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Summary

Large 17th century house, with late 19th century rebuilding at rear, built around a courtyard. Eight window range with 19th century front door in fourth bay, and a bay window built out above .

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1200879: NOS 28 AND 28A INCLUDING PUMP AND MILESTONE IN COURTYARD

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS42NE/75
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*): 375756

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOUSE (XVII to XIX - 1692 AD to 1891 AD (Between))

Full description

Department of Environment, 19/03/1973, Bideford, 15, 16 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV341487.

Built 1692-1693. Fine two storey, eight window front in dull red brick. Deep eaves cornice and alternate pointed and segmental pediments to dormers. Two elaborate, dated rainwater heads. Nineteenth century doorway with bow window above. Courtyard at back of house retains some mullion windows. Date in cobblestones 1693. House attributed to Nathaniel Gascoyne. Milestone in garden giving distance to New York ferry was probably brought in as ballast.

Duncan, A.G., 1920-1921, Early Brick Buildings in Devon and Cornwall, 140-41 (Article in Serial). SDV349769.

28,28a Bridgeland Street, Bideford, a large private dwelling, was built of red brick in double flemish bond in the late 17th century. Although alterations have since been made its general appearance had not been damaged by the time of writing.

Timms, S. C., 1976, The Devon Urban Survey, 1976. First Draft, 92 (Report - Survey). SDV341346.

Torridge District Council, 2009, Bideford Conservation Area Appraisal, 11, 16: photo (Report - non-specific). SDV351295.

Number 28 Bridgeland Street has excellent examples of decorative rainwater heads dated 1692-1693.

Green, T. + Walls, S. + Wapshott, E., 2012, Land to the Rear of 28 Bridgeland Street & 5 Queen Street Bideford. Results of a Desk-Based Study & Historic Building Recording, 12, 31-36, 45-49, 54; Figs 4, 11, 13-14, 22-24 (Report - non-specific). SDV349405.

28 Bridgeland Street was completed in 1693, and was originally number 17, as can be seen from a plan of 1745. At this date it was occupied by the widow of Jonathan Hooper, a Bideford merchant whose undertaking to build is recorded in the Bridge Trust Account Book. The house was to contain "sixty two foote in ffront, well timbered with oake and ffirre tymber, and foundation thereof layne with stone and so upwards in height two ffoote above the ground, the next of the wall upwards with good bricke, two storeys high and sixteen ffoote in breadth between the walls, the ffirste floor nyne ffoote in height and the walls thereof two bricks and a halfe in thickness, the second ffloore of the same height and two bricks thickness, all sealed and covered with slatte or helling stones from the quarries of Dennibowl…". The frontage of 62 feet suggests that this is a double plot, since the house immediately to the east, number 16, had a frontage of 31 feet, according to Nathaniel Gascoyne’s very detailed building specification in the North Devon Record Office). The house was probably actually built by Gascoyne. The initiative of Jonathan and Elizabeth Hooper is recorded with their initials and the date of construction on the hoppers of the two lead rainwater pipes on the front of the building.
The 1745 plan shows that the house was originally built with a central passage leading from the street to an internal courtyard. Alterations were carried out, very probably in the late 18th century Georgian period in accordance with the style of the time. This involved closing off the through passage and providing a front door flanked by pillars with an entrance hall and doors leading off. Candler
suggests that the alterations included taking in part of the courtyard to form a passage at right angles to the entrance hall with stairs off. It would appear that the oriel window on the first floor must also have been added at this period. A change of occupancy in the later 18th century is probably confirmed by the date of the Sun Insurance plaque below the guttering above the door to the courtyard. The registration number visible on the plaque was researched by Chandler in 1951, revealing that the house was insured in 1772 by Samuel Lavington Rooker for £500.
The Rookers were in occupation throughout the 19th century. A photographic survey carried out in 1890 shows that by this date a second floor had been added with dormer windows set into the roof – or at least a garret had been turned into bedrooms. The same survey reported that the lessee was in the process of carrying out thorough repairs, had rebuilt the east wing and was re-roofing and slating. A certificate issued to the Feoffees in 1891 declared that the houe had been put "into substantial condition" greatly improving it in every respect. The date of 1891 is recorded on the hoppers of rain
water pipes in the courtyard.
Features of the internal courtyard include a 19th century pump which stands over an original well, pebble cobbling with the date 1693 set in and a milestone apparently carried across the Atlantic from the vicinity of New York. A plan included with the 1890 photographic survey seems to indicate that at that date there was some sort of open-sided canopy over the southern part of the courtyard.
The then owner reports that, in 1951, the single-storey building on the south side of the courtyard was known as the Dairy. It had white-washed stone walls, slate shelves all round and a copper. In the late 19th century the property was internally divided. The east part, which was already in use as the County Court Office in the 1880’s, became number 28a when the street was re-numbered.
Like the other new houses in Bridgeland Street, number 17 (now 28) had, in the beginning, a small square garden, which was still the case in the 1740s, that to the south being in separate occupation. A
century later however, the Rooker family had acquired the tenancy of the large garden to the south, although the boundary between them remained. It is not known how the larger garden was used in the early 19th century, but by the 1880s it appears to have been subject to some effort at design. However, it was not until the end of the 19th century that the boundary between the two gardens was demolished. The present larger garden retains much of this formal 1880s layout with many of the present paths following those indicated on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey Map.
Most of the earlier backland areas of Bideford have now been built over, and much of that behind Bridgeland Street, Queen Street, Cooper Street and Mill Street has been laid to tarmac. That which
remains as the garden of Number 28 Bridgeland Street is the product of its 19th and 20th century residents, but in the longer term is a remnant of the ‘ancient gardens’ of Bideford. Any remaining
boundary walls are similarly a monument to the history of the area.
28 Bridgeland Street is a large, grand brick built late 17th century merchant’s house, built around a square courtyard, with a through passage, to left (west) of centre, and a further entrance giving access to the eastern end of the building and the rear east wing. Later additions to the building include a late 18th century extension to the rear (south) of the main front range, with a more formal rear hallway and linking to a secondary stair to the east and original late 17th century stair to the west. The eastern (former stable/store) wing of the property which was originally a single storey structure was raised during the later 19th century and a first floor added and the wing converted to offices. The 18th century rear extension to the main domestic range was also raised and the first and second floors of the late 17th century front range and east wing were altered. This later work was completed in newer red brick with the roofs raised and remodelled and dormer windows added.

