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Summary

Formal garden immediately west, south and east of Oldstone House ruins.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX85SW/7/7

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• GARDEN (XVIII to XXI - 1751 AD to 2009 AD (Between))

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV151388.

Des=dimes, u. /oldstone: the story of a ruined mansion/dhrg 9/(1993)22/in smr.

Williams , D., 06/2015, Old Stone Farm Solar Park, Blackawton, Devon (Report - Geophysical Survey). SDV359225.

A geophysical survey undertaken in advance of a proposed solar farm.

The site contains a small portion of an earthwork related to the former Old Stone Park, which is located in the far north corner of the PDA. Old Stone Park was located around the now ruined Old Stone
House which dates from the 18th and 19thcenturies, with perhaps a 17th century predecessor. The earthwork forms a ‘depression’ which may have afforded views towards Old Stone House from a possible prospect mound located to the east of the PDA. Postmedieval quarrying activity has also been identified in the centre of the site through historical map analysis.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Map object based on this source.

Pattison, P., 1992, Oldstone: a Mansion and its Gardens in South Devon: a Survey by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 130-2; Figure 3 (Article in Serial). SDV151450.

Formal garden immediately west, south and east of Oldstone House ruins. Majority of the surviving earthworks and structural remains appear to be part of an overall rectangular plan, though they may not necessarily be contemporary. In the south corner is a former walled garden, now almost square, three sides of which are of slate walls, the fourth (on north-east) of brick; an elaborate brick coping survives on all but the south-west wall. Walls reinforced at intervals by piers which pre-date the barns along the south-west side, which existed by 1839. The walled garden formerly extended a further 25 metres to end on the margin of the vista. There may have been gardens at Oldstone in the 17th century, and indeed some of the rectangular arrangements east of the house might represent the remains of a formal 17th century layout. However, the earliest recognisable remains which seem to form a coherent and datable scheme are the majority of the earthworks in the park south-east of the house, which may indicate an early 18th century date for garden and park. Map object based on this source.

Devon Gardens Trust, 1999, Devon Local Register, 105 (Un-published). SDV170167.

Devon Gardens Trust, 2013, Devon Gazetteer of Parks and Gardens of Local Interest (Reg/Local list of Historic Parks and Gdns). SDV354335.

Keep, C., 2013, Oldstone (Un-published). SDV357994.

The seat of the Cholwich family from the early 17th century. They built a new house on a much older site and developed the gardens and park during that century. An RCHME survey of 1991 drew attention to a large teardrop shaped earth mound, well to the south-east of the house. This terminates a broad trough-like feature, which creates a vista runningsouth-east from the house and across the sunken Dartmouth-Blackawton road. With two lesser vistas on either side, it also forms a 'patte d'oie' below terraces parallel to the house front. A bowling green to the north-east of the house runs north-west-south-east and has a feature called 'The Barbican' at the south-east end. Confusingly, it is also referred to as a mound but was built of stone with slits in the wall below a viewing terrace. The 18th century shell house/grotto at the opposite end of the bowling green was described in detail by Mr. C. W. Dimes in the early 20th century. There may also have been an obelisk in the grounds. The estate was purchased by William Dimes in 1839. An undated map after 1842 shows hothouse, conservatory and fishpond around a lawn to the south-east of the house. A late 19th century walled kitchen garden replaced an earlier one, which became a stableyard. The walls have been almost taken down since 1976. The house was gutted by fire in 1895 but the ruins are still quite extensive.

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

Map object based on this source.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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