... 2 miles seaward of Holsworthy is Parnacott, a beautiful, mainly Georgian house (some parts 17th cent.), Grade II listed, in the same family since 1580 (Pepys was an ancestor), set in 12 acres of gardens and grounds and surrounded by fields with lawns, mature rhododendrons, two dozen different old rose species, a pond and woodland walks. 1/4 mile of tree-lined tarmac drive leads from a lane to it.

The owners’ interests (he is a teacher, she a Fine Arts graduate) result in a superb, extremely comfortable house/home with excellent family furniture and portraits (Dryden in the drawing room, Lord Sandwich in the dining room; no Pepys, but his assistant and relative, John Creed, who helped him re-build the Navy after the Dutch spoilt it). Big, square, high rooms with large windows, beautifully decorated and furnished with Colefax and Fowler prints among other, homely touches, good books.

Hall with grandfather clock; sunny, peaceful, comfortable drawing room with open fireplace, CD player and formal dining room with lovely Welsh dresser, both with big
windows overlooking the garden; large, slate-floored beamed children’s room with sofas, TV, toys, books/ games, dressing up box, glove-puppet theatre, children’s videos, games console and pool table; very well-equipped kitchen (dishwasher, microwave, fridge-freezer, electric range-style cooker) and pretty breakfast/sitting room (woodburner) with widescreen TV; and from the rear hall a door leads to a ground floor wing comprising a twin bedroom, shower-room (suite), utility room (washing machine, tumble drier, fridge-freezer), door to forecourt, and sunny small double bedroom.

Two staircases - the main one gentle, elegant, three-tier with sky-light - lead up to five more bedrooms: a beautifully spacious and comfy master bedroom (5' four-poster bed), with mahogany furniture, washbasin, and south-facing views over the gardens; equally beautiful twin (washbasin) also south-facing, overlooking the garden; pretty 17th cent. (5’ bed with patchwork quilt bedspread) with large bathroom (suite plus bidet) en suite; twin (washbasin), wood-panelled to dado rail, with connecting door (lockable) to another twin bedroom with washbasin; second bathroom (suite plus instant shower) and shower-room (suite, instant power-shower). Seven bedrooms, four bath or shower-rooms in all. Mobile phone (line for computer use by prior arrangement). Daily domestic help and personal laundry service available (extra).

Outside, barbecue, boules, soft ball, swings, sandpit, and ride-on toys for little children. Table tennis in open-sided barn. Lots of outdoor space for playing. Bikes can be hired locally (owners provide ‘best route’ map); riding stables locally for all standards of riders; clay pigeon shooting locally. Nana up the lane keeps tortoises and squirrels which she is delighted for you to meet.