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Exeter & East Devon - Castles, Cathedrals,
Monuments,
Stately Homes & Palaces
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Since the stone age, man has been
creating majestic structures that we still marvel at
today.
Whether you are interested in ancient monuments,
battlefield sites,
re-enactments,
Roman and Norman forts and castles, Stately Homes, Country Houses, Historic
Cathedrals, Ruined Abbeys etc, this is the page that
should give you the information you need.
Here we try to list properties in
private ownership but open to the public (even if only
occasionally) as well as those in the care of the
National Trust or English/Scottish Heritage.
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We know that not all the
properties in Exeter & East Devon are listed. Please help us
make this guide comprehensive by giving details of
missing attractions
here.
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CASTLE DROGO
Drewsteignton, Exeter, Devon, EX6 6PB
Tel: 01647 433306
Fax: 01647 433186
E-mail:
castledrogo@nationaltrust.org.uk
Web:
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
This granite castle,
built between 1910 and 1930 for the self-made
millionaire Julius Drewe, is one of the most
remarkable works of Sir Edwin Lutyens. Perched
on a moorland spur above the River Teign, it
commands spectacular views of Dartmoor.
The interior combines the
grandeur of a medieval castle with the comfort
of the 20th century. There is a delightful
formal garden with roses and herbaceous borders,
as well as spring flowers and many fine walks on
the estate.
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Clyston Mill - Killerton
Broadclyst, Exeter, EX5 3EW
Tel: 01392 462425 Fax:
01934 845100
E-mail:
clystonmill@nationaltrust.org.uk
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Clyston Mill -
Photo:
Martin Bodman
CCL |
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Water-powered grain mill in working order.
Believed to date from the early 19th century,
this watermill is in an idyllic setting. |
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The Old Bakery, Manor Mill
& Forge - Branscombe
Branscombe, Seaton, EX12 3DB
Old Bakery – Tenant: 01297 680333
Manor Mill – Regional office: 01392
881691
Forge – Tenant: 01297 680481
E-mail:
branscombe@nationaltrust.org.uk
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Charming vernacular
buildings with mill and forge restored to
working order.
The Old Bakery is a stone-built and partially
rendered building beneath thatch, which at the
time of its closure as a business in 1987 was
the last traditional working bakery in Devon. |
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The Old Bakery -
Photo:
Richard Thomson
CCL |
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Water Wheel Manor Mill -
Photo:
Richard Thomson
CCL |
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The old baking equipment has been preserved in
the baking room and the rest of the building now
serves as a tea-room. |
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The water-powered Manor
Mill probably supplied the flour for the
bakery.
The forge is open daily and the
blacksmith sells the ironwork he produces. |
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The Forge -
Photo:
Carol Walker
CCL |
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Tiverton Castle
Park Hill, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 6RP
Tel: 01884 255200 Fax:
01884 254200
E-mail: tiverton.castle@ukf.net
Few buildings evoke such an immediate feeling of
history as Tiverton Castle. Originally built in
1106 by order of Henry I, it was rebuilt and
enlarged in the 13th century, and with changes
and additions down the centuries nowadays all
ages of architecture from medieval to modern can
be seen. Once home of the powerful medieval
Earls of Devon and a Plantagenet Princess, and
besieged by Fairfax during the English Civil
War, the Castle has witnessed extremes of peace
and turbulence. The furnishings and exhibits
reflect the colourful history and development.
Superb holiday accommodation. Licensed for Civil
Weddings. Beautiful gardens.
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Exeter Cathedral
1 The Cloisters, Exeter, EX1 1HS
Tel: 01392 214219
E-mail:
visitors@exeter-cathedral.org.uk
Web:
www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk
Exeter’s majestic Cathedral is over 850 years
old and one of the finest examples of decorated
gothic work in England. Guided tours operate
daily.
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St. Nicholas Priory
The Mint, Off Fore Street, Exeter, Devon, EX4
3BL
Tel: 01392 665858
E-mail:
ramm@exeter.gov.uk
The Priory founded in 1087, is the only
remaining former monastic building to survive in
central Exeter. See 900 year old guest wing and
the grand Guest Hall and Bed Chamber. St.
Nicholas Priory is currently closed for
conservation, repair and interpretation work, it
will reopen around 2007.
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Loughwood Meeting House
Dalwood, Axminster, EX13 7DU
Tel: 01392 881691 Fax: 01392
881954
E-mail:
loughwood@nationaltrust.org.uk
17th-century Baptist meeting house. Around 1653
the Baptist congregation of the nearby village
of Kilmington constructed this simple building
dug into the hillside. They attended services
here at the risk of imprisonment or
transportation. The interior was fitted in the
early 18th century.
