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Summary

Late 18th century house, remodelled circa 1830. Two storeys, U-plan with long south garden front, embelished in the 19th century .

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1269155: BITTON HOUSE

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX97SW/91
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*): 461079

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• COUNTRY HOUSE (Late, XVIII - 1701 AD to 1800 AD (Between))

Full description

Swete, R. J. (Revd), DRO/564M/10/77 (Record Office Collection). SDV350610.

Illustrations by Swete.

Ordnance Survey, 1855-1895, First Edition 1:500 Town Map (Cartographic). SDV338879.

Map object based on this source.

Ordnance Survey, 1930 - 1939, Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV336668.

Pevsner, N., 1952, The Buildings of England: South Devon, 280 (Monograph). SDV336217.

Bitton House. Quite large, the external detail appears to date from about 1840.

Bulley, J.A., 1956, Teignmouth as a Seaside Resort, 151 (Article in Serial). SDV350516.

On the Bitton Estate, adjoining the River Teign, there were three houses of some size, all built either just before or just after 1800. Of these, West Cliff House (now Bitton House) was the property of Lord Exmouth, while the original Bitton House (now destroyed) was until 1862 the home of the Praed family.

Department of Environment, 1983, Teignmouth, 4 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV338952.

Late 18th century house remodelled circa 1830. Idiosyncratic use of Greek motifs. Two storeys and semi-basement stuccoed with rusticated ground floor. Roof concealed by parapet. Panelled parapet with acroteria and elaborate incised mouldings. Eleven windows in all, including two 3-light curved bays. Moulded architraves. Glazing bars intact. Pilasters. Bands between floors. Tented verandah on iron columns. The interior has good early 19th century fireplaces, panelled doors and staircase with curved tread ends. In 1812 the house was bought by Admiral Pellew (later Lord Exmouth) the hero of the Seige of Algiers in 1817 who lived here until 1833. There is a stained glass portrait of him in the hall. Subsequently Winthrop Mackworth Praed the poet (1802-1839) and his family lived here. In 1963 the house was bought by Mr Parsons, chairman to the Metropolitan Railway. The large garden on the banks of the River Teign is now a public park. The garden elevation of the house is most prominent in the view across the river.

Pearson, A., 1985, Visitor's Guide to Teignmouth, South Devon, 87-8 (Monograph). SDV300876.

Gallant, L., 1986, Deer Parks and Paddocks of England (Un-published). SDV656.

Wilson, V., 1994, Teignmouth Historic Walkabout (Pamphlet). SDV354751.

Now home to Teignmouth Town Council, Bitton House was once the home of Sir Edward Pellew, Lord Exmouth (1757-1833). The canons were brought back from the seige of Algiers in 1816.

Ordnance Survey, 2012, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV348725.

Map object based on this source.

English Heritage, 2012, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV348729.

Large house in its own grounds, now district council premises. Late 18th century, remodelled circa 1835 by George Basevi for Matthew Praed, poet; late 19th century interior alterations. Painted stucco, slate roof with late 19th century moulded stucco stacks.
Plan: U-plan with long south garden front.
Exterior: two storeys. A cornice, parapet with moulded coping and a platband surround the building, banded rustication to the rear and returns. Symmetrical six-window north entrance front has banded pilasters and moulded semicircular arches over flat-arched 6/6-pane sash windows to the first floor; the two-window central block flanked by pilasters has a projecting semi-octagonal single-storey porch (probably 19th century) with cornice, moulded coping to a parapet, moulded pilasters to the angles, moulded panels below the windows (blind to the sides) and a segmental-arched doorcase with overlight to double doors; the projecting side wings have stacks behind pediments and moulded roundels to the apexes; the 4/4-pane tripartite sash windows to the ground-floor are set in segmental-arched recesses. The west front has two full-height canted bays. The first floor has shouldered architraves, and consoles rising from the platband to the sills of 6/6-pane sash windows. French windows to the ground floor are under a deep swept tented verandah supported by cast-iron columns. The 11-window range south garden front was embellished mid 19th century. The first floor has 6/6-pane sash windows in similar architraves to the west front. Those to the left and centre are articulated by fluted pilasters rising from consoles below the platband and extending through the cornice. Flanking the central window are shallow curved bays, above them and to the left the parapet is panelled with guttae motifs. Four raised panels above the parapet; two to the centre of the bays, those to the centre and left-hand range with antefixae and anthemion motifs to the centre. Three windows to each bay are 6/9-pane sashes below ornamental panels and keystones to segmental-arched moulded architraves.
Interior: altered, but surviving features include six-panel doors and joinery, fireplaces, enriched cornicing to ground-floor rooms, elegant curved staircase with stick balusters and a stained glass panel to inner door with a portrait of Admiral Pellew (who owned the property from (1812-33).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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