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South 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 South East Devon are listed.
Please help us
make this guide comprehensive by giving details of
missing attractions
here.
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Compton Castle
Marldon, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 1TA
Tel: 01803 875740 Fax:
01803 875740
E-mail:
comptoncastle@nationaltrust.org.uk
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Fortified manor house with reconstructed
medieval Great Hall.
Built between the 14th and 16th centuries, the
castle has been home to the Gilbert family for
most of the last 600 years.
Sir Humphrey Gilbert (1539–1583) was coloniser
of Newfoundland and half-brother to Sir Walter
Raleigh. |
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Compton Castle -
Photo:
Crispin Purdye
CCL |
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The Church House
Widecombe in the Moor, Newton Abbot, TQ13 7TA
Tel: 01364 621321
Fax: 01364 621321
E-mail:
churchhouse@nationaltrust.org.uk
Fine two-storey granite building dating from
1537. Originally a brewhouse, this former
village school is now leased as a village hall.
The adjacent Sexton’s Cottage is a NT shop and
Dartmoor National Park information point.
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Berry Pomeroy Castle
Berry Pomeroy, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 6LJ
Tel: 01803 866618
E-mail:
customers@english-heritage.org.uk
This castle is reputed to be one of the most
haunted in the British Isles. A White Lady
appears in the vicinity of the dungeons and upon
the castle ramparts. She has been identified
with the ghost of Lady Margaret Pomeroy who died
of starvation while imprisoned in the dungeons
of St Margaret's Tower. Her sister is said to
have incarcerated her because of a love rivalry.
Her sighting is associated with a death portent.
The castle is also haunted by a Blue Lady who is
tries to send people over the edge of the castle
walls and into unsafe areas by luring them
towards her. Said to be the spirit of the
daughter of an early Norman lord, who raped her
and then strangled her to death. She gave birth
to a child from this event, and in other stories
she (or her father) kills the child and then
haunts the castle in her anguish.
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Totnes Castle
Castle St, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5NU
Tel: 01803 864406
E-mail:
customers@english-heritage.org.uk
Totnes has a fine example of a Norman Castle,
with commanding views over the town. Totnes
Castle was constructed at a time when feudal
Lords ruled over a simple mediaeval society. The
presence, power and status of this ruling class
of Norman's, was clearly demonstrated to the
local people in the form of the castles that
they built. William the conqueror, granted
Totnes, along with 107 other Devonshire manors
to Judel the Breton (three variations of the
name are mentioned in the research texts; Judel,
Juhel and Judhael). Totnes castle was one of the
first three stone castles to be in Devon, in a
clear attempt to tighten William's hold over
this potentially rebellious shire. Judel built
his castle in the most commanding position
possible, straddling the original medieval town
walls with one of the largest examples of a
Norman motte-and-bailey castle in the country. A
dramatic round shell keep built on top of a huge
mound of pounded earth and rock that still
evokes a feeling of power today. The castle
remains remarkably intact to this day, as it
never received the kind of battering usually
suffered by castles in the middle ages.
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The Cathedral Church Of
Saint Peter in Exeter
Visitors' Officer
Tel: 01392 285983 Fax:
01392 285986
E-mail:
visitors@exeter-cathedral.org.uk
Web:
www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk
Everything you need to know about Exeter
Cathedral can be found here, includes opening
times etc.
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The Churches Conservation
Trust
E-mail:
central@tcct.org.uk
Web:
www.visitchurches.org.uk
Organisation dedicated to the preservation of
England's Churches. Here you will find a handy
search facility to locate Churches in the area
you plan to visit.
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Greenway
Greenway Road, Galmpton, nr Brixham, Devon TQ5
0ES
Tel: 01803 842382 (Infoline)
Fax: 01803 661903 (Restaurant)
Fax: 01803 661900
E-mail:
greenway@nationaltrust.org.uk
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Glorious woodland garden on the banks of the
Dart estuary.
Renowned for rare half-hardy plants
under planted by native wild flowers, Greenway
has an atmosphere of wildness and
timelessness, a true ‘secret’ garden of peace
and tranquillity with wonderful views, set
within an extensive estate and associated with
many fascinating characters. |
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Greenway -
Photo:
Bob Shires
CCL |
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Bradley Manor
Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 6BN
Tel: 01626 354513
E-mail:
bradley@nationaltrust.org.uk
Small medieval manor house set in woodland and
meadows. Given to the National Trust in 1938 by
Mrs A. H. Woolner, the house, which has 16th-
and 17th-century features, is still lived in and
managed by her family.
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High Cross House
Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 6ED
Tel: 01803 864114 Fax:
01803 867057
E-mail:
high.cross.house@dartingtonhall.org.uk
High Cross House was completed in 1932 as the
home for the first headmaster of Dartington Hall
School, William Burnlee Curry. The house was
designed by the Swiss-American architect William
Lescaze and is regarded as one of his most
important and successful commissions. Built by
Staverton Builders (then a department of The
Dartington Hall Trust) it displays much of the
architectural vocabulary typical of Lescaze -
the two rectilinear blocks joined by a curved
form and bold use of colour (both inside and
out). A superb example of International
Modernism, High Cross House was restored and
reopened in 1995 as a home to The Dartington
Hall Trust Collection and Archive. The
Collection, which had originally been that of
the Elmhirsts, includes Studio Ceramics and
early Chinese and Korean ceramics (which were
bought on the advice of Bernard Leach). Potters
represented include Bernard and David Leach,
Shoji Hamada, Lucie Rie and Hans Coper as well
as Jane Fox-Strangways and Marianne de Trey.
Also included are significant paintings by Ben
Nicholson, Alfred Wallis, Winifred Nicholson and
Christopher Wood. In the 1930s and early 1940s
the Dartington Hall estate was home to the
artists Elisabeth and Cecil Collins and Mark
Tobey and they are strongly represented in the
Collection.
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Ugbrooke Park
Chudleigh, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ13 0AD
Tel: 01626 852179 Fax:
01626 853322
E-mail:
cliffordestate@btconnect.com
Beautiful scenery, quiet parkland, rolling hills
and valleys in the heart of Devon. Ugbrooke
House and Church built c1200, redesigned by
Robert Adam. Home of the Cliffords of Chudleigh
for 300 years. Landscaped park by Capability
Brown, with lakes, majestic trees, views to
Dartmoor. House contains fine furniture,
paintings, embroideries, porcelain and military
collection. Guided tours relate tales of
Clifford Castles, Shakespeare's 'Black
Clifford', The Secret Treaty, Lady Anne Clifford
who defied Cromwell, tales of intrigue,
espionage and bravery. Exclusive dinner parties,
corporate events and presentation. Private party
visits April - September.
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Kirkham House
Kirkham St, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 3AX
Tel: 01803 522775
E-mail:
customers@english-heritage.org.uk
This well-preserved, medieval stone residence,
which has undergone considerable restoration and
repair, gives a fascinating insight into life in
a town house during the 15th century.
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