The Grass is Greener…

Our Reward to you

If you travel by train, bus or cycle OR perhaps you use all three modes of transport to arrive at Northcote Manor we will happily pop a 1/2 bottle of chamapgne for you to enjoy in your room or in the garden... now that's what I call a challenge.

Top tip - Follow this link to help plan your journey

Devon is a beautiful place and North Devon is a particular gem. Northcote Manor, tucked away in the Devon hills has thoroughly welcomed the challenge of going green, as an 18th century Manor and former Monastery tackling damaging environmental issues is a way of paying our respects to former residents.

Visitors to the Devon Manor are unlikely to round the corner from the long winding wooded driveway to see a solar panelled ecohotel but nor will they see a glowing green radioactive hue surrounding the house.

We at Northcote pledge to honour our building and grounds. We strive to keep our fruit orchards organic and our bird table full, our rubbish recycled and our indigenous flora & fauna intact. Never shall a guest be blinded by an over zealous light bulb, be smothered by a blanket of cigarette smoke or be inundated with unwanted and unsolicited paper trails.

Barry our head gardener has been busy clearing pathways through the Orchards & grounds to encourage more wild plants to spring up. This year we had a wonderful display of bluebells.

I am very much determined that the house and grounds at Northcote are here for many generations to come. We as a team are lucky enough to be able to be a small part of the history of Northcote Manor and feel privileged to be its short term custodians. Northcote has been passed to us through a line of determined people who have loved it and cherished it through many period of history.

The monks made their home here and the thick stone walls gave them a sanctuary of calm in which to live and work. They used the grounds to be self sufficient and they maintained the building.

King Henry VIII gave a new lease of life to the hotel by allowing it to become a house in which guests are welcomed and entertained and in which children grew and explored the grounds. This familial history continued through the years until the Manor came to be a hotel in which the tradition of joviality and hospitality continues.

Over the last few years I have taken steps to safeguard the Manor for future generations so that the house and grounds will be here for years to come.

Cheryl

The Grounds

Our position perched high above the Taw valley and hidden by a forest of tall trees gives the perfect habitat for many woodland creatures, animals and birds. We have water baths for the birds, and a resident Roe deer that sits in the clearing opposite the main house.

Our apple orchards have served as a source for food for many years and we have many ancient varieties of apples and pears.

Apple Varieties

Ann Elizabeth

Allinngton Pippin

Claygate Pearmain

Cox’s Pomona

Ecklingville Seedling

Gascoyne’s Scarlet Seedling

Laxton’s Superb

Lane’s Prince Albert

Mère de Ménage

Querunden Red

Laxton’s Pearmain

Alfriston

The House

Maintenance of the house and grounds is a huge undertaking and requires much thought and planning. Any item of work needs to be carefully and thoughtfully planned so as to be in keeping with the property. We are not a listed building but, we are acutely aware of the unique beauty of the Manor house and have no wish to dilute its splendor.

The rooms have been sympathetically redecorated and are freshly painted on a rolling basis so that the house never becomes stale and outdated.

Steps have been taken to ensure that the carbon footprint of the house remains as low as possible. It will ultimately be impossible for the hotel to be completely 100% carbon neutral but, by the use of a few canny techniques we can lower the impact is makes on the environment.

Low energy light bulbs are used throughout wherever possible
Water hippos have been installed in all bathrooms to reduce water wastage
Recycling of glass, paper and plastic is done throughout
Fat traps are used for safe disposal of kitchen waste
Wood burners have been installed with flues to maintain the original chimneys, reduce oil usage through the central heating and to provide a safe means of heat for years to come.
E-mails have replaced paper confirmations
The website has been developed to reduce the number of brochures and information packs that had been sent out as it is now possible to download them to the desktop on your computer.
Whenever possible goods, food and beverages are bought locally so as to promote local businesses and reduce food miles.
Our printer prints our events brochures and main hotel brochures using soya ink instead of chemical based inks and on chlorine free paper.
The ‘common sense’ rule is applied whereby unnecessary lights are turned off, fires are kept low or not lit depending on how many guests we have, computers are turned off if no one is using them so on.

Food Glorious Food

King Henry VIII once owned Northcote Manor and it is very well documented that savouring a meal was one of his most beloved pastimes. Fastforward a few hundred years and he would not be disappointed with the feast on offer in our restaurant. Whenever possible we lower our food miles by buying local food and ingredients, just as would have happened in the days of old Henry.

There will always be exceptions such as caviar and foie gras which have to be sourced from distant shores but, on balance our larder is brimming with local goodness.

We are lucky enough to have extensive grounds in which we can grow some of our own food, admittedly we could not produce a banquet from our gardens but whenever our ingredients come into season they inevitably find their way into the kitchen and onto our guest’s plates.

Blackbery & Apple Crumble is a firm favourite with guests and staff alike, this is not just any Blackberry and Apple Crumble this is Northcote Blackberry & Apple Crumble, made by our chefs and grown in our grounds. It goes very nicely with ‘Yearlstone Number 2’ a biscuity muscaty wine produced in Crediton just down the A377.

Anne Petch at Heal Farm is one of our other preferred partners with such a tasty selection of everyday meats and rare breeds and only five miles up the road at King’s Nympton.

The New Garden Wing

This is being built next to the old cob walled garden and will have magnificent views over the garden including a wonderful magnolia tree. The ethos for these four luxurious suites are to be as 'green' as possible. Much care and attention is going into the development of the build.

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