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

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

28 and 28a Bridgeland Street, including pump and milestone in courtyard.
Large house, the left-hand side, rear range and front garret now in use as flats and offices. Dated 1692 and 1693; some late 19th century rebuilding at rear, with date 1891. Dull-red brick tinged with yellowish brown, laid in Flemish bond; plinths of squared stone rubble at rear, the front plinth rendered. Slate roofs; those on right side of courtyard and at rear of front range are mansards (probably late 19th century). Rear range and added corridor behind front range have flat roofs. Old red-brick chimney on each end-wall of front range. Chimneys at rear all seem to be late 19th century red brick, including two at rear of front range which heated the middle rooms.
Plan: built around four sides of a courtyard; corridor added behind front range in early or mid 18th century. Front range is one room deep with four ground-storey rooms and a central through-passage. Side entrance-passage (possibly original) at left-hand end. Range to right of courtyard has original staircase at the front with former kitchen behind; present kitchen (perhaps the former pantry) to rear of it. Range to left (now offices) believed to have contained stores and workshop originally. Rear range, converted to flat, believed to have been the dairy.
Two storeys with garret, except for left range (two storeys only) and rear range (single-storeyed). Front of eight-window range. Windows segmental-headed in ground storey, flat-headed above; all (except for that above the front door) have six-paned sashes in flush frames. Raised band above ground storey. Prominent modillioned eaves cornice. Front door (in fourth bay from left) remodelled in early 19th century and a flat-fronted bow window built out above it: three-panelled double-doors with cobweb fanlight over; panelled reveals; wooden Doric flanking columns supporting entablature. At some earlier date a raised band has been cut away and the butt-end of a timber is visible on the right-hand side. Bow window is of three lights with mullions designed as half-round reeded pilasters supporting an entablature; lights have sashes three-paned in the centre, six-paned at the sides. Eight-panelled door (to No 28a) at left-hand end of frontage. Flanking the three middle windows is a pair of original lead rainwater pipes. The heads have shields each carrying a castle and surmounted by a knight's helmet on which is a four-legged creature. Flanking the shields are floral pendants and lions, these in turn flanked (to the left) by sprays of foliage or (to the right) by more lions. At the base of each rainwater-head is a winged cherub-head flanked by pendants; below the left-hand cherub is a cartouche with date 1692 flanked by lions. Both pipes have decorated clamps: one to left with initials IHE and two winged cherub-heads, two to right, the upper with cartouches, date 1693 and initials IHE, the lower with two lions. Four dormer windows; two in centre of two lights with prominent triangular gables, two on the outsides of four lights with top cornice developing into a segmental pediment over the two centre lights. All the lights have six-paned wood casements.
Courtyard at rear retains much original detail, despite late 19th century alterations; brickwork has not been painted or rendered. Front of right-hand range largely original with raised band above ground storey; openings in ground storey segmental-headed, those above flat-headed. Two ground-storey windows with a third inserted between them, all with two-light mullioned-and-transomed wood casements. Similar group of windows above in second storey; outer windows have six-paned sashes. To left of this is a further window with two-light mullioned-and-transomed wood frame, the two lower lights converted to four-paned sashes. Wooden eaves cornice and dormer window, the latter matching those at the front; probably late 19th century replicas. Left-hand range is original in the ground storey but rebuilt in late 19th century red brick above the raised band: three ground-storey windows with three-light wood casements (probably late 19th century or 20th century); that to left with rebuilt jambs and