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Summary

Mansion built in 1934.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOUSE (Mid 20th Century - 1934 AD (Between) to 1934 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon Live, 2020, UK's Poshest Bomb Shelter is Hidden Under a Well Known Devon Building (Website). SDV364775.

Rainbow House was built for Ella Rowcroft by Torquay builder Edwin Lee, who completed the project in 1934 with a workforce of 75 men, using limestone from nearby Stoneycombe Quarry near Kingskerswell.
It featured oak floors and fireplaces and a large sunken bath all made of coral and white marble from Dijon in France. A keen amateur photographer, Mr Lee took a series of pictures through each stage of the building work and once it was completed he presented the album to Mrs Rowcroft.
On one of the shots of the finished mansion he superimposed a rainbow in the sky surrounding the building. The picture had an immediate impact on Mrs Rowcroft who promptly named her new home “The Rainbow.”
In front of the mansion was a lake and a boating house. The lake was filled in during World War II.

Ordnance Survey, 2022, Mastermap 2022 (Cartographic). SDV364674.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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