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Summary

Sortridge house was built towards the end of the first half of the 17th century. Altered a century later. It has one long west wing, extending north and south with a short return eastwards at the north, against which and to the south of it is a parallel wing. The west wing is of two storeys, divided by a prominent string, returned for a short distance on the north side. This string curves slightly upwards over each of the six windows of the ground floor, 6 upper windows and one to the gabled two storeyed porch, which has a label in the centre of the front. All windows are rectangular, of three lights and stone mullioned. The porch doorway is round headed and plain, but the inner doorway is 4 centred, within a rectangular arch. The arch has a label and plain spandrels, but the jambs have curious stops suggestive of stalked besants, externally and within the soffit. The door is early 18th century with a large moulded triangular pedimented panel. Several old square stone and brick chimneys with conical caps have been plastered. The east side of the house is hidden by a modern two-storeyed gallery, within which may be seen 4 original granite doorways with 4 centred heads and another old window. The original kitchen fireplace remains with a semi-circular panel in the centre of the granite lintel. There is 18th century panelling in some of the rooms and round headed wall cupboards. A small perfect quern is in the garden, and a rectangular granite trough, 2 gate piers made from the slotted uprights of stone stiles.

Summary from record MDV3600:
Vis=27/10/1952 (os) sortridge house, a 17th century mansion. A quadrangular building with an interior court. Three of the wings were destroyed by fire. The remaining wing is the present dwelling house with later additions. The mansion was built in 1666. The whole of the outer walls and much of the interior work is original. The old mullioned windows are now internal windows lighting rooms via a corridor. The oak piers are still visible on the inner face of the new outer wall.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1326223: SORTRIDGE MANOR

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57SW16
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440442
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SW/11
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SW/11/1
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*): 93899
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX57SW16

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MANSION HOUSE (XVI to XVII - 1600 AD (Between) to 1650 AD (Between))

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV227700.

Osa=sx57sw16. (27/10/1952 (os) sortridge house, a 17th century mansion. A quadrangular building with an interior court. Three of the wings were destroyed by fire. The remaining wing is the present dwelling house with later additions. The mansion was built in 1666. The whole of the outer walls and much of the interior work is original. The old mullioned windows are now internal windows lighting rooms via a corridor. The oak piers are still visible on the inner face of the new outer wall.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV233559.

Sortridge house was built towards the end of the first half of the 17th century. Altered a century later. It has one long west wing, extending north and south with a short return eastwards at the north, against which and to the south of it is a parallel wing. The west wing is of two storeys, divided by a prominent string, returned for a short distance on the north side. This string curves slightly upwards over each of the six windows of the ground floor, 6 upper windows and one to the gabled two storeyed porch, which has a label in the centre of the front. All windows are rectangular, of three lights and stone mullioned. The porch doorway is round headed and plain, but the inner doorway is 4 centred, within a rectangular arch. The arch has a label and plain spandrels, but the jambs have curious stops suggestive of stalked besants, externally and within the soffit. The door is early 18th century with a large moulded triangular pedimented panel. Several old square stone and brick chimneys with conical caps have been plastered. The east side of the house is hidden by a modern two-storeyed gallery, within which may be seen 4 original granite doorways with 4 centred heads and another old window. The original kitchen fireplace remains with a semi-circular panel in the centre of the granite lintel. There is 18th century panelling in some of the rooms and round headed wall cupboards. A small perfect quern is in the garden, and a rectangular granite trough, 2 gate piers made from the slotted uprights of stone stiles.

Copeland, G. W., 1946, Fifteenth Annual Report of the Plymouth and District Branch, 100 (Article in Serial). SDV336106.

Department of Environment, 1960, Tavistock RD Provisional List (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV220567.

A mainly early 17th century house, said to have been originally quadrangular but is now of irregular plan with later additions. It is a two storey building with a prominent hollow moulded string course. It also has a two storeyed porch with rubble outer doorway and inner doorway of granite with segmental head.

Department of Environment, 1960, Tavistock RD, 8 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV239444.

A mainly early 17th century house, said to have been originally quadrangular but is now of irregular plan with later additions.
It is a two storey building with a prominent hollow moulded string course. It also has a two storeyed porch with rubble outer doorway and inner doorway of granite with segmental head.

Department of Environment, 1987, Horrabridge, 2 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV251308.

