A swastika-shaped house was reputedly built for Hitler in Devon for when he won the war, an historian claims.
The Nazi leader reportedly planned to share the luxury country retreat with his senior henchmen after conquering Britain.
The 16-room mansion – Knowstone Manor – was built in the 1930s by a German bachelor who lived there alone with his housekeeper. However, the house burned down in the 1960s. A bungalow on the original site is currently up for sale.
The four-bed bungalow sits on the site of a former 16-room mansion which was reportedly built in the 1930s for a German man who intended the house to become a Nazi headquarters
The original house on 1,600 acres was placed on the market in July 1945 in Country Life
Local rumours suggested the original mansion had been funded by the Nazi regime
It stood in 1,600 acres and was rumoured to have been secretly financed with funds from the Third Reich.
It had a galleried hall, four reception rooms, ten bed and dressing rooms, four bathrooms and a spacious ballroom with a ceiling decorated with signs of the zodiac.
The house was put on the market in the final days of the war in July 1945 – months after Hitler’s death.
The estate agents at the time described it as ‘probably the most spacious modern country house built in recent years outside of the Home Counties.’
The mansion – around 11 miles from Tiverton and close to Exmoor national park – no longer exists as it burned down in the 1960s.
But the story of its links to Hitler have re-emerged as the property that now stands on the land – Manor Farm – is on the market.
The current property is home since 1970 to an elderly couple who are seeking to retire
The property is only a short distance from the thriving market town of Tiverton
Local historian David Hill said: ‘By 1939, numerous other farms around it had been purchased and it was a 1,600-acre estate.
‘All this for a bachelor in his mid-30s and his housekeeper.
‘It was said the bachelor was a German national, and the purchase made with funds from the Third Reich to be used as a Nazi headquarters for Hitler’s Top men after the war had been won.
‘From the air, a photograph showed buildings resembling the swastika.
‘There was also a glass dome with a complex lighting system which could only be seen from the air.
‘The lights were supposedly used as a signal for enemy planes.’
The property is also the subject of a new book ‘A House For Hitler?’ by Christopher Chanter.
The current sellers raised their familyl on the farm as well as a large herd of cows
He concludes that the German owner was probably a rich outsider who became the victim of rumours.
Estate agents Knight, Frank & Rutley placed an advert in Country Life marketing the house and its land in July 1945.
It said that the property had only just been completed in its essentials on the outbreak of war.
It read: ‘It is probably the most spacious modern country house of moderate size built in recent years.
‘The residence is one of great architectural distinction, easily accessible but in the heart of unspoilt country.’
The current slate-roofed property has been the home an elderly couple since 1970.
Having raised their family at the farm while also rearing cows, the owners, who have asked not to be named, are now looking to retire.
It is on sale with Greenslade Taylor Hunt for offers in excess of £595,000.