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Summary

Gentry house built between 1840 and 1880. The house has been considerably altered and extended but several rooms, particularly on the ground floor retain 19th century architectural elements. There is also a reused 17th century stair and timber panelling.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX86SE/7

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOUSE (Built, XIX - 1840 AD to 1880 AD (Between))

Full description

Laing-Trengove, D. + Walls, S, 10/01/2014, Occombe House, Preston Down Road, Paignton, Devon. Historic Building Assessment (Report - Survey). SDV359549.

Historic building assessment undertaken prior to potential change of use. Occombe House appears to have been constructed between 1840 and 1880. The house originally comprised of the main large square building which functioned as a domestic residence with a service end to the east at ground floor level with the grander domestic reception rooms to the west of the central stair hall to the north. The presentation face appears to have originally been the western elevation, but this was altered in the early 20th century with additions made to the north face. To the south of the house was a stable block, now converted to residential use, and possibly other small service buildings. The extant building has several surviving decorative historic elements including reused 17th century timber panelling and stair, as well as a mid-late 19th century plaster ceiling, panelling and fireplaces. The building is thought to have been constructed as a summer house/temporary residence by the Singer family who were prominent residents in the Paignton area (Oldway Mansion) during the late 19th century. However, no definitive evidence of this link was found during this initial assessment.
The house originated as a high status mid 19th century residence with contemporary detached service buildings. Unfortunately, much of the architectural detail from this date has been lost although several rooms, particularly on the ground floor, retain 19th century elements. It is suggested that the reused 17th century stair and panelling came from one of the nearby farms shown on the 1840 Tithe Map but which had been demolished by the time Occombe House was built.

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

No buildings are shown on the site of the present Occombe House. However, the farmstead to the south-east is called Occombe.

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

House at Occombe depicted.

Ordnance Survey, 1963-1996, 1963-1996 National Grid OS Metric (Cartographic). SDV350058.

House shown with modern extension off the north-west corner of the original house.

Walker, H. H., 1968, Occombe in the Parish of Marldon, South Devon, 147, 154-5 (Article in Serial). SDV138116.

Occombe house. An 18th. Century indenture of 1632 shows that in the early 17th century there were two agricultural holdings and dwellings at occombe occupying the present site of Occombe House. The present Occombe House is of various building styles, and may have grown from an 18th century farmhouse.

Ordnance Survey, 2016, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359352.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6944 - Historic Building Assessment of Occombe House, Preston Down Road, Paignton

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