Our aim
Since we acquired Bicclescombe Grange in October 2004 we have made constant efforts to maintain and improve it. It's a big job though – and we can't do everything at once!
We love the house and take great pleasure in providing top quality accommodation to ensure all our guests will love it too.
What we're doing now
We like the area so much that we moved to Ilfracombe in January 2009, and we still really like it here! We've made a lot of new friends and when we're not at work you'll probably find us on the tennis court.
Living nearby means we are able to devote more time to the Grange and are constantly looking for any new improvements we can make. Our current project is the redecoration of the hallway, stairway and landing.
Gardening! There's always something to do in the garden...
What we've done recently
Shall we eat out?
New outdoor dining furniture installed. (June 2016)
Going spare
We've put a spare bed on the top floor to give more sleeping flexibility. Or, if you don't mind the layout, we can now accommodate 24 people! Checkout the floorplans on our "The House" page. (April 2016)
It's twins!
Two new beds for the Twin Room! (April 2016)
What we will do next!
We're going to wait and see what the response is to the recent changes. If it is favourable enough we'll press on with even more improvements!
Another hut tub is on the cards, outside, overlooking the valley. And maybe after that a sauna.
What we've done since we started
Pool room painted! Looking good. (April 2016)
Added another TV. All bedrooms now have a TV and DVD player. (January 2016)
Added lots of photos of the alpaca to the Photos page. (October 2015)
We now have great wifi throughout the house thanks to the installation of a wifi extender.
(August 2015)
We've gone green! Solar panels have been fitted - all we need now is the sun! (July 2015)
The Blue Room ensuite now has a new sink and vanity unit. Also a new mirror, bathroom accessories and a lick of paint. The finishing touch is a new LED light panel which certainly lights up the room well!
(June 2015)
The hot tub is in! We've taken the plunge and installed a hot tub in the pool room. There's a picture on our Photos page (in the Swimming Pool section). We're going to gauge the interest and response and then decide whether to add an outdoor tub next spring. Please let us know if an outdoor hot tub would make much of a difference to you. (September 2014)
Wallpaper chosen, curtains are being made, decorators on standby to re-decorate the Oak Room in September. (July 2014)
The snooker table has been re-covered and had new cushions. Now not only looks great, but plays great, too! (June 2014)
Quality in Tourism assessment has just been carried out and we are delighted that we have retained our 4 star rating, but with the addition of a Gold Award this year for achievements over and above 4 star! (May 2014)
Garden wall on the drive approach given a new lick of paint. (May 2014)
The Blue Room has been redecorated with a lovely sunny colour on the walls, new curtains and lamps, and to complete the look, new bedding to match. (April 2014)
We've gone Kingsize! All double beds replaced with new kingsize beds. New kingsize in the master bedroom, too, replacing the old one, and new mattresses for the single beds. Lovely! (October 2013)
Drying room spruced up with a lick of paint - walls and floor. What a difference! (September 2013)
Kitchen decorated. (September 2013)
New flooring in the family bathroom and master ensuite to replace the carpets. Lovely and fresh and clean! (July 2013)
Alpaca enclosure completed in the Grange grounds. The boys now wander through each morning to crop the grass for us! Guests can now get a much closer look at the alpaca whilst walking in the grounds. (May 2013)
New curtains and lamps in the green room. New lamps in the oak room and the twin room. (March 2013)
Three baby alpacas have arrived to join Ben and Hector. We now have a black - Ben; chestnut brown - Hector; white - Sammy; fawn - John; grey - David. Sammy, John and David were all born the same day and are only 8 months old. So cute! (January 2013)
The alpacas have arrived! Ben and Hector are now happily grazing in the field and have six chickens to keep them company! We hope to be able to greet our guests with a complimentary box of our very own free range eggs! (September 2012)
After many hours of hard work, the garden furniture has been brought back to life with a fresh coat of paint. (June 2012)
New curtains have been put up in the family bathroom and the chair seat covered to match! What a difference! (June 2012)
More photos! We've updated our Photos page with many more and higher quality pictures. Currently showing 150 but more will be added soon. (May 2012)
Our Facebook page is now up to date, with current photos and news. (May 2012)
A new swimming pool cover has been installed, which is much easier to operate than the last one! (March 2012)
The wet room off the swimming pool has been refurbished with an additional shower, under-floor heating and smart new tiles.
