Inside the abandoned haunted house that no one has lived in for 50 years
Upcott Barton farmhouse was abandoned over 50 years ago and is reputed to be haunted
Upcott Barton farmhouse was abandoned over 50 years ago and is reputed to be haunted. (Image: Greg Martin)
A historically significant Grade II Listed farmhouse that has been abandoned for over 50 years could soon return to its former glory, after going on the market with planning permission to re-develop it back into a grand country home.
However, as well as the stunning rural views, detached former chapel, paddocks and six acres of land, this desirable derelict property is rumoured to come with some of its former residents.
Current owners David Hunt and his mother Diana Hunt have now put it up for sale, hoping that someone can return it to its former glory
Stood between the farmhouse and his static caravan where he lives with his mother, Diana, and Weimaraner Monty, the current owner David Hunt explains: "Sometimes you stand here and just feel that there are people around you, watching you - in a nice way. It's not nasty, you know. We speak to them. We used to go into the house and say 'Good morning everyone'.
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When David and his mother bought Upcott Barton farmhouse back in 2011, it was already in a very dilapidated state, having not been lived in since the late sixties. But Diana has fond memories of using the dining room in those early years to host guests on special occasions like Christmas dinner.
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Their plan had always been to renovate the large manor house and move into it. However, with David doing much of the work by himself, it was always going to be a huge project – one that they have had to finally admit defeat on.
The benefit of David working on the house slowly and methodically in those early days, is that he made discoveries that led him to become fascinated in the history of Upcott Barton. Whilst digging up earth at the side of the house one day, he discovered remains of a whole room that had been buried for at least a century.
Within the rubble of part of the house that collapsed decades ago, David found the remains of an exquisite parquetry ceiling, which would have been a sign of great wealth in its time. David later found out that this ceiling was part of the house's library, when a woman who once lived in the house came to visit, and explained the layout of the 'Great Hall'.
Born in Upcott Barton in 1942, the woman lived at the farmhouse until the 1950s, and can remember her uncle, who 'wasn't quite right', throwing leather bound books out of the window of the library and making a bonfire with them.
David has had other people visiting the derelict house, keen to tell him its forgotten secrets. Several years ago, David says an electrician knocked at their door to ask permission to cut back some trees from the nearby power lines. It turned out that the electrician was also a psychic, and took an immediate interest in the house, spending three hours in there with David, talking about its history and the spirits that still reside there.
David says that the electrician talked a lot about the Civil War and how Upcott Barton would have been a strategic point. Not far from the border with Cornwall, Upcott Barton lies east of Holsworthy in Devon, near the village of Sheepwash, and not too far from the site of the Great Battle of Torrington, which was fought on February 16th, 1646.
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Just a mile and half away from Upcott Barton, a smaller battle took place at Battledown Cross. David says that the psychic electrician explained Oliver Cromwell's military tactics, suggesting that his soldiers would have shown the Royalists no mercy, chasing them across the land at Upcott Barton and into the woods below, shouting 'Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide!'
This expression from the electrician shocked David, because when another medium had visited the house months earlier, she said she spoke to the spirit of a maid who had once lived there, and she kept repeating 'Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.'
Upcott Barton's spiritual links to the Civil War do not end there. David and Diana happily describe how 'Master James' - the ghost of a Royalist soldier, named by one of the many mediums to visit the farmhouse – patrols the grounds of Upcott Barton every evening at dusk. And David points to a nearby tree where, one day, he saw a soldier with long boots and a sword riding a huge 20-hand horse.
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Like many old houses, Upcott Barton has seen its fair share of death. David tells the story of a large woman, fond of gin, who owned the house many years ago, and was brought back from the pub on a horse and cart one night, worse for wear, only to be discovered the next morning at the bottom of the stairs, dead.
One historical account of a death in the house is found in a manuscript by former resident Alfred Chapman, who wrote down some of his family history after he emigrated to America in 1870. In it, Alfred writes about his sister, who was managing Upcott Barton when she died in 1852, aged 26.
"Mary Anne was a beautiful, healthy looking young lady and was as good as she looked. The day before she died she appeared to be in perfect health except for a swelling in front of her throat which never appeared to trouble or inconvenience her except in its appearance. She died suddenly in the early morning.
