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Summary

Site of Heavitree House, a Tudor house, the gardens of which were laid out in the Spanish style by the writer Richard Ford who acquired the house in 1834. A housing estate was built on the gardens in 1949 and the house which was left derelict was demolished in the late 1950s. Ironically, a number of features in the house such as the fireplace in the hall and the staircase, Ford had acquired from local houses that had been demolished to make way for new roads.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX99SW/281
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX99SW/55

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOUSE (Built, XVI to XIX - 1501 AD (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Heavitree House marked. A large house with extensive grounds.

Waterfield, R., 1931, Proceedings at the Seventieth Annual Meeting, held at Exeter, 23rd June, 1931, 41 (Article in Serial). SDV347412.

A Tudor house. The gardens were laid out in the Spanish style by the writer, Richard Ford who settled here in 1834.

Radford, C., 1958, Richard Ford (1796-1858) and his handbook for travellers in Spain, 158, 159, 165 (Article in Serial). SDV25755.

Heavitree House is a small cob Elizabethan house, standing near the parish church in 12 acres of land. In 1834 it was acquired by Richard Ford in 1834 who made many alterations and improvements, including a Moorish tower made out of part of an old cob wall. Many local antiques were added to his collection as local houses were demolished to make way for new roads. The fireplace in the hall came from an ancient house in Rack Street. The gates, the staircase, much of the carved panelling and woodwork came from King John's Tavern in South Street. The old register chest from Exeter Cathedral formed the cover of the bath. The cornice of the bathroom once adorned the Casa Sanchez in the Alhambra. The house and garden remained intact after Ford's death, but in 1949, a housing estate was built on the gardens, and the house, left derelict, is now (1958) scheduled for demolition.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1963, Monuments Threatened or Destroyed, 1956-62, 31 (Un-published). SDV83845.

House of cob and stone, two storeys. Formed in early 19th century by remodelling and enlargement of cob building of uncertain date and extent.

Ordnance Survey, 2023, Mastermap 2023 (Cartographic). SDV365227.

The site is now housing.

National Buildings Record, Unknown, SX99SW/510020 (Ground Photograph). SDV24847.

Plan and photo of Old Heavitree House.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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