See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

Early 18th century garden wall, steps and gatepiers to the south of Langdon Court Hotel.

Location

Protected Status

• Registered Park or Garden (II) 1000695: LANGDON COURT HOTEL
• Listed Building (II*) 1108587: PAIR OF GARDEN HOUSES APPROXIMATELY 35 METRES SOUTH OF LANGDON COURT HOTEL

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX54NW/19/4
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*): 100467

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• WALL (XVIII - 1701 AD to 1800 AD (Between))

Full description

Department of Environment, 1984, Wembury, 69 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV336377.

Garden wall, steps and gatepiers immediately south of Langdon Court Hotel. Boundary walls to formal terraced gardens with flights of steps with gate piers. Circa early 18th century. Red brick walls in English bond with plain stone coping. The southernmost walls are slate rubble. Flight of granite steps from lower garden to terrace with brick piers at the end with tall pyramidal granite finials. Oval pond at centre of lower garden with moulded granite curb stones. Grade II* for group value.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1986, SX54NW8 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV336378.

Card contains listing description 19/07/1984. (DOE HHR South Hams District (Wembury part) Devon)

Keystone Historic Buildings Consultants, 1994, The garden buildings at Langdon Court, Wembury, 14-15, 18 (Report - non-specific). SDV336376.

The present formal gardens at Langdon Court are off the south side of the house and rise up a north-facing slope. There is a lower terrace and a smaller upper terrace. Until recently there was a third higher terrace but this is now disused.The earlier walling is local slate stone rubble, faced up on the show side with red brick laid to English bond and all bonded in a white lime mortar. The lower terrace uses the south side of the house as its north side. The other sides are brick walls standing about 2.8 metres high. The east wall is free standing but the north and west walls revet the higher ground beyond. There is now a drive along the northern side and this has broken through the side walls of the terrace on both sides. These gaps contain fine granite ashlar gate piers, with moulded cornices and tall obelisk finials. The eastern wall of the lower terrace continues south of the gazebo to revet the upper terrace above the ground falling away to the east, but there is no western wall. Between the gazebos built into the the north-east and north-west corners of the upper terrace is a central flight of stone steps. An intermediate set of steps connects this to a further flight of steps up to the disused topmost terrace to the south. The steps are all similar in style, stone with low brick retaining walls surmounted by a series of cream terracotta vases and urns. The top retaining walls of the topmost flight have obelisk finials. The largest flight is that from the lower to the upper terrace where the lower four steps project beyond the revetment wall and are semi-circular in plan. Other details: Plates 3-5, 12-14.

English Heritage, 2000, Langdon Court Hotel (Register of Parks and Gardens in England). SDV338303.

To the south two deep terraces enclosed to east and west by a high brick-faced stone walls ascend the slope. These walls extended north to abut the walls of the house until the late 19th century when the carriageway by the house was constructed. Stone steps placed axially to the façade of the house ascend from the late 19th century carriageway below the house to the first terrace, which is laid out with a central, circular, stone lined pond flanked by four mature Irish yews, shaped quarter lawns and further symnmetrically arranged circular flower beds. Further axial stone seps rise to the second terrace which is enclosed by a stone wall to the south and low walls to the east and west. The axial walk is continued by further stone steps which ascend between brick piers surmounted by stone obelisk finials to the third terrace, a level grassy area enclosed to the north by stone walls with decorative brick coping. Other details: GD1686.

English Heritage, 2006, Buildings at Risk: The Register 2006, 70 (Report - non-specific). SDV336311.

The garden walls, steps and gatepiers to the south of Langdon Court were undergoing slow decay in 2006 with no solution agreed.

English Heritage, 2009, Heritage at Risk Register 2009: South West, 106 (Report - non-specific). SDV342694.

Late 17th to early 18th formal terraced garden, the layout little altered since the early 18th century. Terraces extend south from the house on rising ground, with central axial paths and connecting steps. Enclosed by walls to the east, south and west. The north (larger) terrace has 17th century gate piers and gates in the east and west walls and a central pool. Garden walls, steps and gate piers in very bad condition. Other details: Photograph.

English Heritage, 2010, Heritage at Risk Register 2010: South West, 98 (Report - non-specific). SDV344777.

English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011: South West, 103 (Report - non-specific). SDV355280.

Very bad condition. The present owner has instigated a programme of repair. Priority C (slow decay; no solution agreed).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.