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Luscombe Castle is a country house situated near the
resort town A resort town, resort city or resort destination is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding area. Sometimes ...
of
Dawlish Dawlish is a seaside resort town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Teignbridge district in Devon, England. It is located on the south coast of England at a distance of from the city of Exeter and a similar distance from the to ...
, in the county of
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. Upon purchasing the land at Luscombe in 1797, Charles Hoare demolished the existing house and commissioned architects John Nash and
Humphrey Repton Humphry Repton (21 April 1752 – 24 March 1818) was the last great designer of the classic phase of the English landscape garden, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown. His style is thought of as the precursor of the more intrica ...
to design a new house and gardens at the site. Nash and Repton came up with an asymmetrical designed building made from
Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone geological formation (formally named the Portland Stone Formation) dating to the Tithonian age of the Late Jurassic that is quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The quarries are cut in beds of whi ...
, with castellated
parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...
s,
turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...
s and
pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was main ...
s to create the feel of a
picturesque Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in ''Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year ...
castle. Nash's designs for the house included a three-storey octagonal tower, with two wings coming off it and a second square tower above a
porte-cochère A porte-cochère (; ; ; ) is a doorway to a building or courtyard, "often very grand," through which vehicles can enter from the street or a covered porch-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building through which originally a ...
. Inside the drawing room occupied the ground floor of the tower, with a sitting room above. The dining room was designed to hold views across the valley, and the asymmetric rooms allowed for a panorama of views. To allow easy access to the gardens, the servant's quarters were moved to a separate wing, but made to be less prominent. A chapel was added in approximately 1862, and the house's
loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior Long gallery, gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only parti ...
was converted into a conservatory. The grounds were designed by Repton, and laid out by John Veitch. They extend to , with of gardens, both formal and informal, and other pleasure grounds, while the remainder covers parks and woodlands. The main garden, known as the American Garden, includes ponds and ornamental shrubs. The house was designated a Grade I
listed building 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, Hi ...
and its gardens are also Grade I listed in the
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England {{R from move ...
{{R from move ...
. The site should be distinguished from Luscombe in the parish of Rattery in Devon, about 16 miles to the south-west, the seat of the Luscombe family from before the 16th century to shortly before 1810.


History

The process of purchasing Luscombe estate was started in 1788 by Charles Hoare, a prominent banker whose sister, Henrietta, was the widow of Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 9th Baronet (1752–1794) of
Killerton Killerton is an 18th-century house in Broadclyst, Exeter, Devon, England, which, with its hillside garden and estate, has been owned by the National Trust since 1944 and is open to the public. The National Trust displays the house as a comforta ...
, near
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
. Hoare rented a house in Dawlish during the 1790s, while the purchase was progressing, being finalised in 1797. The original property included a large house with outbuildings, as well as part of the nearby farm. The nearby 19th century house, Stonelands also formed part of the estate, so Repton ensured that it would be visible from the parkland. Stonelands no longer forms part of the estate, but is still visible from the park and wood. Towards the end of the 19th century, the house's park land was open to the public on certain days of the week by Peter Arthur Marsham Hoare, however this practice had ended by 1902. The grounds were still regularly opened for events such as fetes, the Dawlish flower show, as well as opening the gardens to the public. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Luscombe Castle was used as an evacuation point. The evacuees included a boys' preparatory school, whose pupils included the young
William Franklyn William Leo Franklyn (; 22 September 1925 – 31 October 2006) was an English actor, perhaps best known for voicing the "Schhh... You Know Who" adverts for Schweppes from 1965 to 1973. He also performed on stage, film, television and rad ...
, and girls in the care of the
Barnardo's Barnardo's is a global charity headquartered in Barkingside in the London Borough of Redbridge. It was founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, to care for vulnerable children. As of 2013, it raised and spent around £200 million each ye ...
charity. After the war, the house continued to provide accommodation for girls as a
children's home Residential child care communities or children's homes are a type of residential care, which refers to long-term care given to children who cannot stay in their birth family home. There are two different approaches towards residential care: The fam ...
until the house was returned to the Hoare family in July 1948. The Castle and grounds were designated Grade I listed status on 12 August 1987. Luscombe suffered storm damage in the
Burns' Day storm The Burns' Day Storm (also known as Cyclone Daria) was an extremely violent windstorm that took place on 25–26 January 1990 over North-Western Europe. It is one of the strongest European windstorms on record and caused many fatalities in the ...
in 1990, leading to a management plan and historical survey.


