Full plans revealed for renovation of iconic Westward Ho! ‘haunted house’

The iconic ‘haunted house’ dominating the clifftop at Westward Ho! is set for a luxury £1.2million renovation as owner Rob Braddick prepares to pierce the veils of time and restore the historic Victorian holiday home to its former glory.

Seafield House has been a source of fascination for the ‘godfather of Westward Ho!’ since he was a nipper bombing past it on his BMX bike – not because of the alleged ghostly inhabitants, who appear to be very shy, but because of it was simply an ‘amazing house in an amazing location’.

Villagers were intrigued when a large sign appeared on the house this month promising it would be transformed into a large luxury holiday home to sleep up to 18 guests, with a full renovation inside and out plus the addition of two smaller extensions.

Above: Rob Braddick has no intention of letting a nosy ‘ghost’ get a look at his plans for Seafield House at Westward Ho! It will expect free parking next! Credit: Viral PR

Originally built in 1885 as a summer holiday residence by London banker Brinsley de Courcey Nixon to host family and guests in the Ho!’s restorative sea air, Seafield stayed in his family until 1950 when it became a bed and breakfast. It was unoccupied for several years until Rob Braddick bought it in 2016.

Above: The original owner and builder of Seafield House at Westward Ho!, Brinsley de Courcey Nixon.

The North Devon Gazette sat down with Braddicks Holidays owner Rob to find out more about his plans for the iconic house, what work it will need, the interior design and will it be ‘out with the ghoul and in with the new’…?

He explained how his plan was to “make it look really nice again, a superb landmark on the cliff edge and something to be proud of.”

Above: A concept of how the main living area at Seafield House will appear after the renovation. Credit: LHC Design

Below: An artist’s impression of how the new kitchen-dining area and decking extension at Seafield House will look. Credit: LHC Design

Rob added: “I live in the village, so I'm very happy if I can work and enjoy myself in Westward Ho!, that's all I need and hopefully carry it on for the next generation to make a nice living and enjoy it. I’ve got no plans on doing anything else other than just one superb house and wherever possible I’ll be using local trades and companies – do it once and do it right and keep it local!

“The renovation is going to make it look stunning, but it's the cliff that is taking the time. I have got lovely designs for the internal design of the house, from a lovely firm in Exeter, but it needs to wait while the cliff is sorted out.”

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The house had always been a part of his life and a location he admired. Rob said: “As a young lad, I used to cycle past the house on my BMX and it always struck me as an amazing house with all the talk of it being haunted, which didn't really scare me at all. But I also thought it was an amazing location and an amazing house.

“I liked a little bit of the history of it. I knew the people that lived in it at the time called Jean and Geoff Ware. They used to come into the Elizabethan Club and have a drink and something to eat on a Friday night.”

Above: Inside Seafield House at Westward Ho! where a major renovation is on the cards.

Rob has been quick to reassure people Seafield’s rather elusive alleged ghosts will not be unceremoniously evicted with just their bedsheets and unearthly possessions, but said signs may appear warning unwary passers-by of ‘renovation in progress, spirits may be disturbed’.

It will not be a quick or cheap project – the aim is to turn it into large-scale holiday accommodation that can be rented out weekly to group of up to 18 people, offering a mixture of double and single rooms, with contemporary design that blends with and includes the original Victorian vision.

Above: The original steps down to the shore at Seafield House.

Project plans and artists’ impressions drawn up by Exeter-based LHC Design lay out an ambitious and plus £1.2m scheme that will essentially return Seafield almost to its original use – a seaside summer home allowing large groups to stay and enjoy the delights of the North Devon coast.

Two extensions are proposed, with a large kitchen area and decking facing Hartland that will enable guests to dine in style, plus a conservatory facing Seafield’s small garden and with more ocean views.

Above: Local craftsman Rob Patterson has restored the Seafield House stained glass windows, which will be reinstalled once the renovations are complete. 

The transformation will include reinstating the private steps and paths down to the seashore, but first a great deal of work is needed to stabilise the cliff and protect it from future storms.

Above: The rear of Seafield House at Westward Ho! and its modest garden. Credit: Viral PR

Rob bought Seafield in May 2016, just a day after he acquired the council car park next door on a 50 year lease and instantly announced it would become free parking.

He said: “Bizarrely, everybody thought it was linked together and there was a cunning plan up my sleeve, but there wasn't. The car park was just to stop people parking in the road.

“I thought if you if you get the car park, make that free, the road will be freed up for customers to the Pier House, which is what happened.

Above: Part of the £1.2million transformation of Seafield House will include reinstating steps down to the shoreline.

“There was a once in a lifetime opportunity to pick it up. So we bought it. We planned on sitting on it for a while, but in 2020, we did start doing the roof just before Covid and then Covid struck and we stopped everything.

“The thing that's taken the time on the house is the cliff. There are so many hoops you've got to jump through with the cliff. The local council are really really good and behind us, but there are so many agencies that want satisfying, such as Natural England and the Environment Agency, marine management, because it is an area of outstanding natural beauty.

“So we've got to do everything rather cleverly, which is happening, but it is quite a slow process. But in an ideal world, I wanted my 50th birthday in there, but that was three years ago!

“It would be nice to have my 55th birthday in there, but I think that's a push. I think it's probably more likely to be 60!”

Above: Young ladies enjoying the sea air at Westward Ho! around the 1900s.

Rob said the house itself is a sound structure and built on rock, but once the cliff work is completed, it will need a new roof and then stripped inside and fully renovated.

Sadly, much of Seafield’s Victorian heritage is long gone, with the fireplaces removed in the 1960s and only some ornate coving and the iconic stained glass window above the staircase has survived to the present day.

Above: Seafield House at Westward Ho! around the late 1950s, early 1960s.

The stained glass has been fully restored by local craftsman Rob Patterson and will be reinstalled in the house once the renovations are complete.

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Rob is looking forward to reinstating the stairs back down to the shoreline and said: “That would be a big selling point for those staying at the house - you've got your own access to the beach, private access and that would be a big tick in the box. Maybe just not for sleepwalkers…”

He said local people had been enthusiastic about the plans, but added: “Some people are just concerned that it's going to look not so haunted when it's finished.

“I can reassure them any ghosts discovered in the process of the renovations will be treated courteously and invited to remain, but perhaps we could hire a few if needs be – is Rentaghost still running?”