Holmes House is a spectacular period waterfront home with 180° unobstructed views and equestrian facilities in an Area of Oustanding Natural Beauty.
This property is on Colwell Bay, a watersports hub and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the Isle Of Wight. It has stunning views towards Hampshire and Dorset and clear waters overlooked by a promenade to Totland Bay, with sandy beaches, a pub, bars and restaurants, all ideal for outdoor enthusiasts.
Freshwater and Freshwater Bay has boutique shopping, a library, sports and community centre, Tesco superstore, cafes, pubs and restaurants.
Historic Yarmouth is an affluent destination with independent shops, pubs, restaurants, a marina with sailing and yacht clubs, a pier and a luxury hotel.
Transportation links are excellent with the Yarmouth to Lymington Pier car and foot passenger ferry offering daily access to the mainland road network and Lymington Pier’s rail service to Southampton Airport and London Waterloo.
Equestrian centres for competition and training in the area include Lake Farm (30 minutes), Kingates Equestrian (30 minutes) and Stone Farm (20 minutes).
Should you ever be in need, Caballus Equine and Vectis Equine Vets will be on hand.
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Holmes House is on the market with Strutt & Parker with a guide price of £2.995m. Let’s take a look around…
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The 5.18 acres of land includes post-and-rail paddocks, plus there are six stables, a fully equipped tack room, an all-weather arena with mirrors, and a number of sheds and outbuildings – most of which have electricity.
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(Image credit: creditUnknown)
Set in an elevated position at the end of a private road, Holmes House is approached through double gates, with a drive that leads to a two-car garage and parking for multiple vehicles. The property can also be accessed by helicopter and by sea via the Colwell Bay slipway at the foot of the cliff with a paved winding path, which leads to a sandy beach.
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There are lawned formal garden featuring mature evergreen oak trees and a cantilevered viewing deck extending beyond the cliff edge with 180-degree views.
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There is also a heated swimming pool with a pool house in a secluded, sun-trapped side garden, a games/lawn tennis court, gym, enclosed kitchen garden and numerous seating areas and terraces.
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Holmes House was constructed in 1898 and was formerly a hotel that returned to private use in the late 1990s. The sunset facing property makes full use of 180 degrees of views over Colwell Bay and the Solent and has more than 7,200 sq ft of accommodation arranged over three floors.
Refurbished to a high standard in 2023, features include marble bathrooms with underfloor heating, sash windows, high ceilings, and original wooden parquet flooring.
The accommodation includes a foyer leading to a central drawing room with open fireplace, an L-shaped living/dining room with large front aspect windows, open fireplace and French doors to the garden.
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There is also a bar room with full bar, enclosed veranda, bespoke window seating and wood burner, a library with nook, a media/entertainment room suitable for use as a disabled bedroom if required, and two marble cloakrooms.
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The eat-in kitchen with sea views is fitted with a range of wall and base units, a recently refurbished Aga, a walk-in larder, and pantry. The kitchen leads out to a large 53 sqm fully glazed conservatory/morning room with underfloor heating and French doors to the kitchen garden to two aspects. There are also boot/laundry and utility rooms.
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The first floor has four bedrooms with en-suite shower rooms, two additional bedrooms with Jack and Jill access to an en-suite bathroom, one further bedroom and a family shower room and a study.
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(Image credit: creditUnknown)
A rear staircase rises to the second floor which has a two-/three-bedroom suite with a large wet room and a storage attic.
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Former web features editor, point-to-point editor and digital racing editor
Gemma is an experienced journalist, who was a member of H&H staff from 2014 to September 2025. She is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at Epsom in August 2018. Gemma’s has reported from numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.
