Walls, Including Gate Piers and Folly, Enclosing the Courtyard and (Former) Gardens to the South and West of Churston Court

Details

BRIXHAM

1946-1/5/64 CHURSTON ROAD 10-JAN-75 CHURSTON FERRERS (West side) Walls, including gate piers and folly, enclosing the courtyard and (former) gardens to the south and west of Churs ton Court (Formerly listed as: CHURSTON ROAD CHURSTON FERRERS WALLS INCLUDING GATE PIERS AND FOLLY T O SOUTH AND WEST OF CHURSTON COURT) (Formerly listed as: CHURSTON ROAD CHURSTON FERRERS GARDEN WALLS OF CHURSTON COURT TO SOUT H AND WEST)

II A series of early to mid C19, or possibly earlier, walls, including gate piers and a folly, situated to the west and south of Churston Court (qv).

MATERIALS: The circa 3.5m high walls are built of stone rubble, and have flat stone coping or rounded coping of stones on edge. The outer walls have stone rubble buttresses at regular intervals.

PLAN: The walls enclose a large rectangular area of circa 0.64ha, subdivided by internal walls into three enclosures plus a courtyard. The outer wall to the south-west runs for circa 160m in a southerly direction to Churston Road, where it turns east and then follows the line of the road leading to Churston Court.

The courtyard is situated immediately in front of Churston Court (listed Grade II*). Most of the east wall has a flat stone coping, but the rear part is taller, plastered, and has a blocked window at the top; presumably it is the remnant of an added building, since demolished. The front wall is lower, with rounded coping of stones on edge, and contains two square gate piers with low pyramidal caps marking the entrance to Churston Court. To the west the courtyard opens into a garden, which is walled except where it adjoins the courtyard. Attached to the wall, in its far north-west corner stands a small square structure, probably a garden folly, entered through a wide four-centred arch, with above it a viewing platform enclosed by a low battlemented parapet wall. Immediately south lies the second walled garden, now partly in use as a car park. Along its north wall are the remaining footprints of small garden buildings and/or greenhouses (see OS 1894, 1906 and 1936). In the south-wall, just off-centre, is a round arched opening with wooden doors (of later date) giving access to a large rectangular walled enclosure, probably the former kitchen garden, now in use as a tennis court with associated buildings built on the footprints of earlier garden buildings and/or green houses that stood along its north and east wall. The main entrance is a circa 2m wide opening with wooden gates (of later date) in its south wall along Churston Road.

HISTORY: The walls enclose the courtyard, former ornamental gardens and kitchen garden of Churston Court which is a large house dating from the mid or late C16, remodelled in the C17 and with C18 and C19 additions. During the mid C19 the Buller family of nearby Lupton House owned Churston Court, which was described in White's Directory of Devonshire of 1850 as `the ancient seat of the Yardes, which has lately been modernised, and has tasteful grounds'.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: The walled enclosures make a significant contribution to the architectural and historic interest of Churston Court and in particular to the understanding of gardening activity at this important house. The walls also make a very positive contribution to the historic street scene of the village of Churston Ferrers.

Listing NGR: SX9036256384

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

383578

Legacy System:

LBS

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