lintel, the others with original segmental arches. The right-hand window has been converted from a doorway. Upper storey has three windows with three-light wood casements; tops cut through the moulded eaves-cornice and are finished with triangular pediments. Front range (the added corridor) is of old red brick in ground storey, late 19th century brick above, including raised band. Centre doorway is late 19th century with double-doors, cobweb fanlight and triangular pediment. Above it a Sun fire-insurance plaque without the number. At either side a segmental-headed window with three-light mullioned wood frame; original mullions in left-hand (west) window. Each window extended by one light on the outside. Upper-storey windows have late 19th century coloured glass. Shaped parapet with 3 cement urns. 2 rainwater heads dated 1891. Wall of rear range original, including segmental-headed windows and raised band. Late 19th century shaped red-brick parapet with three cement urns.
Courtyard has old cobble surface with date 1693 in white pebbles. In centre an iron pump, believed to be late 19th century Evans type. Against wall of right-hand range a red sandstone milestone with rounded top; inscribed in 18th century or early 19th century letters 7 MILES TO NEW YORK FERRY, and with the number 17 in bottom left-hand corner.
Interior: through-passage has six-panelled door at either side, that to left recessed within a round arch; blank panel above door-head with plain archivolt, panelled imposts and keyblock. At rear, in added corridor, two doors with two bolection-moulded panels; above right-hand door the top of a two-light wood-mullioned window. Stair compartment has in ground storey three similar doors with a fourth leading to the cupboard under the stairs; door to room adjoining through-passage has been heightened by a third panel. Stair is a wooden dog-leg rising to the garret; heavily-moulded closed strings, square newels with flat moulded caps, turned balusters and flat handrail. On stair landing is an oil painting with bolection-moulded frame, removed from chimneybreast in garret; coastal scene with forts and classical temple. Adjoining window has late 19th century coloured glass. Ground-storey room to right of through-passage has detail probably of mid 18th century: plain dado with moulded rail and base, box-cornice, panelled shutters; wooden chimneypiece with panelled pilasters supporting entablature, the frieze with middle panel. Rooms adjoining and across passage have panelled shutters and 19th century chimneypieces; latter room has Georgian-style panelling, probably of late 19th century. Former kitchen has large original dresser, fixed to the wall and rising to the ceiling; lower part has bolection-moulded doors with H-hinges. Room above has original wooden bolection-moulded chimneypiece; ceiling has box-cornice and coffering, the latter possibly a late 19th century addition. Second-storey stair landing has 19th century six-panelled doors; 19th century chimneypiece in right-hand front room. Owner says many of the fireplaces (including those in garret) have 19th century cast-iron grates, now boarded in. Flats and offices not inspected, except that number 28a has late 19th century or early 20th century entrance-hall with coloured floor-tiles, half-glazed inner door with margin-panes, and wooden staircase with carved balusters and newels. Garden walls mostly of undatable stone rubble, but that to left, in the section adjoining the house, is of original red and yellow brick. The site was leased to Jonathan Hooper of Bideford, merchant, on 20.8.1692 by the Feoffees of Bideford Long Bridge; he was to 'erect and build a good and sufficient dwellinghouse'. The initials on the rainwater pipes are presumably those of Jonathan and his wife Elizabeth. This is externally the best-preserved of the original houses in Bridgeland Street, itself a rare and remarkable piece of late 17th century urban development. The courtyard plan is a surprisingly late example of its type.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, Unknown, SS42NE30 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV9636.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV5862 - Assessment and Building Recording

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