Clovelly (a privately-owned hilly Devon village)
Clovelly is one of England’s few privately-owned villages, which sits on the North Devon coast, a pretty place with cobbled streets that have witnessed centuries of history (it’s very hilly!)
The main street is known as ‘Up-Along’ (going up) and ‘Down-Along’ (going down!)
Full of charming cafes and traditional pubs, the village is also car-free (a Land Rover service transports luggage for visitors). The donkeys that used to be used to transport luggage are now ‘retired’, living at the top of the village.
Read our post on keeping dogs safe by the seaside.
Who Owns Clovelly Village?
The owner is a descendent of former Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, so distantly related to Helena Bonham-Carter.
He does appear to be going out of his way to ensure local people can live affordably (a 3-bedroom house here costs around £900).
That’s unheard of in Devon (usually at least double that price). It’s also pet-friendly and DSS-welcome.
And unlike some areas of the southwest where empty holiday homes price others out of the market, this home is only for a long-let, on the condition that you ‘get involved with community activities!’
Insulating a Village Reduced Bills Considerably
The policy of Greens and Lib Dems is to employ people to insulate every home in England (that needs it, most new homes are fine) to reduce both bills and climate change. This would take a few years, but would have massive positive effects.
This village is a good case study, as it’s already been done! Mitchell and Dickinson recently insulated the entire village of Clovelly, using available grants to insulate lofts and sloping ceilings, and also draughtproofed the homes and installed its unique secondary glazing system for older homes.
The company co-founder Mukti Mitchell is an environmentalist who once sailed around the British coast in a solar-powered boat he built himself – he’s the son of environmentalist writer Satish Kumar.
The 107 homes now have lower bills, along with improved energy efficiency ratings. Around 30% of heat is lost through buildings without insulation. Even after the first winter, one tenant in a four-bedroom house reported her fuel bills dropping by 50%.
