'Austere on the outside, welcoming on the inside': the mail inspector surveys Bovey Castle in Devon

The Inspector calls at Bovey Castle in Devon and says that although it is austere on the outside it is welcoming inside with 'the largest inglenook fireplace you will ever come across' Bovey Castle was built by son of William Henry Smith of WHSmith fame, Inspector reveals "It's a real resort," he says. Activities on offer include golf, tennis, archery and skeet shooting. Inside, there are 60 rooms and two restaurants, with the huge fireplace located in the "Cathedral Hall". Remember that the inspector pays his way... and tells it like it is
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Posted: 09:27 BST, 6 July 2022 | Update: 09:27 BST, 06 July 2022
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A whole welcoming committee awaits us when we arrive at Bovey Castle, on the edge of the national park from Dartmoor. On closer inspection, the dozen or so casually dressed men standing at the entrance to this former stately Devon mansion have just finished their round of golf and are about to hit up a few rounds at the bar .
"Come in," one of them said. It is early evening and this extraordinary house is bathed in sunshine. It looks Elizabethan but was, in fact, built at the turn of the 20th century by the son of William Henry Smith of WHSmith. Peter de Savary owned it for a while, but since 2014 it has been part of the Eden Hotel Collection.
From the outside, it is austere; inside you feel welcome and there is a lot going on. The golf course surrounds the house and in the valley there is fly fishing, skeet shooting, carriage rides, tennis, deer park, archery. A real complex.

Travel Jul 7, 2022 0 114 Add to Reading List

'Austere on the outside, welcoming on the inside': the mail inspector surveys Bovey Castle in Devon

The Inspector calls at Bovey Castle in Devon and says that although it is austere on the outside it is welcoming inside with 'the largest inglenook fireplace you will ever come across' Bovey Castle was built by son of William Henry Smith of WHSmith fame, Inspector reveals "It's a real resort," he says. Activities on offer include golf, tennis, archery and skeet shooting. Inside, there are 60 rooms and two restaurants, with the huge fireplace located in the "Cathedral Hall". Remember that the inspector pays his way... and tells it like it is

Posted: 09:27 BST, 6 July 2022 | Update: 09:27 BST, 06 July 2022

A whole welcoming committee awaits us when we arrive at Bovey Castle, on the edge of the national park from Dartmoor. On closer inspection, the dozen or so casually dressed men standing at the entrance to this former stately Devon mansion have just finished their round of golf and are about to hit up a few rounds at the bar .

"Come in," one of them said. It is early evening and this extraordinary house is bathed in sunshine. It looks Elizabethan but was, in fact, built at the turn of the 20th century by the son of William Henry Smith of WHSmith. Peter de Savary owned it for a while, but since 2014 it has been part of the Eden Hotel Collection.

From the outside, it is austere; inside you feel welcome and there is a lot going on. The golf course surrounds the house and in the valley there is fly fishing, skeet shooting, carriage rides, tennis, deer park, archery. A real complex.