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Summary

A two storey pre-fabricated timber house, with overlapping timber boards to the front and rear elevation and the lower half of the north elevation. Tile hung slates have been added to the gable ends. The roof has been re-clad with modern pantiles. The front (east) and rear elevations have dormer windows and the original casement windows survive throughout. To the north is a garage and attached chauffeur's accommodation rooms, accessed via a single storey link from the main house. A modern garage and green house have been attached to the north. The internal fixtures and fittings survive well and include all the doors which have a loose linen fold design and many have a textured glass fanlight above; a range of fitted furniture including wardrobes, chests of drawers, cupboards, shelves to the lounge hall and storage cupboards to the window seat in the dining room; brick fireplaces (those to the ground floor include dentilated detail and a keystone to the arch); and underfloor storage boxes with locks to the floorboards in the lounge hall and dining room. It was erected in 1922 and has had significant alterations during the 20th century. Its design is attributed (but not proven) to the Norwich-based firm, Boulton and Paul. The design of Ley Ridge is also unusual due to the references to the Arts and Crafts movement and the Vernacular Domestic Revival.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX77SW65
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1467956

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FISHING LODGE (Built, Early 20th Century to Late 20th Century - 1922 AD to 2000 AD (Between))
• PREFABRICATED HOUSE (Built, Early 20th Century to Late 20th Century - 1922 AD to 2000 AD (Between))

Full description

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 11/05/2021 (Website). SDV364039.

(Listing consideration report, 20/11/2007) Ley Ridge was erected in 1922 as a fishing lodge on a plot of land leased from the Holne Estate by a Mr Mason. Its design is attributed to the Norwich-based firm, Boulton and Paul. A number of their pre-fabricated houses, schools, churches and sports pavilions were built in the 1920s as part of the Post-War reconstruction and several such structures were built on the fringes of Dartmoor. Boulton and Paul are best known for the construction of pre-fabricated structures, including producing the huts for Captain Scott's Antarctic expedition. The company also manufactured steel products and wire-netting and were renowned for the quality of their joinery. Boulton and Paul produced catalogues of their designs and an identical pair of entrance gates to those at Ley Ridge is featured, as are a number of pre-fabricated wooden houses, although none match the designs of Ley Ridge exactly.
Ley Ridge is a two storey pre-fabricated timber house, with overlapping timber boards to the front and rear elevation and the lower half of the north elevation. Tile hung slates have been added to the gable ends. The roof has been re-clad with modern pantiles. The front (east) and rear elevations have dormer windows and the original casement windows survive throughout. To the north is a garage and attached chauffeur's accommodation rooms, accessed via a single storey link from the main house. A modern garage and green house have been attached to the north. The house is rectangular in plan and the rooms are located around a central hallway/landing. There has been little alteration to the plan form. The internal fixtures and fittings survive well and include all the doors which have a loose linen fold design and many have a textured glass fanlight above; a range of fitted furniture including wardrobes, chests of drawers, cupboards, shelves to the lounge hall and storage cupboards to the window seat in the dining room; brick fireplaces (those to the ground floor include dentilated detail and a keystone to the arch); and underfloor storage boxes with locks to the floorboards in the lounge hall and dining room. The sitting room has a large bay projection incorporating two windows. It has a supporting Tuscan timber pillar to the centre which has been raised on a plinth by the present owner. The staircase has chamfered newel posts, reeded balusters and a moulded handrail. To the staircase Lincrusta wallpaper survives to dado level. The house is accessed via a cast iron gate with two cast iron pillars.
Ley Ridge is an unusual survival of a two storey pre-fabricated house of the 1920s, once more commonly found in Dartmoor. The only other known surviving example is Way Cottage in Gidleigh, Devon, which has been extensively refurbished. The design of Ley Ridge is also unusual due to the references to the Arts and Crafts movement and the Vernacular Domestic Revival. This is particularly seen in features such as the dormer windows, steeply pitched roof and well-designed fixtures and fittings with exceptional joinery. It is also difficult to prove the Boulton and Paul connection, although the entrance gates to the house do appear in their catalogue and this does help to support the case for the provenance of the main house. Ley Ridge survives mostly intact and appears to have been little altered since its erection in 1922. The plan form is readable and the only internal alterations are the removal of a partition wall to the study, the insertion of an archway to the partition wall between bedroom three and bedroom four,
and the addition of a plinth to the pillar in the sitting room. The interior is notable for the high survival of good quality internal fixtures and fittings which demonstrate a high level of craftsmanship, particularly to the joinery which includes the doors with a loose linen fold design, the fitted cupboards, wardrobes and chest of drawers. There are also some interesting storage features to the lounge hall and dining room which have under floor storage boxes with a lock to the floorboards, which show careful planning and attention to detail. However, despite the good survival of the interior it does not compensate for the alterations to the exterior where the roof covering has been replaced, the weatherboarding has been removed from the gable ends and a modern garage has been added to the original garage and associated accommodation. These alterations, combined with the late date of the building and lack of confirmation about the house being a Boulton and Paul design detract from the building's interest in a national context.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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