(February 2012)
New curtains and matching bedding have been put in the Twin Room. (June 2011)
New curtains have been put up in the Master Bedroom and the room redecorated. (June 2011)
New TV has been added to the Twin Room. (April 2011)
The new heat exchange ventilation system is now up and running. That basically means more of the moisture naturally created in the house is being extracted and fresh dry warm air is being circulated in its place. We think it has been a great improvement. (December 2010)
Both twin rooms have been completely redecorated and the entire house has been touched up where necessary. It's never looked better! (December 2010)
New 60" plasma screen installed! (October 2010)
The three skylights on the top floor have been replaced with proper Velux versions, complete with wonderful remote controlled blinds. (July 2010)
Two extra dining chairs have finally been delivered. It only took them six months! Although we've had the extra bed for some time we've had to wait until now to be able to state our official capacity as 23. (May 2010)
Floor plans have been created and added to the website. (April 2010)
Trickle vents have been added throughout the house to improve air-flow and ventilation. (February 2010)
The games room has been redecorated. (December 2009)
The small conservatory roof has been repaired, the room redecorated and new seating provided. A humidity controlled extractor has also been installed. (November 2009)
The turning wheels on the pool cover roller have been replaced and improved. (November 2009)
An extra single bed has been set up on the top floor and a privacy curtain has been added to allow separation of the main area into two parts each with two beds. (November 2009)
More work on the website, which now includes a What to do page. We will continue to add to this but it already contains nearly a thousand local suggestions for you. By the way, if you were interested in a local caterer coming to the house you can find details there under 'Food and Drink'. (September 2009)
Our Guestbook has been added to the site. See what people have been saying about us! (July 2009)
We've been painting! All the woodwork throughout the house has been brought back to its best and the entire top floor has been re-painted. (June 2009)
A new dehumidifier has been added to the pool area. Condensation there is a thing of the past! (April 2009)
A lot of time has been spent on the website, particularly the much more interactive booking system, which will now take credit card payments, allow you to keep track of your booking, and even let you leave notes for others in your party. See the Availability and Prices page to get started. If you've made a booking previously you can now use the Already booked? tab on the menu bar above to see your details and make any balance payments. (February 2009)
The conservatory furniture has been replaced with something a little more luxurious. (February 2009)
The pool cover now has a new roller system which can be operated by one hand rather than two people! (January 2009)
A heated towel rail has been put in the wet room. It doesn't get chilly; there is no condensation; and there's somewhere to hang your towel too! (November 2008)
A stylish brass and mahogany overhead fan with integral adjustable lighting has been fitted in the conservatory – those 'too hot' days in the sun won't be too hot any longer! (May 2008)
The outdoor barbecue area has been built. (March 2008)
The shower room off of the pool area has now been updated to a proper wet room, with under-floor heating and a superb shower. (February 2008)
The new kitchen was finished last January and has performed well - we're very pleased with it! See the pictures on the Photos page.
Although everything that's needed was present, the layout of the kitchen never lent itself perfectly to cooking for 22. The new luxury kitchen changes all that. Granite surfaces, oak units, marble tiling and high specification stainless steel appliances all look amazing and make a fantastic cooking space.
Whenever we stay, as part of a large group of family and friends, we find that all the adults tend to congregate in the kitchen (while the children charge around the rest of the house!). We wanted to make a better space in which to do this. We've enlarged the whole kitchen area to allow for more seating, both low and high level, so hopefully any combination of adults, children and cooks can be accommodated in style.
Under-floor heating, leather backed bench seating, a large flat screen tv with Sky Plus and all Sky's channels, an ice maker and a dual zone wine cooler make this a great room that you will definitely enjoy, even if you have to cook! (January 2008)
