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Summary

A late 18th century house, home of the Blundell family. It was extended in the 19th century and converted to a care home in the 1960s. It was acquired for redevelopment in 2016 but the project was put on hold. Since that time the building has suffered significant decay and is now in danger of collapse. This is largely the result of water ingress following the theft of leadwork from the roof in 2020.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1384866: ALEXANDRA LODGE

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS91SE/198
• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 485325

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

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

Map object based on this Source.

Department of Environment, 1972, Tiverton, 36 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV52494.

The Lodge, Old Road. Formerly Zephyr Lodge. Eighteenth century, two storey stucco house, three windows, sash, with glazing bars, one window has Gothick lights, cornice with parapet above. Entrance front, west, has central glazed porch with pediment, and two storey splay bay each side. Home of the Blundell family in the 18th century.

Wessex Archaeology, 2003, Blundells Road, Tiverton, Devon: Archaeological Desk Based Assessment, 7, 17 (Report - Assessment). SDV345760.

Other details: Figure 2, site WA 19.

English Heritage, 2010, Historic Houses Register (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV154869.

Alexandra Lodge (formerly listed as Old Road, The Lodge). Also known asTiverton Day Centre, Old Road, Tiverton. House. Late 18th century. Stucco over mass walling, probably rubble; hipped slate roof behind parapet and rendered stacks. Double-depth plan with central stair hall.
Exterior: two storeys. Symmetrical three-window front with canted bay windows flanking entry, and moulded cornice beneath parapet. Bay windows have 4/4:6/6:4/4 sashes; 6/6-pane sash above 20th century glazed and pedimented porch, which has retained original panelled front door inside, set in panelled reveals. Left-hand two-window front with 6/6-pane sashes and canted bay window. Right-hand return has similar sashes, including 20th century ones set in hipped half-dormers with slate cheeks; canted oriel with sashes flanking small-paned two-light casement. Mid 20th century extension to rear.
Interior: not inspected but noted as having retained original joinery with panelled doors and stick-balusters with ramped balustrade to newel.

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

Map object based on this Source.

Passmore, A. + Lutescu-Jones, P., 2015, Alexandra Lodge, Tiverton, Devon: Historic Building Evaluation and Landscape Settings Assessment (Report - Assessment). SDV358353.

The building, along with a probable contemporary small range of outbuildings, was constructed in the late 18th century as a small rural dwelling. In the mid 19th-century the building was extended. Many of the external and internal architectural features from these periods survive. In the 1960s a care facility was attached to existing house, which involved the demolition of a small rear wing. This was replaced in 1996 by a new day care centre. Further internal alterations to the rear of the former house were also undertaken at this time. The significance of the building has been assessed and is considered to derive mainly from its evidential (in particular its architectural) and historical values with a lesser contribution from its aesthetic value. The proposed development is considered to have a moderate – major impact on the surviving setting of the lodge, although this is not considered to result in a consequential impact on the significance of the building as a heritage asset. See report for full details.

Govier, L., + Passmore, A., 2016, Tiverton Extra Care Scheme, Alexandra Lodge, Tiverton (Report - Survey). SDV359802.

Results of an historic building survey of Alexandra Lodge, Old Road, Tiverton, Devon, carried out by AC archaeology 2016. The recording was commissioned by the Abbeyfield Society, and was required under condition 12 of planning permission granted by Mid Devon District Council for "erection of 45 extracare apartments and provision of associated communal facilities, car parking and landscaping, renovation of Alexandra Lodge following demolition of former stable block and extensions."
Alexandra Lodge is a two-storey house with further accommodation provided in the roofspace (Plates 1-3). The house connects to the late 20th-century day-care centre at its southeast corner. There is no visible evidence here for the wing depicted on historic maps and this wing was almost certainly removed and replaced when the 1960s care building was constructed. There is architectural evidence for the extension of the house in the mid 19th-century, as recorded on the historic maps. This evidence includes different styles of cornices and skirting boards, and the internal use of square-headed openings with fielded panels, rather than arched openings. The house is constructed of local rubble sandstone and mudstones, with the original north, west and south elevations (fronting the formal gardens) finished with stucco. The east elevation, along with the 19th-century extension, are unrendered, with exposed stone masonry. The rear of a chimney stack in the east elevation is faced with brick, a material that has also been used (in all historic phases of work) for most of the heads and jambs of the openings, (see report for full details).

Mid Devon District Council, 2022, 22/01250/LBC (Planning Application). SDV364935.

The Design, Access and Heritage Statement submitted in support of a planning application for listed building consent for partial demolition and stabilisation works to make the building safe and prevent further deterioration indicates that the building is now in a state of considerable decay.
Alexandra Lodge, a late 18th century house, was acquired by the local authority in the 1960s and converted to a social care home. It was Grade II listed in the 1970s. The property was acquired by a private company for redevelopment in 2016 but this was put on hold pre 2019.
Since that time the property has suffered significant vandalism, in particular the theft of the leadwork from the roof. This has resulted in major water ingress causing extensive internal damage, including the partial collapse of floors and ceilings.
A top down approach is recommended for the removal of building fabric in order to make the building safe and prevent further deterioration and collapse.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6755 - Historic Building Evaluation and Landscape Settings Assessment of Alexandra Lodge (Ref: ACD1048)
• EDV7088 - Building Recording, Tiverton Extra Care Scheme, Alexandra Lodge, Tiverton (Ref: ACD1436/2/0)

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