Welcome to Pickwell Manor

We believe that holidays are a special time and hope that Pickwell Manor will provide the perfect space for you to unwind and breathe out. We particularly value friendship, family, community, celebration and hospitality; and we hope that Pickwell Manor will allow time and space for celebrating these aspects of life. 

Pickwell Manor is situated in a stunning location, and we hope that as you wander around the beautiful gardens, explore the local beaches, enjoy the local food, and that you will feel energised and inspired by this amazing place. 

We hope you enjoy your stay. 

About Pickwell Manor

In August 2008 two families (The Bakers and Elliotts) - longstanding friends - took ownership of Pickwell and moved to Devon to explore a different way of living and working together. Susannah and Steve Baker and Tracey and Richard Elliott, now live offsite but are actively involved in the life of Pickwell so you will often see us around. Ben Kennedy with his Family (Holly, Thea, Tilly and their dog Ted) now live onsite and look after any day-to-day guest queries, Ben can be contacted on 07901 332750. They may not always be onsite during the day so do leave a message or a text and they can contact you as soon as they are able to. 

You may also see Terri our wonderful House Keeper, Denise our talented gardener and Martin the master carpenter whose workshop is in the garage on the drive. 

Pickwell's History

Pickwell Manor dates back to the 10th Century and is mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086, by which date it had already been in existence for almost a hundred years. 

It is steeped in history and legend, from the first Saxon resident Edmar to the Norman Knights (who were not above seizing the odd shipwreck or two in the nearby bay). An effigy of a medieval knight in Georgeham parish church is reputed to be that of Mauger St Aubyn, who held the manor in the 13th century. 

Legend has it that after the death of Thomas Beckett in 1170, three of the murderers fled to Pickwell. They were captured here and beheaded in front of the house. Whenever there is a full moon on December 29th (the anniversary of Beckett's death) it's reputed that the three knights can be seen riding from Pickwell to the beach - without their heads! 

The current house was rebuilt in 1906 in a Jacobean style, after a fire destroyed some of the previous building. It is grade II listed to preserve its stunning architectural and historical treasures. 

The Environment and sustainability

We are passionate about protecting our environment and living sustainably here at Pickwell, in the top garden we are now drawing most of our electricity from solar panels with battery storage and we have installed a biomass boiler in place of oil to fuel our heating and hot water. Our water is supplied by our own borehole and water treatment plant. 

Since 2019 we have been awarded the Gold Standard in green tourism . We have insulated every inch of the roof space we can get to, all our light bulbs are LED and we are working our way towards becoming a B Corp. Our cleaning products are environmentally friendly where possible, our welcome treats are all locally produced or from the UK, we reduce plastic and packaging where possible and even the loo rolls are kind to the environment as well as your bottom. If you would like to read more go to our Sustainability page on the website or there is a display in the games room. 

We have 2 electric charging points in the main car park and round by the east entrance for guests to charge electric cars, these are free to use. 

We are keen supporters of local charities Surfers Against Sewage and Earth Action and beach cleaning is a regular activity for us. If you do take a trip to the beach why not pop to the surf store and take a 2 minute beach clean kit with you to pick up some marine plastic to help us protect our seas. 

How you can make a difference

We would absolutely love you to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle wherever possible. You could take your reusable mug to local cafés, borrow buckets and spades or bodyboards from our Surf Store rather than buy new and buy local produce where possible. We are proud to be a plastic-free business champion as part of our local initiative, Plastic Free North Devon. 

If you’d like to find out more and support local shops involved when you come to stay with us, then take a look at their brilliant website for ideas of what you can do, or use their directory of local shops to help you shop locally whilst you are staying with us. Plastic Free North Devon 

The Pickwell Foundation

'The Pickwell Foundation' was set up by the Bakers and Elliotts to use the proceeds from our companies to make a difference for displaced people and our planet. The foundation is growing steadily in its partnerships and relationships with individuals, groups and charities working within those sectors. We also do lots of hands-on work in North Devon. Do take a look at what the Pickwell Foundation is up to on our website or ask if you would like to know more. All of the profits from  Pickwell Manor and Ravendere retreats go into the Foundation, so thank you for having your holiday with us as it all helps the Foundation do wonderful work. 

General rules

We have tried to think of ways to help make your holiday as easy as possible and we want adults and children alike to explore and enjoy all that we have on offer here. However, all the facilities and provisions are shared so we ask that whatever you borrow or use you return to its home once you have finished with it. 

Noise

We would kindly ask that you are aware of noise levels outside in the evenings and whilst traveling on the shared staircases due to the close proximity of the apartments. If noise can be kept to a minimum after 10pm to avoid disturbing other guests with young children, that would be really appreciated. Particularly for those with hot tubs we ask that there is no use of these after 11pm to reduce noise. 

We also ask that children are supervised around the grounds as we want to make sure they stay safe. We would also love your help in keeping toys and play equipment tidy and put back in their homes once children have finished playing