Grand country estate once owned by King Charles seeks new owner

A grand country estate with ties to British royalty and an unusual condition of sale is on the market for $9.2 million.

Brimptsmead Estate is a historic hunting lodge in Dartmoor, a wild stretch of moorland in England’s south-west.

Until 1993, the house was owned by King Charles III, who was then the Prince of Wales. 

A family persuaded Charles to sell the property to them after falling in love with the estate. 

“When we first set eyes on Brimptsmead, it felt like a dream,” the sellers wrote in the listing. 

“Owning freehold property in the heart of Dartmoor is incredible rare, with much of the surrounding land still belonging to the Duchy of Cornwall.”

The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate established by Edward III in 1337. The estate was founded to provide an income for the heir to the throne. 

“We were invited to London for an interview, and only once approved were we granted the opportunity to buy Brimptsmead on the strict condition that we exchanged contracts within 10 days,” the sellers wrote.

“We did just that, and so began our 30-year love affair with this extraordinary home.”

But Charles, who loved fishing in the nearby East Dart River, included an unusual condition in the sale. He keeps the right to fish from the property as long as he gives a day’s notice. 

The Monarch has never taken the owners up on their promise, according to Mansion Global.

The property was originally listed for sale in 2021 for £4.95 million ($10.1 million) with Knight Frank. 

The asking price has since been reduced to £4.5 million ($9.2 million) and is now listed through By Design South Devon. 

Included in the sale is an elegant Arts and Crafts manor built from pink granite, two guest cottages, nine acres of grounds, a six-car garage, dog kennel, and a “party barn”. 

The sellers spent 10 years painstakingly restoring the interiors, employing local craftsmen to create leaded windows and bronze doorhandles. 

“It has been our family’s sanctuary. A place of laughter, music, and memory,” they wrote.

King Charles is not the only illustrious visitor in the estate’s history. 

The author Arthur Conan Doyle, who created Sherlock Holmes, is said to have spent time at Brimptsmead Estate before it became a royal residence. 

His famous 1901 novel The Hound of the Baskervilles was set in Dartmoor and took inspiration from the landscape.