Our Story
Shilstone is a country estate in the heart of Devon. We began just after the house was completed to host weddings. As of 2023, we opened our gates for the first time to everyone to share what we have created. We aim to provide a wonderful destination for people to visit, with the best locally sourced food, and a relaxed but stunning environment which the family is delighted to share.
Our Story
The Fenwick family who all have a passion for architecture, dreamt of recreating a significant estate. Shilstone was discovered because of its fantastic position on the Ordnance Survey map, and after painstaking research and architectural digs, enough evidence was discovered to enable the planning permissions to be obtained, and work on the site to commence. The important historical site of Shilstone would have been lost forever without this timely intervention.
Our Philosophy
Shilstone is family run, and the team who work at Shilstone have been working on the project right from its conception. The work has been sympathetically carried out, using traditional methods and local materials. No outside building contractors nor quantity surveyors were employed during the restoration and throughout to the present day. The work was carried out by our small but dedicated local team of craftsmen who put their life and soul into the project, very often learning the required levels of skills as they went along.
History Timeline
1450
House originally built
1800
House Demolished and rebuilt
1940
Shilstone Partially demolished and becomes a farm house
1997
Remains of house bought by us
1999
Barns and cottages restored
2000
Cornerstone of house goes down
2007
Roof of house goes on
2008
Exterior finished
2009
Archive Opened
2010
Terracing formed
2011
Interior finished
2012
Move in and first weddings
2015
Gardens established
2019
Drawing room finished
2022
Gardens and restaurant opens
2023
Shilstone opens its gates to all
The Restoration
The site was first purchased in 1997, and the original work carried out was on the farm buildings, the courtyard, the stone walls and gateways, and the banks. The cornerstone for the house was laid in 2000, with stone quarried from a re-opened quarry on the land and hand-cut by one man. The house took ten years to complete, and the family finally moved into Shilstone in 2010. The house was designed by the architectural historian, Christopher Rae-Scott, and was designed to appear as if it had evolved in time from 1620 to 1720 in style. The fine Delabole slates for the roof were from a demolished hospital in Plymouth, and where ever possible local materials were used, carried out by our talented team of craftsmen. The house has won several prestigious awards.
Shilstone Today
Today Shilstone is a wonderful destination for everyone to visit, with lots of activities from eating, drinking and relaxing in our café and restaurant to exploring the gardens and grounds and woods. Our team are passionate about providing all our guests with the most welcoming, friendly and relaxing experience that we can offer.
Read More
Future Plans
We have lots of exciting plans and developments ahead. With the launch of our new al fresco wood-fired restaurant in the newly designed café courtyard with planters filled with trees, flowers and herbs, creating natural booths. We are shortly planning to open in the evenings as well as for events. Following this we are planning to add a number of cabins nestled around the estate to create the perfect Devon retreat.
Sign-up
Sustainability
At Shilstone we are doing our very best to responsibly look after our landscapes and ecosystems around the estate to protect their future. We have implemented a number of sustainable solutions but we are not perfect, and we still have a lot of work to do. We are always looking at all the areas of the estate to see if there are any developments that we can do to help look after our precious planet.
Next section