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A La Ronde
Summer Lane, Exmouth, EX8 5BD
Tel: 01395 265514
E-mail:
alaronde@nationaltrust.org.uk
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Quirky 18th-century house
with fascinating interior decoration and
collections.
A unique 16-sided house built on the
instructions of two spinster cousins, Jane and
Mary Parminter, on their return from a grand
tour of Europe.
Completed c.1796, the house contains many
objects brought back by the Parminters.
The interior includes a feather frieze and
shell-encrusted gallery which, due to its
fragility, can only be viewed on
closed-circuit television. |
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A La Ronde -
Photo:
Chris J Dixon
CCL |
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Killerton
Broadclyst, Exeter, EX5 3LE
Tel: 01392 881345 Fax:
01392 883112
E-mail:
killerton@nationaltrust.org.uk
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Killerton House -
Photo:
Derek Harper
CCL |
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Fine 18th-century house with costume collection,
hillside garden and estate.
Built for the Acland family in 1778, the house
is furnished as a comfortable home.
The Paulise de Bush collection of 18th- to
20th-century costume is displayed in period
rooms.
There is an introductory exhibition in the
stable courtyard, a substantial Victorian
laundry and interesting chapel. |
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The garden was created in
the 1770s by John Veitch, one of the greatest
nurserymen and landscape designers of his day.
It features rhododendrons, magnolias,
herbaceous borders and rare trees, as well as
an ice house and early 19th-century
rustic-style summer house known as The Bear’s
Hut.
The surrounding parkland and woods offer a
number of beautiful circular walks giving
access to the 2500ha (6100 acre) estate, and
there is also a discovery centre offering
varied activities. |
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Kniphophias at Killerton -
Photo:
Derek Harper
CCL |
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Shute Barton
Shute, nr Axminster, EX13 7PT
Tel: 01297 34692 (Tenant)
E-mail:
shutebarton@nationaltrust.org.uk
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Entrance to Shute Barton -
Photo:
Martin Southwood
CCL |
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Medieval manor house with later architectural
features.
Shute Barton is one of the most important
surviving non-fortified manor houses of the
Middle Ages.
Begun in 1380, completed in the late 16th
century, then partly demolished in the late 18th
century, it has battlemented turrets, late
Gothic windows and a Tudor gatehouse. |
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Knightshayes Court
Tiverton, Devon, EX16 7RQ
Tel: 01884 254665 Fax: 01884
243050
E-mail:
knightshayes@nationaltrust.org.uk
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Victorian country house
with richly decorated interiors and fine
garden.
Begun in 1869, Knightshayes is a rare survival
of the work of designer William Burges.
The interiors combine medieval romanticism
with lavish Victorian decoration, and the
smoking and billiard rooms, elegant boudoir
and drawing room all give an atmospheric
insight into the grand country house life
which revolved around the Heathcoat-Amory
family. |
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Knightshayes Court -
Photo:
John Spivey
CCL |
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Knightshayes Court entrance-
Photo:
Martin Bodman
CCL |
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A recently opened room shows original Burges
designs including furniture and wall-paintings.
The celebrated garden features a water lily pool
and topiary, specimen trees, rare shrubs and
delightful seasonal colours.
Attractive woodland walks lead through the
grounds. |
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Budlake Old Post Office
Room - Killerton
Broadclyst, Exeter, EX5 3LW
Tel: 01392 881690
E-mail:
budlakepostoffice@nationaltrust.org.uk
Charming example of a 1950s Post Office Room
with cottage garden.
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Marker’s Cottage - Killerton
Broadclyst, Exeter, EX5 3HR
Tel: 01392 461546
E-mail:
markerscottage@nationaltrust.org.uk
Thatched medieval cob house with interesting
interior. Constructed of cob (a mixture of clay
and straw), the house contains a cross-passage
screen decorated with painted decorative
‘grotesque’ work and a landscape scene with St
Andrew. In the garden is a cob summer house.
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Branscombe Mill
Seaton, Devon
Tel: 01392 881691
Web:
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
The Old Bakery is a stone-built and partially
rendered building beneath thatch, which until
1987 was the last traditional working bakery in
Devon. The old baking equipment has been
preserved in the baking room and the rest of the
building now serves as a tea-room. Manor Mill,
still in working order and recently restored, is
a water-powered mill which probably supplied the
flour for the bakery. The forge is open daily
and the blacksmith sells the ironwork he
produces.
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New Members required for this section!
To join or recommend an establishment to
us, please
contact Tourist Net UK
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