Open House

Between the Ele­ments

What happens when you escape the daily breathlessness of mundane life, and the tension unravels like a knotted thread? Amidst mythic nature, kind souls, and the timeless elements, Fowlescombe Farm in the county of Devon follows the whisper of its history and nature’s rhythm.

by Julia Hauch in August 2026

AIR

Both the rising mist and steaming tea cast delicate veils in the clear morning air. Mean­while, a table­cloth­laden with fresh pastries lies spread out on the com­pleted dry-stone wall. Mark looks around proudly and thanks his assistants — four guests of Fow­les­combe Farm who set out early that morning with the master stone­mason to repair some of the property’s cha­rac­te­ristic stone walls, to learn more about the region’s tra­di­tional craft, and at the same time to leave their own mark on this ever-changing land­scape. Hand in hand, stone upon stone, all sal­vaged from the farm’s own quarry.

STONE

Barry is still sleeping. After all, it’s clearly too early for a barn owl, even if he does add the final enchanting touch to the ivy-covered ruin. It is a dra­matic scene set amidst a patchwork of fields and wood­lands, visible from some of the suites at Fow­les­combe Farm. Built in 1537 by Thomas Fowell — whose influ­ential family owned large parts of Dartmoor — the imposing manor house, con­s­tructed from the estate’s quarry,was even said to have served as the inspi­ration for Sir Arthur ConanDoyle’s novel, The Hound of the Bas­ker­villes. Reclaimed by nature after it burned down in 1907, it is a space replete with history and stories, much like the Vic­torian farm­house with its stone barns 300 metres further up the valley, Fow­les­combe Farm.

WATER

“When you are down here in the valley,the world com­pletely dis­ap­pears”, observes Caitlin Owens, the current owner. With ancient trees, wood­lands, birds, and ponds, this secluded spot nestles in the foot­hills of Dartmoor National Park. “Beau­tiful! Even the­light is always changing. And at the same time, we are only a few kilo­metres away from the wild beaches and spec­ta­cular cliffs of the coast”. At the moment she is loading blankets and picnic baskets into a van to take a morning dip at Bigbury Beach tog­ether with a friend down from Lon­donand a few other guests. The sense of freedom Caitlin redis­co­vered in Fow­les­combe is one which she, her life partner Paul Glade, and the unique members of their team want to pass on to others.

Some­times it is hard to explain why a hotel’s atmo­sphere lingers in one’s memory. Is it the door or the teacup, the tea itself or the way it is served? For me, archi­tecture is the inter­action between all of these ele­ments.

TIME

Fow­les­combe Farm is an open invi­tation. Sleep in, deeply, soundly, because the air here is somehow more bracing. Linger in your dressing gown over a lei­surely breakfast on the terrace. Enjoy freshly baked bread with honey from Fowlescombe’s own bees along with many other items sourced from its garden or farm, lovingly pre­pared by Elly and served in The Refectory, the restaurant at Fow­les­combe Farm. For those who prefer to feel the dew on the meadows, set out early on the densely wooded paths leading to Dartmoor, one of the lone­liest places in England, full of rare flora and fauna, not to mention witch­craft and folklore. Then there is this par­ti­cular rhythm that invites one to pitch in, whether it is helping Neil feed the chi­ckens, George in the fields, Ruby drying ingre­dients for teas, or Shelley as she arranges wild­flower bou­quets.

HOME

Whether it’s essential farmwork or yoga in the green­house, flower-gathering excur­sions for the evening’s gin, or stand-up paddling to the nearest pub, things happen natu­rally at Fow­les­combe and vary from day to day. The expe­ri­ences here change, just like the seasons, the weather, the land­scape, and the guests. Rather than pre­senting some arti­fi­cially created pro­gramme for stressed out city dwellers, the acti­vities and expe­ri­ences here are, quite simply, those needed to run the farm. You par­ti­cipate and become a part of it — as if you were at home.

“My family bought Fow­les­combe in 2018 in order to transform the existing farm into one prac­tising rege­ne­rative agri­culture. Then the lockdown hap­pened, and I wanted to get out of London where, at the time, I was working at a large con­sulting firm. So, I moved in with my parents, who live nearby, and spent a lot of time on the farm tog­ether with Paul. We even helped out with the lambing”, recounts Caitlin, clearly still excited. “And that is when I rea­lised that I didn’t want to go back to London or my job. This intensive time here in nature gave us so much; and we knew that it had some­thing to offer other people too”.

