sun Room and Entrance Hall.
Sun room: west-facing, flower-filled conservatory with private terrace and walled Orchard Garden beyond. Communicates with the Dining Room and Verandah
[Download ground floor room plan in PDF]
Accommodation
We are renovating the first floor to create six en-suite double bedrooms. For the moment, we can offer one double bedroom (super-king bed), available without meals, with a bathroom shared with our staff accommodation. The bedroom can be hired with the venue, e.g. for a changing room for the wedding party, or on its own if you would like to make a reconnaissance visit when the house is not booked. Depending on the booking date, the staff accommodation may also be available to hire.
If you would like overnight accommodation for your event, we would encourage you to consider camping! You can pitch your tent anywhere in our grounds (within reason) or you can arrange a teepee tent village for your guests. Facilities on site for camping include a garden shower and toilet block.
If life under canvas doesn't appeal, there are plenty of nearby options for additional accommodation including pub rooms, farm stays, village B&B's, holiday cottages and boutique hotels. Subject to availability, it is possible to block-book Ham Farm (www.hamfarm.co.uk), a family-friendly complex of holiday cottages on an organic farm just outside the village, which sleeps 37 and comes with its own leisure facilites including an indoor pool and tennis court.
Please contact us for more details of accommodation at Sages and in the surrounding area.
Anstey Estate LLP OC379185 69, High Street, Bideford, Devon EX39 2AT