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Summary

Mainly 19th century mansion house at Buckland, rebuilt from a smaller late 17th-early 18th century building. Possible evidence of a late 13th century building at the site, comprising the medieval house of Buckland manor. Used for a time as a hunting lodge and for soldiers during the War. From the 1940s onwards the house was not regularly occupied / maintained and fell into disrepair. Attempts to bring it back into use were made during the 1960s but in 2007 it was still derelict. The current owner is undertaking to repair and consolidate the structure to make it habitable.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1097122: BUCKLAND COURT

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX77SW/3
• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 85258

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MANSION HOUSE (XVII to XXI - 1650 AD to 2011 AD (Between))

Full description

1840, Tithe Map (Cartographic). SDV339770.

Buckland Court (Number 15).

White, W., 1850/1968, White's Devon. History, Gazetteer and Directory of Devonshire (Monograph). SDV6497.

According to White's directory E. R. P. Bastard Esquire had a handsome seat called Buckland Court, which was enlarged and beautified about 25 years ago, by the widow of the late John Pollexfen Bastard, Esquire.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

1958, Buckland Court Estate sale catalogue, 2275 (Record Office Collection). SDV314756.

Unknown, 1961, Life at a Devon Mansion in the 1960s (Article in Serial). SDV347492.

Article concerning the Merrick family, who owned and lived in part of Buckland Court for two years until 1960 when Newton Abbot Rural Council intended to impose a demolition order on the property due to its derelict state. Continuing to live at the site in a converted packing shed, the Merricks spent much time doing up the property to try and make it inhabitable.

Ordnance Survey, 1964, 25" (Cartographic). SDV81106.

Buckland Court, shown on Ordnance Survey 1964 map.

Belsey, P. M., 1983 - 1987, Buckland In The Moor Parish Checklist (Un-published). SDV345904.

Buckland Court is situated at 220 meters on a south-east facing slope above Buckland Woods and the River Dart, just south of the parish church. It is an early 19th century building of two storeys with dormers. Sides stucco; front yellow brick; slate roof. Large two storey bow centre front with sash windows. Venetian windows on each side. South front has two storey shallow segmental bows. House was occupied by soldiers during the war and is in poor condition and unoccupied.
Many details concerning the property can be found in the Buckland Court estate sale catalogue held at the Devon Record Office. Mrs Belsey lists all these details on her worksheet now held at the Historic Environment Record in Exeter.

Devon County Council, 1989, MN, 3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV314760.

Brown, M., 1996, A guide to the Parish of Buckland-in-the-Moor, 17 (Monograph). SDV361770.

Bromage, H. + Architects Design Group, 2006/2007, Photographic Survey of Buckland Court (Ground Photograph). SDV350067.

Digital photographic survey of house and farm buildings at Buckland Court.

Brown, S., 2007, Archaeological Assessment of Buckland Court, Buckland in the Moor, 1-44 (Report - Assessment). SDV347493.

Buckland Court dates mainly to the early 19th century but incorporates part of a smaller late 17th-early 18th century building, which itself overlies remains of an older stone structure. This earliest evidence may have formed part of the medieval manor house of Buckland manor, which dated back to the late 13th century. In the early 19th century the front of the house and part of the gable wall at each end was covered with light yellow or buff-coloured brick-tiles, or ‘mathematical tiles’; one of only a handful of houses identified in Devon with these tiles. This would have been quite a novelty at Buckland in the Moor, creating a striking façade visible from a long distance.
In 1614, the property was bought by the Bastard family who let the house out to tenants. From the 18th century the Bastard family used the house as a hunting lodge/country retreat. From the early 19th century the house was doubled in size and associated buildings were added. In 1926 William Whitley bought the house but did not occupy it. During the Second World War, army troops apparently occupied the house which is thought to have been falling into decline by the 1940s. In 1958 the Merrick family bought the property when it was described as a ‘derelict mansion’. They undertook works to prevent the collapse of the house but it was not brought into an inhabitable state. In 2007 the property was sold to the present owner who is undertaking to consolidate and repair the structure in order to occupy it. Five distinct phases of alterations are detailed in the report, highlighting a number of changes that took place at the property over the years.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

English Heritage, 2011, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV347072.

Large house, empty and in a poor structural condition. Early 19th century in date, constructed from stone rubble with some red brick. Front and left gable wall covered with mathematical tiles, the remainder rendered. Slated roofs with rendered brick chimneys, rear wing to right has mansard roof. Plan consists of a long rectangular main range with a central entrance facing south-east and a variety of projections at the rear. Behind that (not separately listed) are the farm buildings. Two storeys, with garrets in front range. Five-window front to south-east, the centre bay built out as a large bow. In ground storey of this bow is a formerly glazed door with narrow flanking windows, these in turn divided and flanked by rendered pilaster-strips; above them is a plain frieze, moulded cornice and blocking course. Venetian window at either side of bow. In centre of second storey is a tripartite window, with two narrower windows at either side. Five hipped dormers with slated cheeks. Interior largely gutted, though a few doors, fireplaces and fragments of moulded plasterwork remains. The building is listed because its exterior form is largely intact and because it occupies an important position at the entrance to Buckland hamlet. It is also one of only six examples of mathematical tiling known to exist in Devon. Attempts are being made to preserve the building, and the left-hand rear wing has been renovated. White's Directory of Devonshire, 1850, says that E.R.P. Bastard, Esq., "has a handsome seat here called Buckland Court, which was enlarged and beautified about 25 years ago, by the widow of the late John Pollexfen Bastard, Esq."

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV5138 - Assessment of Buckland Court, Buckland in the Moor
• EDV6024 - Photographic Survey of Buckland Court

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