Location

Luscombe Castle is set close to the town of
Dawlish Dawlish is a seaside resort town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Teignbridge district in Devon, England. It is located on the south coast of England at a distance of from the city of Exeter and a similar distance from the to ...
in
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
. The castle's grounds total , of which are formal gardens and pleasure grounds, while the remaining are parkland and ornamental woodland. Situated in the Luscombe and Summercombe valleys, its boundaries are formed by a ridge of high ground at Little Haldon, and by Luscombe Hill. The majority of boundaries are formed by hedging and banks. The boundaries of the estate cover approximately . The house's chosen location meant that the building was not as large as it might have been, had it been moved a short distance and built on terraces. The building is approached from a point on Luscombe Hill, through a gate bordered by rubble-stone walls. There is a 19th-century single story lodge at the entrance, built in gothic carved stone. From there, a drive leads to the north side of the Luscome Castle, where there is a carriage court bordered by yew hedges. Further along the nearby service road is a second 19th century gothic stone lodge. The park can be approached from the south-east, passing two further 19th century lodges on the grounds.


House

By 1799, the original house at Luscombe had been demolished, and work began on a new house for Hoare in 1800. The house was designed by John Nash, who was a pioneer for the
Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
style. In his early drawings for the house, Repton suggested two sketches to Hoare; one of a more standard house, and the other with the more natural design which would settle into the landscape. The latter was chosen and the final design of the house was based upon
Downton Castle Downton Castle is a grade I listed 18th-century country house in the parish of Downton on the Rock in Herefordshire, England, situated about west of Ludlow, Shropshire. Description The south-facing entrance front has a central square tower ...
, but with an asymmetrical plan to experience the panoramic views around the house. It was Nash's first attempt at a Gothic castle design and he would subsequently create several further houses in the same style. The building was constructed of
Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone geological formation (formally named the Portland Stone Formation) dating to the Tithonian age of the Late Jurassic that is quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The quarries are cut in beds of whi ...
, largely over two storeys but with a three-story octagonal tower between the two wings, as well as a square tower to the north above the
porte-cochère A porte-cochère (; ; ; ) is a doorway to a building or courtyard, "often very grand," through which vehicles can enter from the street or a covered porch-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building through which originally a ...
. The walls feature castellated
parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...
s,
turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...
s and
pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was main ...
s, giving the building the feel of a castle in the gothic style. The building has an asymmetric feel, in a
picturesque Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in ''Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year ...
style, with varying shapes and elevations to different sections. The intent was to give a castle style to the building, reminiscent of historical fortresses, but with the comfortable interior of a house. On entrance through the porte-cochère, there is a circular hall with staircase hall to the right. To the left of the hall is the dining room, with windows at the end which give views over the park. Straight ahead from the hall is the drawing room, an octagonal room with book cases on four sides and with a white marble chimneypiece designed by
John Flaxman John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was a British sculptor and draughtsman, and a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Early in his career, he worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He spent several yea ...
, the only surviving chimneypiece by the sculptor. The windows of the drawing room provide a view towards the sea, with the upper sections of the windows containing stained glass. Prior to the addition of the chapel, the staircase hall contained an organ and stained glass window to give a similar feel. Throughout the ground floor there are painting by artists such as Loutherbourg,
Thomas Lawrence Sir Thomas Lawrence (13 April 1769 – 7 January 1830) was an English people, English portrait painter and the fourth president of the Royal Academy. A child prodigy, he was born in Bristol and began drawing in Devizes, where his father was a ...
,
Alessandro Allori Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori (Florence, 31 May 153522 September 1607) was an Italian painter of the late Mannerist Florentine school. Biography After the death of his father in 1541, Allori was brought up and trained ...
and Henry Thomson. When the house was completed in 1803, Charles Hoare spent £900 () on furnishing the building including pieces by Chippendale. In addition there were servants quarters and spaces on the ground floor, and a library in the north room on the second floor, as well as a sitting room over the octagonal drawing room. According to Repton, the design should allow ground floor rooms where the garden is visible and directly accessible, meaning that servants quarters needed to be placed in their own wing, but without prominence so as to maintain the hierarchy. In the south-east corner of the building there was a gothic
loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior Long gallery, gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only parti ...
which was glazed in the 19th century to create a conservatory, some time after the conservatory in the American Garden was removed.


Chapel

When the house was first built, Repton added shrubberies to the south-west corner, to hide the stables to the west of the house. These were replaced by the Chapel of St Alban in 1862, designed by
George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...
at the cost approximately £5,000 () despite being too small to hold more than 100 people. The chapel is a single story addition, built of carved sandstone with a slate roof. Its north-east face resembles an
apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...
, while its walls are
buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...
ed. The windows are stained glass, and the seats are carved out of cedar from the estate.