Alfred's account continues: "My brother George and I slept in a room adjoining sister's bedroom. Sometime in the morning before daylight I heard a scream and a noise like someone falling on the floor of my sister's room.
"It awoke me and I immediately jumped out of bed and ran into my sister's bedroom where I found Mary Anne on the floor and Elizabeth in bed holding on to Mary Anne's hand trying to pull her in bed. Elizabeth had been sound asleep also before the scream and fall, which awoke her. We lifted Mary Anne in bed and she died in our arms without saying a word."
Names can be seen written on one of the bedroom walls.
This name, possibly 'Rowland', appears to be dated 'Feb 23 1879'.
As well as poor Mary Anne, who was buried at the church in Sheepwash, there are other signs of death around Upcott Barton. There is a memorial stone in the garden, which is now quite difficult to read.
There is also what appears to be a stone lid of a small coffin, which was discovered in the grounds and now rests in the garden.
David says that he once had diviners on the land, looking for water, and they told him that something, or someone, was buried beneath the ash tree stump at the bottom of the orchard. After discovering a connection between Upcott Barton and Torre Abbey, David is convinced that a monk is buried under the tree, because there is a line of old lime trees leading up to it, which he says were traditionally planted when a monk died.
When they first bought the house, David says his dog, Monty, never used to like going inside, and would run out shivering. And then there were the locals, who would refuse to come up to the farmhouse, because of its reputation for being haunted. But despite all of this David says that mediums have helped get rid of anything negative that was in the house: "A lot of it's been cleared now, so anything that was negative is not here anymore".
One of the medium's that visited (David explains that he got several different mediums to visit the farmhouse to keep it 'scientific') took David and Diana by surprise when without any prompting she told them "They like the fact that when you come in you say good morning to them".
Propped up on the sideboard in his static caravan where he lives with his mother, David has a painting that Cornish psychic artist Patrick Gamble did for him. Upon presenting the painting to David, Patrick explained that it is his spirit guide, George, and he was once the squire of Upcott Barton.
As well as the ghost stories, David says there are tales of buried treasure linked with the land – a butler, who hid the family silver in nearby woods during the Civil War, but was shot on his way back.
And a rumour that was whispered in local pubs in the 1980s, that gold bullion from a robbery was buried somewhere nearby in the woods, but when they returned to dig it up, the trees they had marked had been coppiced, so they never found the spot.
Upcott Barton has a guide price of £530,000 and being sold by Stags estate agents, who describe the property as this:
"This Former Farmhouse is believed to date from the late medieval period with 17th century alterations. Now in a derelict state, plans have been drawn to create an exceptionally spacious distinctive four/five bedroom residence retaining many character features. There are the remains of a medieval great hall and stair turret, together with a traditional cross passage.
"The proposed accommodation allows for approximately 3500 square feet of accommodation over two floors and it may be possible to further extend the building as evidence of additional accommodation has been discovered to the rear of the buildings; a further feature of Upcott Barton is the detached former chapel which lies adjacent to the main house and offers immense scope for further redevelopment, use as a studio, holiday cottage or separate dwelling subject to any necessary consent. A further detached barn has consent for a double garage with adjoining workshop.
"The property is approached from the lane via a private driveway, passing the other conversions within the Upcott Barton development and down to Upcott Barton Farmhouse. Surrounding the farmhouse and buildings are area of garden, offering scope for imaginative landscaping to take full advantage of the fantastic outlook. Beyond the gardens are areas of pasture paddock. The total being in the region of 6 acres.
"There is space for the erection of further stabling if required and subject to any necessary consent. The present owners have planted a small copse of silver birch and there have been further extensive planting of lined trees, together with an avenue of beech. In addition, there is an area of orchard with a variety of fruit trees."
Despite the spirits, or perhaps, because of them, David and his mother seem sad at the prospect of leaving Upcott Barton. Looking at the crumbling walls inside one of the rooms filled with his stuff, David says: "It's a shame that it's gone back so much. It does need a lot of work doing to it, but for the right person with the right vision, it would be an absolutely stunning property.
David continues: "For some reason I've ended up buying a lot of haunted houses. I've renovated 15 properties. You come to realise when you start doing the work, you disturb the energies of the house, and whatever is there appears. Now, whether that's just me – and I don't think it is because I've had a lot of other people say that – you just change the energies of the house. And if there are legends of ghosts, they tend to… ermm… show themselves."