Woodleigh Coach House Bed and Breakfast, Constructed from Drewsteignton Stone

"Beautifully restored building in a beautiful country setting" Sydsun (Tripadvisor User)

The rear of Woodleigh Coach House Bed and Breakfast

Built in 1896, Woodleigh Coach House has gone through quite an interesting century. From playing its part during the second world war housing children to setting a glow across the village when it was almost burnt to the ground. Not to mention the multiple ghosts sighted in the building! And the history more than backs up the existence of these otherworldly guests for those interested in the paranormal!

Once a Coach House, always a Coach House:

Ever since Woodleigh Coach House was built it has offered a rest stop for travelers to and from the west country except for a brief period during the second World War. Even to this day, although Horse and Carriage are no longer used; the horses now replaced with horse power, Woodleigh still offers a place for travelers to get some rest in our Bed and Breakfast and food and drink from our Cafe before continuing onwards.

A Quick History of the Woodleigh Coach House and the surrounding Woodleigh Estate:

Woodleigh Coach House is a Grade II Listed building built between 1896 and 1898 by a London Brewer, the once owner of Woodleigh Hall and all the land then known as the Woodleigh Estate. It was used to house the stagecoaches and provide stables and haylofts for the horses which would have traveled on the main route from London to Exeter and Penzance, bringing beer to store and distribute around Devon, Cornwall and most of the Southwest. After the Coach House was built, the Brewer then decided to base the entire business in Cheriton Bishop and went to work on Woodleigh Hall adjacent to the Coach House.

The building is constructed from local Drewsteignton stone with granite dressings and chamfered granite quoins. All of the materials for the building were brought from the local Drewsteignton Quarry by a private railway line built under order of the London Brewer for the sole purpose of supplying the construction with whatever it needed from the quarry. The railway sleepers from this track can still be found in the grounds of the Coach House now used as edging for flowerbeds.

The Cafe, situated in the East wing, used to be the stables, the open arched doorways now being the windows. Above the cafe was the hayloft which is now private accommodation. The center of the building is where the coaches themselves were stored and unloaded; the large arched round headed doorway at the front of the building is evident of this. What is now the cafe kitchen was once the workshop for the live-in Blacksmith and his apprentice.

The London Brewer and his company went Bankrupt in the year 1904 and the entire Woodleigh Estate was sold off. The second owner of the property lived in Woodleigh Hall and used the Coach House as servants quarters.

In the early 1940's the land was sold again only this time it was separated into 5 lots, now known each as;

Woodleigh Coach House, Woodleigh Hall, Woodleigh Touring park, Woodleigh Farm and Woodleigh Junction.

The Coach House was bought and then used as a shelter for the children evacuated from the cities during the time of the blitz in WWII. The children also attended lessons at Woodleigh Hall under private tuition (as far as we can tell, a teacher in Cheriton Bishop wanted to ensure they were still educated and so took the role on herself).

Between this point and the early 1980's not much is known about what happened to the Coach House but eventually some new owners moved in and saw that the building had potential in the food and service industry and so opened up the main area as a restaurant. Shortly afterwards (no specific date known as of yet) it was the victim of a devastating fire which threatened to be end of the Coach House. Luckily however, the fire was controlled.

After a quick rebuild, the Coach House changed hands again and this time the owners thought that a roadside cafe would be more successful as a business. They were right. The cafe was always full and extremely popular with both locals and regular travelers to and from the west country.

Around 2001, the owners decided they wanted to slow down a bit and so sold the house and business to a couple who focused more on the rooms and the large amount of space the Coach House offered. In 2005 they closed the place down for 8 months whilst internally, they rebuilt and refurbished the entire place. Giving the Coach House it's seven letting rooms each with it's own en-suite. Their work made the Coach House into not only a successful cafe but also a luxury Bed and Breakfast.

2006 saw the building change hands again, the new owner being Ms M Vardy who still owns the property today. Since the day she moved in she has worked hard on improving not just one side of the business but both. The cafe is busy most of the year and the B&B is more popular now than it has ever been. With the constant changes and modifying of the Coach House, Ms Vardy has not only managed to bring the Coach House into the 21st Century service industry but she's managed to improve the quality of the service as well and all that without giving up the appearance and beauty of the building's original features believing they are what make the building what it is, and it really is something spectacular.