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Summary

A large, romantic, Victorian fantasy house dated 1900. Built of locally quarried rubble stone faced with cream-coloured brick with decorative bands of red and black brick. It was designed and built by William Carter-Pedlar, the rooms arranged around a large stair well that houses a full size organ. The interior and roof were completely renovated from a ruinous state between 1977 and 1985, the house having been left empty and vandalised for some 20 years since the Carter-Pedlars died in the 1950s.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1325836: REEVE CASTLE INCUDING ADJOINING GLASSHOUSE, ENGINE HOUSE, TERRACE, PONDS, BRIDGES AND GARDEN PATHS

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS70SW/138
• Old Listed Building Ref (II)
• Royal Albert Memorial Museum Accession Number: 135/2008

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• COUNTRY HOUSE (XIX to Late 20th Century - 1801 AD (Between) to 2000 AD (Between))

Full description

Redgrave, P., 1966, The castle built around an obsession (Article in Serial). SDV365206.

Victorian neo-Gothic house. The hall is dominated by the remains of a full-sized organ around which the house appears to have been designed. The interior is described as literary Gothic with Greek inscriptions around the entrance, gargoyles, niches for figurines, long dark passageways and narrow spiral staircases, below are cellars and on the roof there is an octagonal tower. Fixtures and fittings have been ransacked but on the floor were found sheets of organ music, broken crockery, old marmalade pots and copies of ‘Punch’ dated 1910. On the side of the house is a conservatory with a rotten and overgrown billiard table.
A tunnel from the cellars leads to the top of a deep quarry with a water garden at the bottom. There is the remains of a lift and machinery in a circular room which it is thought enabled one to descend to the garden.
There is also the remains of a thatched summerhouse and some fairly unusual plants and trees in the garden such as Japanese pines.

Sharpe, H. M., 1975-1986, Reeve Castle (Ground Photograph). SDV365205.

Photos of Reeve Castle and the garden before and after restoration in the 1970s-1980s.

Department of Environment, 1986, Zeal Monachorum, 58-59 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV43775.

Sharpe, H. M., 1987, Castle in the air (Un-published). SDV365204.

Story of the renovation of the castle by the Sharpes between 1975 and 1986. Reeve Castle was built in neo-Gothic style in 1900 by William Carter-Pedler. It was built of stone quarried from the slopes to the south, the quarrying carefully managed to create a terraced Japanese garden with pools, bridge and cherry trees. Although built of stone, the house was faced with creamy-yellow Petersmarland brick. Norman and Gothic arches and octagons are a feature of the building. It is thought the octagon held some significance for William; there were also eight monkey puzzle trees by Reeve Gate, placed at the points of the compass.
The main building was completed circa 1900 but work continued on the grounds for many years, almost up to the Second World War, with the addition, for example, tennis courts, croquet lawn and water gardens.
William’s neighbour at Burston Manor was an innovative engineer and the results of their partnership in design can be seen in the central heating system fired by a large wood-burning furnace in the cellar, topped by cast iron heat exchangers. Also the ‘Spencer’ engine which mixed together petrol and water to produce gas which was piped to the house through a 3in iron pipe. The engine was powered by a large weight suspended from a 30ft steel tower in the garden below the house. The weight was wound up by a hand winch in the underground engine room.
There was also a wind engine behind the house which pumped water from a well to water tanks in a brick tower.
The house was left vacant in 1956 following the deaths of William Carter-Pedler and his wife. Their son, for various reasons, did not take up occupancy and it was left empty and gradually vandalised over the next 20 years. By 1975 it was a roofless, windowless ruin surrounded by some 12 acres of overgrown garden. It was bought by the Sharpes, who lived in Florida, in 1975-6. It was generally believed that the house was beond repair but the Sharpes took on the challenge. The bulk of the restoration and rebuilding work was completed within the first six years with continual improvements thereafter. In the early 1980s they decided to open a restaurant there. Sharpe mentions that they felt that there was a presence at Reeve which they took to be William Carter-Pedler. The presence, he says, seemed benificient at first but changed when they decided to go for a commercial option. Sharpe tells how things started to go ‘downhill’ from 1983 as they were beset by various difficulties and problems, including a flood in the house from the water tanks on the roof, caused by a burst pipe in January 1985. Ultimately their ownership of the house was no longer tenable and they left in 1986.

Clark, J., 2013, Reeve Castle (Un-published). SDV358145.

A large Victorian Venetian Gothic house but with also hints of Arabic inspiration. A romantic late Victorian fantasy. The walls are cream coloured Barnstaple machine-brick with decorative bands of red brick. Built by and for Richard Carter-Pedler in 1900. A most unusual house and garden as signified by the fact that even the garden paths and ponds are listed.

Ordnance Survey, 2015, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV357601.

Historic England, 2015, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV358087.

Large house. Dated 1900 and built for and by William Carter-Pedlar. Interior and roof completely renovated from ruinous slate 1977-85. Stone rubble walls, nearly all faced with cream-coloured Barnstaple machine-brick which includes decorative bands of red brick (and some black brick to rear); roof material unknown. A most unusual house, a romantic late Victorian fantasy. The plan was dictated by Carter-Pedlar's interest in playing the organ, and therefore the rooms are ranged around a massive stair well which was designed to house a large organ. Essentially the house is rectangular with its main front facing south and overlooking the terrace and Japanese garden. On the left front (south-west) and right rear (north- east) corners are projecting turrets and the right front (south-eastern) corner is cut back at an angle providing the entrance front with another corner turret. The service rooms are on the north side and include a small wing projecting left rear. 2 storeys with cellars and 3-storey entrance porch. It is a clever synthesis of styles; basically a kind of Venetian Gothic but also hints at Arabic inspiration. The walls have a red brick plinth and at first floor level a band of moulded and contrasting bricks, a top cornice projecting in similar fashion and a pierced parapet. The south-west and north-east tower parapets are slightly taller. The porch has no parapet. On ground and first floor levels drip courses are interrupted by moulded hoods over the windows. All the windows have moulded brick reveals. Most of the windows are lancets with pointed heads and 3 are grouped under a round- headed hoodmould at first floor level to right of the porch and in the turret to left of the porch. Both these last 2 are above large round-headed windows. The original glazing had all been knocked out before 1977 but apparently the heads contained coloured leaded glass. The front door, also in an arch-headed frame, also dates from 1977. Over the doorway are 2 grey limestone plaques, one inscribed with the initials of William Carter-Pedlar and date, and the other containing a motto in Greek. Just behind the porch an observation tower rises from the roof like a large cliimney or minaret, It has plain external cast-iron steps and railings. The garden front has 2 windows between the angle turrets and across the front a glass-roofed verandah supported on plain cast iron posts. It is floored with tiles. To the left, in the angle between the main block and the service block is an iron-framed conservatory with mansard roof and floor of small shaped Minton tiles of various colours. The rear elevation, the service rooms, is simpler than the main front and part is exposed rubble with red brick dressing. The main roof is flat except for a large iron-framed glass vault over the stairwell. Interior: all the original joinery, plaster and other fittings were stripped out or vandalised beyond repair between 1952-1977 and therefore have been replaced. According to the owners many of the doors had panels of leaded glass over panels painted with Chinese or Arabic designs. The doorways are pointed arches of moulded red brick, originally exposed but now painted over. Old photographs show the stairhall. surrounded by Arabic motifs and Greek mottos. The house is heated by a hypocaust system.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV5940 - Historic Building Recording of a Steel Pylon at Reeve Castle, Bow, Devon

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