Huw Rees, a surveyor from the Bristol area, is the new owner of the Old Rectory hotel in Martinhoe, North Devon.

Believed to have been built in the 1800s for the rector of Martinhoe, the country house hotel has a prime location adjoining National Trust Land in the Exmoor National Park, with the North Devon Coastal Path passing just a few hundred yards away.

The two-star hotel – which trades from March to October - offers eight en-suite bedrooms to sleep 16, two drawing rooms, the Vinery conservatory, a small library and a dining room with space for many more than the 18 seats normally set out.

Two semi-detached cottages include the self-catering, two-bedroom Hollowbrook Cottage and a private owners’ cottage with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

In the main hotel, one bedroom, a bathroom and two attic rooms are used by staff.

The extensive, three-acre grounds include lawns, a small maze, a courtyard and a duck pond fed by a stream.
 
The Plymouth office of Colliers Robert Barry was seeking offers in excess of £975,000 for the freehold on  behalf of Chris Legg and Stuart Willis.

By Angela Frewin