Pickwell Manor

Located just half a mile from the beautiful North Devon coast, near the sandy beaches of Putsborough and Woolacombe, Pickwell Manor is a 15,000 square foot, 10th century manor house that has been sympathetically converted into nine self-catering holiday apartments. It is run by two families – the Bakers and the Elliotts. The two families took over the manor in 2008 and are responsible for the high end, idyllic retreat that it is known as today.

The families have a long history together, with Steve and Susannah Baker and Richard and Tracey Elliott both marrying in 2000 and having been friends long before that. Things changed when in 2007, living in Sussex with a young family and commuting to London every day, Steve and his family decided they wanted a lifestyle change and began to look for relocation opportunities.

“My property background led me to take a serious look at Pickwell Manor but knowing it would be a big challenge to undertake alone, we turned to Richard and Tracey to see if they would consider coming with us” explained Steve. “We knew it would be a risk uprooting not one, but two families, but the laid-back Devon lifestyle proved too tempting and in 2008 we purchased Pickwell Manor and relocated our families to North Devon.”

With two families, six limited companies (including a London-based company run by Steve) and a charitable foundation to contend with, keeping the business compliant, tax efficient and in excellent shape is not a simple task. Simpkins Edwards was introduced to the Bakers and Elliotts by Lloyds Bank when they first purchased the business and has worked with them ever since, providing strategic business advice as well as producing all company accounts and assisting with the families’ personal finances.

“We’ve been very impressed with the strategic advice we’ve received from Jean-Paul, Adrian and their teams,” said Steve. “It’s not been an easy job, but they have stayed one step ahead of what has been a constantly changing environment and have always advised up to make carefully calculated decisions to ensure our business remains highly tax efficient. It’s been a fantastic benefit to work with an accountancy firm that gives us tailored operational support as well as handles our accounts.”