BALANCE

“The reno­vation of the pro­perty is informed by the prin­ciples of beauty and utility”, explains Paul, who oversees the entire project as Creative Director. The Swiss native met the British-born Caitlin at Cam­bridge, where he was stu­dying archi­tecture, and she, French and German. Since then, Fow­les­combe has become the perfect outlet for the couple’s sym­biotic strengths. “Some­times it is hard to explain why a hotel’s atmo­sphere lingers in one’s memory. Is it the door or the teacup, the tea itself or the way it is served? For me, archi­tecture is the inter­action between all of these ele­ments”. The first step was to dis­mantle the farm­house, which had been spoiled by con­crete, paint, and massive marble steps. “We took the interior apart like a Lego set to help the house regain its balance and con­tinue its story”.

We took the interior apart like a Lego set to help the house regain its balance and con­tinue its story.

AUTHENTICITY

They also wanted the farm’s function clearly reflected. “It’s not just a hotel, but also a pro­ductive place whose utility and sim­plicity we wanted to cele­brate”, explains the architect. The same applies to their co-workers, who all play essential roles. Some of them ended up here by chance and just didn’t want to leave, because Fow­les­combe func­tions like a big family, a cosmos you can immerse yourself in, and a rhythm with which you can resonate, whether for a few days’ break or for longer.

FRIENDSHIP

The col­la­bo­ration with the Swiss archi­tec­tural firm Studio Gugger was also a bit of seren­dipity. Paul unex­pec­tedly meets Harry Gugger, his former boss, on the train to Devon. This brief encounter brings about big changes. Tog­ether with Studio Gugger and the London-based architect Ryan Cook and his firm Channel, the pro­perty is rede­signed and the rela­ti­onship between humans and animals recon­fi­gured. The old stone barns are trans­formed into guest suites, and new stables and a green­house are added to the pro­perty.

SILENCE

Oak, the farm dog, runs across the yard, past chi­ckens and a couple that has been playing Scrabble on the terrace for the past few hours. A large, inti­mi­dating dog at first glance, he snuggles up to Caitlin’s side. “He was initially quite nervous and sus­pi­cious because his pre­vious owners did not treat him well. Now he’s a real softie”, she smiles. A result, perhaps, of the slower pace on the farm. Like Oak, guests and staff at Fow­les­combe undergo their own trans­for­ma­tions: from guests who con­ti­nually extend their stay, to folks dealing with illness who feel better with each passing day, a digger ope­rator who changes his job, and the children who learn about biodi-versity using all their senses. “Most­guests arrive here pretty stressed. And sud­denly ever­y­thing calms down. Like taking a deep breath”.

TRANSFORMATION

The farm’s rege­ne­rative agri­cul­ture­prac­tices return nut­rients to the earth. “The rege­ne­ration of our guests is equally important to us”, claims Caitlin. “You connect with nature, with the seasons, and with each other. You can enjoy the tran­quillity, the suites, fan­tastic sea­sonal cuisine, and very fri­endly service. Though the trans­for­mation goes deeper than that: some­thing takes root, which grows and changes things”. Trans­for­mation takes place on a small as well as large scale. Archi­tecture pro­vides a fitting frame-work for this expe­rience.

Luxury means that things happen without me having to think about them.

HISTORY

With a lounge bar and reception, the Vic­torian ren­dered farm­house serves as the centre of the estate. However, most of the ten suites, as well as The Refectory and a library called The Map Room, are located in the con­verted barns. Large and small windows, low cei­lings, and unusual doors gesture to earlier struc­tures and dimen­sions. Some rooms stretch to lofty heights under exposed beams, while other indi­vidual areas are small and cosy. “We didn’t want to stan­dardise any­thing”, remarks Paul. “Some­times you have to duck to get into a par­ti­cu­larly large room”. Fow­les­combe Farm stays true to its history, present in even the smallest details, and closely con­nected to the land­scape that shines through every window.

OAK & WOOL

“We only employed a small range of mate­rials. There is the stone from our own quarry, which we polished par­tially to transform it into a bench, a table, or a sink. The oak wood for the windows and walls was also already there, just in a rough-er form. We didn’t want to introduce any new material but rather refine what already exists”. Woollen curtains and tex­tiles translate the colours of the land­scape — ranging from green to blue to violet — letting you sense the warmth and harshness of the region. Even the mat­tresses come from the wool of the farm’s own Manx Loaghtan sheep, an ancient breed that finds a home on Fow­les­combe Farm along with cattle, pigs, and goats.

FIRE

“Luxury means that things happen without me having to think about them”, says Caitlin, trying to capture the “magic” of Fow­les­combe Farm, which dis­penses with all forms of opu­lence. Even tele­vi­sions, for example, are a frill no one seems to miss. Instead, dra­gon­flies flit about the pond, and the evening sun bathes the meadows, fields, and orchards in a fiery red light. Anyone who wants to can wait for the starry sky and Barry on the small stone bench. It couldn’t be more spec­ta­cular.

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Words: Julia Hauch

Photos: © Laura Edwards, Jon Tonks, Matthew Hague, Paul Glade

This article first appeared in our book Dream in Pro­gress. The book is available to purchase from our shop.