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Summary

Remains of a small building on Beacon Hill which appears to have been built as a belvedere in the 18th century by the Bulteel family who lived at Membland at that time. It was converted to a tea house by Edward Baring in the 1880s. It appears to have subsequently been used as a lookout and became ruinous after the Second World War. It is visible as a roofless structure on aerial photos from 1945 onwards. It now stands, a small square, roofless building on a grassy knoll overlooking the sea.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Ruins of possible Napoleonic signal station on Beacon Hill

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX54NE/62

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BELVEDERE (XVIII - 1701 AD (Between) to 1800 AD (Between))
• TEA HOUSE (XIX - 1801 AD (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Maps and Apportionments (Website). SDV349463.

The building is recorded as 'Brake Under Pleasure House'.

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

A square structure is depicted.

Royal Air Force, 1945, RAF/106G/UK/967, RAF/106G/UK/967 RS 3109-3110 01-NOV-1945 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351060.

A square structure is visible.

Batty, M., 2003, South Devon Coast Path Project: a study of the archaeology along the coast path in the South Hams from Staddon Heights to Sharkham Point (Un-published). SDV336214.

Site visit 28th July 2003.Remains of a rectangular building, internally 13m x 11m. What remains are the four corners to a height of c2m. North wall has brick arch in situ above doorway, remains of doorway being apparent on stone face. South face may have had a large opening almost down to floor level with opening doors as traces of possible stone terracing and larger floorstone centrally where door would have been.

Waterhouse, R., 2009, Report on visit to Beacon Hill Tea House (Report - non-specific). SDV366678.

A former tea house, now a small, square roofless ruin on a grassy knoll overlooking the sea.
The earliest reference to a building here is Donn’s Map of Devon, 1765, on which is marked Membland Pleasure House. It is likely that it was a small, two storey belvedere, possibly with a heated room on the first floor and windows giving wide views of the coast and sea. It was probably built by the Bulteel family who lived at Membland at that time. The building is shown on the 1840 Tithe Map at the end of a drive down the valley from the lane.
In the early 1880s the building appears to have been converted into a tea house by Edward Baring, of Barings Bank, as part of his improvements to the Membland estate which he had acquired in the 1860s. It was one of two new tea houses on a new nine mile long carriage drive, the other being at Warren Cottage.
Edward Baring was forced to sell Membland in 1891 following the collapse of Barings Bank. It is not known what then happened to the building but its location would have made it a suitable coastguard lookout and it is likely that it was used as a look out during the Second World War. It appears to have been abandoned after the war.
It is built of mortared slate rubble. There are traces of external render of at least three periods. Now single storey structure , traces of a staircase in the north-east corner suggest that it formerly had an upper floor. The building was altered c.1800-1830; the doorway in the north side was reformed, the east and south windows remodelled and a fireplace inserted into the north-west corner. A verandah was probably also added at this time, supported on timber posts set into the edge of a cobbled path around the building. Finds of blue-grey roofing slate may relate to this phase of construction.
The building was remodelled in the early 1880s and reroofed using purple Welsh slate, which is also found on other buildings of the Membland estate of this period. A small, circular earthwork terrace to the south may indicate a flagpole.
The building appears to have been deliberately damaged after the war; the masonry beneath the windows being broken out possibly to create an animal shelter. The roof was probably lost in the 1940s-1950s and the bay window in the south side collapsed subsequently.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2013-2014, South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV351146.

A small square roofless structure is visible on aerial photographs from 1945 onwards. It is depicted on the Tithe and later maps so has not been transcribed as part of the National Mapping Programme project. Batty's description of the remains includes some of the same features as the Napoleonic signalling station at West Soar; there would have been very many of these buildings along the coast and it is possible that this is one of them.

Pink, F., 2014, South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey Desk-Based Assessment (Interpretation). SDV357736.

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

White, N., 2016, Beacon Hill Tea House, Holbeton. Proposed Conversion to Holiday Accomodation: Heritage Statement. (Report - Assessment). SDV360671.

The earliest historic evidence of the building is found on Benjamin Donn's 1765 map of Devon, on which it is marked Membland Pleasure House. It was almost certainly built shortly before this date for John Bulteel, the owner of the estate at the time.
Evidence has found that the house was altered in the early 19th century with the addition of a terrace and veranda, changes to the fenestration and the insertion of a fireplace.
It is quite rare and an important example of the romantic 18th century fashion amongst the privileged strata of society to experience nature at its wildest.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV336214	Un-published: Batty, M.. 2003. South Devon Coast Path Project: a study of the archaeology along the coast path in the South Hams from Staddon Heights to Sharkham Point. Mixed Archive Material.
SDV349431	Cartographic: Devon County Council. 1838-1848. Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848. Digitised Tithe Map. Digital.
SDV349463	Website: Devon County Council. 1838-1848. Tithe Maps and Apportionments. http://devon.gov.uk. Website.
SDV351060	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1945. RAF/106G/UK/967. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/106G/UK/967 RS 3109-3110 01-NOV-1945.
SDV351146	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2013-2014. South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV357601	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2015. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey Digital Mapping. Digital. [Mapped feature: #99332 ]
SDV357736	Interpretation: Pink, F.. 2014. South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey Desk-Based Assessment. AC Archaeology Report. ACD618/4/3. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV360671	Report - Assessment: White, N.. 2016. Beacon Hill Tea House, Holbeton. Proposed Conversion to Holiday Accomodation: Heritage Statement.. Nils White Conservation. Digital.
SDV366678	Report - non-specific: Waterhouse, R.. 2009. Report on visit to Beacon Hill Tea House. Digital.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6127 - Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme (NMP) for South-West England - South Coast Devon (Ref: ACD618)
• EDV7479 - Heritage Statement: Beacon Hill Tea House, Holbeton

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