About Us

Fingals has always been about people, atmosphere, and joy. 

I grew up in a large family home in Scotland with six siblings and a revolving cast of visitors. It was sociable and noisy, with long dinners at one big table, plenty of laughter, and a sense that there was always room for one more. Those memories shaped everything that came later. 

In the 1970s, I opened a small restaurant in Fulham, also called Fingals. People came not just to eat, but to connect. There was a communal table where conversations flowed, and it quickly became a much-loved gathering place. But the pull of the countryside grew stronger. 

In 1980, while driving down narrow Devon lanes, I stumbled across Coombe Manor Farm. Tucked into a hidden valley near the River Dart, it was in need of complete restoration — and it was perfect. From that day, my passion became Fingals in Devon. 

Today, Fingals offers much more than beautiful holiday homes. There’s a seasonal grass tennis court, an indoor pool, a sauna, a gym, a snooker table, table tennis, table football, and gardens tended with love. Children can roam and play, while adults sip a drink on a steamer chair, sail the Dart, or head off along the coast or into the moors. 

Sheila and I have always done things our own way, unafraid to be different. Fingals remains what it has always been: fun, sociable, quirky, and utterly unique — a hidden gem in South Devon, waiting to be shared.