Gotham House is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

early 18th century Georgian merchant's

townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of Terraced house, terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type o ...

on Phoenix Lane in the town of Tiverton in Devon, England. An ancient estate named "Gotham" also exists in the parish of Cadeleigh, near Tiverton, now represented by Gotham Farm. It was one of a number of buildings constructed in Tiverton following the disastrous

Tiverton fire of 1731 The Tiverton fire of 1731, also known as the Great Fire, was a fire that affected part of Tiverton, Devon in England on 5 June 1731. It was one of a number of serious fires affecting the town in the 17th and 18th centuries. Breaking out in a bake ...

. The building was restored in 1966 and currently serves as the base for a firm of solicitors. The house and its forecourt walls and entrance gates became listed on 12 February 1952.

History

Gotham House was built in the early 18th century by clothing merchant and Mayor of Tiverton George Davey (1690–1746). It was one of a number of buildings rebuilt in Tiverton following a fire of 1731, making it a rare example of an elaborate Georgian townhouse. The house remained in the Davey family for a few generations, passing to George Davey's son Roger after his death, and then to his brother George. It then became the property of George's daughter and son-in-law, Captain John and Bridget Hamilton. George In the 1880s, Major Poyntz, Chief Constable of Essex, resided at Gotham House. Since 1960, the building has served as offices of law firm Ashford's Solicitors. The house was restored in 1966 by architects Clement Toy and

Raymond Erith Raymond Charles Erith RA FRIBA (7 August 1904 – 30 November 1973) was a leading classical architect in England during the period dominated by the modern movement after the Second World War. His work demonstrates his continual interest in expan ...

. It has occasionally been opened to the public since then.

Architecture

Exterior

Gotham House is a 3-storey

Flemish bond Flemish bond is a pattern of brickwork that is a common feature in Georgian architecture. The pattern features bricks laid lengthwise (''stretchers'') alternating with bricks laid with their shorter ends exposed (''headers'') within the same cou ...

red brick A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...

building, with a basement. It has a symmetrical 5-bay front with four brick columns reaching to the top of the first floor, two surrounding the entranceway and one at each end. These are topped with moulded caps and a projecting white

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

. Four columns extend from this cornice to the roof. The windows have slate stonework below and are topped with arches of rubbed brick in a lighter colour; there are fourteen windows at the front and fifteen at the back. The house has

pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

ed doorcases at both the front and rear. At the front, there is also a round-headed outer doorway. The house has a slate roof with an 'M' profile, with chimney stacks at either end constructed of brick with yellow chimney pots. There is cast-iron guttering.

Interior

The house has a double depth plan, being two rooms wide. The interior retains many 18th-century features, including a library containing books and manuscripts from the period and a

mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...

staircase dating back to its original constructions. There is a marble

mantelpiece The fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a fire grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and ...

, with

Corinthian columns The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...

and a

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

with depictions of

sphinx A sphinx ( ; , ; or sphinges ) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. In Culture of Greece, Greek tradition, the sphinx is a treacherous and merciless being with the head of a woman, th ...

es and

cherubs A cherub (; : cherubim; ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'') is one type of supernatural being in the Abrahamic religions. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles, such as protecting the entrance of the Garden of ...

. Surviving additions from the 19th century include a

pantry A pantry is a room or cupboard where beverages, food, (sometimes) dishes, household cleaning products, linens or provisions are stored within a home or office. Food and beverage pantries serve in an ancillary capacity to the kitchen. Etymol ...

and a

dumb waiter A dumbwaiter is a small freight elevator or lift intended to carry food. Dumbwaiters found within modern structures, including both commercial, public and private buildings, are often connected between multiple floors. When installed in restauran ...

. Several historical items have been found in the basement, including documents signed by

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

References

{{Coord, 50.902, -3.4872, type:landmark_region:GB-DEV, display=title Houses in Devon Grade II* listed houses Grade II* listed buildings in Devon Tiverton, Devon