Gardens

The garden was laid out by John Veitch to the designs of
Humphry Repton Humphry Repton (21 April 1752 – 24 March 1818) was the last great designer of the classic phase of the English landscape garden, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown. His style is thought of as the precursor of the more intric ...
, who shared a partnership with Nash over a period of years. While Nash focused on the building of Gothic houses, Repton would place them in landscapes designed for the
Picturesque Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in ''Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year ...
movement. The gardens surround the house on the north-east, east and south sides, and include both
formal Formal, formality, informal or informality imply the complying with, or not complying with, some set of requirements ( forms, in Ancient Greek). They may refer to: Dress code and events * Formal wear, attire for formal events * Semi-formal atti ...
and
informal Formal, formality, informal or informality imply the complying with, or not complying with, some set of requirements ( forms, in Ancient Greek). They may refer to: Dress code and events * Formal wear, attire for formal events * Semi-formal att ...
gardens as well as
pleasure ground In English gardening history, the pleasure ground or pleasure garden was the parts of a large garden designed for the use of the owners, as opposed to the kitchen garden and the wider park. It normally included flower gardens, typically directl ...
s. The garden and park extend to about 140 hectares. Planting in the park continued until about 1805 but it was Peter A.M. Hoare in around 1900 who laid out the formal pleasure gardens which extend to about 10 hectares. These lie to the west of the house, while the more picturesque open lawns lie to the east. There is a kitchen garden at the nearby Home Farm, though it had fallen into disuse by 1998. The trees provided by Veitch cost a total of £1,212 () and included fuchsias, myrtles,
camellias ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are more than 220 descri ...
as well as Greek firs which became, at in 1847, the largest in England.


American Garden

The American Garden was developed between 1812 and 1814, while the other gardens were created over the following century, and was designed to be the main pleasure ground for the house. It is surrounded on two sides by a wall to the north and a
ha-ha A ha-ha ( or ), also known as a sunk fence, blind fence, ditch and fence, deer wall, or foss, is a recessed landscape design element that creates a vertical barrier (particularly on one side) while preserving an uninterrupted view of the lan ...
to the south. The American Garden includes oaks which pre-date the house, as well as ornamental shrubs and
rhododendrons ''Rhododendron'' (; : ''rhododendra'') is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are native to eastern Asia and the Himalayan region, b ...
from 1890. There is a pond north-east of the house which dates to approximately 1900. At the west end of the American Garden there is a round stone summerhouse with a thatched roof, built originally near the park in 1799, but moved in 1830. The original designs included a conservatory along the north-east wall, but this was removed in the mid 1800s. In 1998, the American Garden included a network of gravelled walks, 19th century shrubberies and older trees.


Other formal gardens

To the east, south and west of the house, there are formal gardens, formed during the late 19th century and replacing the original pleasure grounds. There is a wide lawn to the east of the building, allowing views towards the sea, with a stone ha-ha at the end. Along the east side of the building, there is also a gravel walkway which leads to some grass terraces on the north-facing slope near the house. From the walkway, there is an offshoot which leads past the house's conservatory to an ornamented gravel area near the chapel. Past the gravel area there is a walk through the west formal gardens, including rhododendrons and series of three round gravel areas. The central gravel area includes a pond with stone edging. Nearby the central gravel area is a flight of steps to the historical rose garden, now planted with herbaceous plants. North of the formal garden, there is a rock and water garden, built in the 20th century, with a seating grotto in the north-west corner. There is a gravel path from the water garden which returns to the house, originally with a
pergola A pergola is most commonly used as an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support crossbeams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are t ...
, now gone.


Park and woods

East of the house there is parkland known as The Park, whilst to the west there is an area known as 'Back Lawn'. To the south-west, near the Home Farm, there is a meadow and to the south-east there is parkland known as Church Park. The Park is enclosed by woodland, sloped along the valley towards Dawlish, and is used for grazing. Church Park includes exotic trees from the 19th century, as well as an ornamental pond and waterfall from the same period. In the 20th century, some of the nearby woodland was felled to make glades. There are two ornamental woods within the grounds, Summercombe Wood and Luscombe Wood. Luscombe Wood covers an area south of the house, through the centre of which runs a private road known as The Terrace. The wood is made up primarily of deciduous trees, interspaced with laurels. It also includes an 18th-century pine plantation to the east of the woods. The north-west boundary of the woods is Haldon Lane and the other side of the road is Summercombe Wood. Summercombe has largely been replanted in the latter half of the 20th century, but the original 19th century drive follows a stream through the valley past a pond to a stone bridge to two further areas of nearby woodland. At the west side of Summercombe Wood, there is a 19th-century lodge, Haldon Lodge.


Gallery

The chapel of Luscombe Castle (geograph 3447474).jpg, Chapel Luscombe Castle (geograph 3447464).jpg, Castle view


References


External links

* {{Coord, 50.5815, -3.4945, display=title Country houses in Devon Gardens in Devon Grade I listed buildings in Devon Grade I listed parks and gardens in Devon Veitch Nurseries Hoare family Houses completed in 1803 Dawlish