There’s no easy way of getting to Chulmleigh from deepest south Devon, so I arrived at The Old Rectory slightly creased and car-shaped. But they’re used to that here.
Laurence Delamar and wife Leonie Nanassy have been welcoming weary travellers to their idyllic home for more than 20 years.
The couple host organised retreats at The Old Rectory, a beautiful Victorian country house, surrounded by five acres of landscaped gardens in the heart of North Devon. Everywhere you look, there is green and space and flowers and rare trees, including a line of elms thought to be more than two centuries old.
Visitors (some of them quite famous) can book in for a range of events and activities designed to promote wellness - everything from yoga breaks to detox juice retreats, art escapes, foraging, wild swimming, tennis and tai chi.
The calm around here is catching, and it would be easy to assume it just comes with the territory. But creating this kind of sanctuary has taken decades of hard work.
‘I bought the house about 35 years ago and it was several years of renovation just to get it habitable,’ says Laurence, describing a process that he and Leonie call a ‘life-long project’.
'Back then, a company had bought it from the church and they were going to turn it into an old folks’ home; they went bankrupt, but fortunately the first thing they did was put a new roof on.’ The Old Rectory was empty and run down but at least it was dry. Laurence, a journalist, now became involved in property development. He set about tackling this project of a lifetime – bit by painstaking bit.
‘I was working in London at the time, but I was coming down at weekends to get some done here and some done there – it was like a hobby for three or four years,’ says Laurence. It helped that he was a local lad. Laurence’s family moved to Chulmleigh in the 1950s, so he knew the locals and the town well. His scout group used to hold meetings in a cob and thatch building in the Old Rectory’s garden.
‘I got my good housekeeping badge!’ says Laurence, laughing at the coincidence and the fact this turned out to be much more than just housekeeping.
‘It was a huge project,’ he says. ‘But every time I arrived at the grounds, no matter how derelict the house was, it was just such a beautiful environment.
‘So, I did the bare bones of it and then along comes Leonie and adds all her magical touches.’
The Old Rectory is the result of a team effort. Leonie, an artist, stylist, massage bodywork therapist and lifestyle advisor, who trained at the Esalen Institute in California, arrived here 20 years ago and ‘fell in love’.
She took on the task of transforming the interior but also creating a purpose for the building and its stunning grounds.
‘Fortunately for me,' says Leonie, ‘Laurence was very supportive in saying, ok, not only will we do events and family reunions, but we’ll do retreats and create a space that facilitates healing.
‘It’s for people to come and get the opportunity to be quiet, think and calm down and be themselves,’ she says, explaining that it meant adding some extra facilities.
‘We installed a saltwater swimming pool, infra-red sauna, tennis court as well as a purpose-built yoga studio, a place to do art, and basics like a catering kitchen. That’s how it developed,’ she says.
Leonie leads us on a tour of the grounds, including in and around the various extensions and outbuildings where people can stay or take part in art workshops or yoga. There’s also a greenhouse, a children’s treehouse, a self-contained apartment with an outdoor bath - and we didn’t get to the wildflower meadow.
‘I can easily walk 10k in a day just getting ready for a retreat,’ says Leonie. You sense that most of the relaxing is left to the guests.
‘It can feel overwhelming at times,’ agrees Leonie, adding that running The Old Rectory and everything else on this site can be challenging for an already busy couple. Laurence and Leonie divide their time between Devon, another business in Cornwall, Leonie’s home in Hampshire and the US. A close-knit local team of caretakers and housekeepers keeps things ticking over here when the couple are away.
‘Tomorrow, we are hosting Amanda from Wild & Free Adventures,’ says Leonie, talking about her neighbour, who also runs retreats and uses The Old Rectory as a venue. ‘They’re organising a group of local people to swim, have healthy food and two sessions of yoga during the day. We enjoy offering something positive to the local community.’
Asked if it’s hard to share their home, Leonie replies: ‘Sometimes. But we’ve had a lot of great people here and we have a lot of happy memories.’
There’s a pause before Leonie says that she and Laurence have decided to put The Old Rectory on the market. It’s clear that this couple have poured their heart and soul into this place and now they’re at a stage in their lives where they’re ready to hand it over to someone else. That happens. And it doesn’t change the fact this is a special place.
‘I’m glad you’ve said that,’ says Leonie, while Laurence goes off to water the greenhouse. ‘We’ve put so much time, money and energy into this and we’re just at the point now where we’ve set everything up. Now we’re looking for someone to take it to another level.’
We’re back inside the main house now and it’s gorgeous. Leonie has styled each of the eight bedrooms and seven en-suites, plus the vast living area and kitchen with a relaxed Californian touch, mixed with some old-fashioned British charm. Looming four-poster beds are softened with lots of texture. There are calming whites and busy patterns, plus so many cool and interesting things.
The unusual antique double bath in the principal room was previously owned by the Kennedys, salvaged from a house in London. The cushions on the sofa in hallway were picked up in South Africa and there’s some amazing artwork, mostly originals from some well-known artists.
We make our way back outside to the terrace to finish our coffee and drink in the spring sunshine. ‘The garden really is our favourite thing,’ says Leonie, picking me a bunch of flowers from one of the many rhododendron bushes Laurence has planted with the help of local specialists and tree experts. ‘It’s what we’ll miss the most, definitely.’
‘Nature survives us all ’ adds Laurence. ‘We are just the caretakers of our time.’
theoldrectorychulmleigh.co.uk; stags.co.uk