Manor House. Mid 16th century, front porch added 17th century, in early 18th century remodelled internally and rear service wing added with later alterations including rebuilding at right return after some destruction by fire, probably late 19th/early 20th century, with later alterations. Slatestone rubble, coursed with some granite, granite dressings, random rubble to sides and rear, some slatehanging: Welsh slate roof with 17th-18th century handmade ridge tiles to rear, hipped to right, rendered battered ridge stacks and gable stack to left.
Possibly originally of conventional three-room-and-through-passage plan with lower end to right, hall and inner room now incorporated as one. Made symmetrical in 17th century and porch added to front of passage, possibly at this time a further unheated room added to lower end. In circa. the early 18th century, the passage was widened to form a stair hall, lower service end converted into a parlour and a service wing built at rear or original hall. Passage built at the rear of the hall and lower end to provide access. Irregular L-plan thus formed by accretion; symmetrical front.
Two storeys, central two-storey gabled porch has round-headed opening with 19th century round-headed door with strap hinges, three-light mullioned window above, metal-framed casements with glazing bars and 20th century leaded lights, other front windows similar without hoodmould, moulded string course over door and carried over lintels of all ground floor windows; left and right side slate-hung above string course. Right and left, three similar three-light mullioned windows at ground floor and three smaller at first floor, at cellar level to right three small two-light mullioned windows boarded to right, cellar windows and some at ground floor retain iron stanchions; two small buttresses to left of porch. Right return slate-hung ground floor centre bay broken forward with 20th century copy of three-light granite mullioned window, first floor level set forward over ground floor with 20th century wooden casement; two-storey addition along rear to right has former opening at ground floor with segmental brick head, at first floor a similar wooden casement, covered area on three wooden piers enclosing a four-centred arched 20th century door through curtain wall. Left return has string course returned, similar granite 20th century replacement narrow two-light mullioned window and two-light wooden casement at first floor, large external stack, possibly rebuilt and small brick lean-to in angle with rear wing; two-storey wing has hipped roof and stone weathered ridge stack, three windows, ground floor has small granite mullioned window as on front and four-light granite mullioned window, possibly reset from rear of house when rear wing was built, four-centred arched granite opening with half-glazed double doors of late 19th/early 20th century; first floor has two wooden casements in formerly larger openings and two-light granite mullioned window as on front. Rear to rear wing has to right a 20th century two-light casement at ground floor and small two-light. Casement to left with timber lintel under irregular joint to rear range forming inner courtyard; granite quoins. Rear has two-span roof with vent on ridge, hipped to right, external lateral stack to rear left, ground floor has 20th century nine-pane light and door with glazed panel and timber lintel, upper loading door to right. Inner side of rear wing has ground floor wooden 20th century casement and double doors with triangular hood, first floor has two 20th century casements, second floor has two 20th century casements, all slate-hung. Small 20th century two-storey addition in angle with rear of main range. Rear of main range has steep gable, rendered, with eight-pane sash at first floor, three-light granite mullioned window with hood-mould at ground floor set inside glazed porch with 20th century casement and half-glazed door; 20th century two-storey corridor addition to left along rear constructed to form access to first floor rooms of main range.
Interior porch has inner granite doorway with depressed four-centred arch, hollow-chamfered with large square stops with raised roundels, door with raised moulded battens applied round border and forming central pediment. Entrance hall has open well early 18th century staircase; door to cellar stair with earlier 19th century moulded frame with raised roundels and run out stops, straight granite stair to cellar; room to right panelled with bolection mouldings, recessed cupboard with shaped shelves on inner wall, fireplace with moulded wooden surround; lower end room to right largely remodelled, has similar four-centred arched granite doorway to rear passage, hood-mould curtailed, chamfered and stopped surround, granite corbels along outer wall to passage, wall stepped out at granite window. Room to left (former hall) separated from entrance hall by partition has fireplace with hollow-chamfered flat lintel and jambs, door to rear passage in granite with four-centred arch, chamfered with straight cut stops; end room has slate floor, granite fireplace with roll mouldings, central tympanum on flat head. Rear passage has granite floor and granite doorway with four-centred arch, chamfered with straight cut stops, spandrels of arch cut into triangles and hood-mould, door with applied moulded battens. At first floor, room to left of entrance hall has chamfered granite fireplace, room to right has fireplace with bolection moulded surround; rear wing approached by two 19th century winder stairs, 18th century panelled doors and room to left of entrance hall has three-light granite mullioned window, formerly external, now closed by cupboards to rear. Roof has six bays visible at time of survey (July 1985) with principal rafters, crossed, two rows of through purlins, ine truss with cambered collar. Rear wing probably rebuilding of earlier rear wing, wall thicknesses vary along rear passage.

Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N., 1989, The Buildings of England: Devon, 906 (Monograph). SDV325629.

Sortridge Manor House, mid C16th. Originally it was possibly a conventional three-room-and-through-passage plan, but made symmetrical in plan in the C17th. Its present L-plan is the result of accretion. Grade II*.

Tavistock and District Local History Society, 2002, Whitchuch Parish. A short History of a Devon Parish, 28-30, (Monograph). SDV363278.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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