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Summary

Gerston Manor and South Manor at Gerston Farm formerly a 17th century farmhouse and divided into two dwellings in the early 21st century

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1324953: GERSTON MANOR, FRONT GARDEN WALL AND GATE PIERS, AND SOUTH MANOR

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX74SW/33
• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 100882
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX74SW15

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MANSION HOUSE (XVI to XX - 1600 AD to 2000 AD (Between))

Full description

Polwhele, R., 1793-1806, The History of Devonshire, 172 (Monograph). SDV21030.

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

'Gerston Remains of a Mansion' shown on 19th century map.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'Gerston Remains of Mansion' shown on early 20th century map.

Gover, J. E. B. + Mawer, A. + Stenton, F. M., 1931, The Place-Names of Devon: Part One, 289 (Monograph). SDV1312.

Gerston was first mentioned as 'Garston' in 1493.

Department of Environment, 1960, Kingsbridge RD, 43 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV323346.

'Gerston' farmhouse including the front garden wall and gate piers are listed. An early 17th century house, refashioned in the 18th century. Built of plastered rubble with a hipped slate roof. Flat roofed stone porch with corbelled front.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX74SW15 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV344241.

'Garston' is an old decayed mansion and was in the possession of the Bastard family in the time of Queen Elizabeth I.

Watts, M., 2003, Gerston, West Alvington: A Report on a Redundant Farm Building (Report - Survey). SDV342138.

'Gerston' was described in 1848 as consisting of a "spacious farm residence with corresponding outbuildings", and in 1889 as "the manor of Gerston".

English Heritage, 2010, Historic Houses Register (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV154869.

Gerston Farmhouse including front garden wall and gate piers was Listed on 26th January 1967. Farmhouse built in the 17th century possibly with earlier origins but remodelled around 1700 and probably extended at the same time then again in the 18th century. Slatestone rubble walls, rendered at the front. Slate roof, hipped to left end and gabled to right,with half-hipped wing at the rear. Rendered rubble stack at right gable end and two axial rubble stacks, all with dripcourses. Plan: three-room-and-cross or through-passage plan, lower room to the right, Hall heated by stack at its inner end, inner room had end stack. An axial passage has been inserted behind the central room with stairs in leanto behind, added possibly in early 18th century. At a similar time a very wide wing was built behind the lower end which was unheated and probably served a partly non-domestic function. C18 barn and pound house built on at left-hand higher end of house. Exterior: two storeys. Asymmetrical five window front of which the left-hand end projects slightly. Mainly late 19th or early 20th century two and three-light transomed casements. To right on the first floor is an early 19th century tripartite 16-pane sash. The two ground floor windows to the left are 19th century small-paned casements. 18th century doorhood to right of centre with flat hood supported on corbelled stone piers. Heavy 18th century double doors, each of three panels set in 17th century ovolo-moulded wooden doorframe. To left of centre is an early 20th century glazed porch with a small outbuilding wing beyond. Lower 18th century farm building addition at left hand end of house. Wide wing projects to rear of right-hand end and leantos extend the length of the house at rear. Also at the rear is a cut-off stone lateral stack. To include stone rubble garden wall at front of house which has rough square piers with small ball finials. Interior: exhibits few early features apart from numerous late 17th - early 18th century bolection panelled doors. There are no roof timbers visible on the first floor. Other features probably concealed by early 20th century modernisation. Other details: LBS Number 100882.

Ordnance Survey, 2010, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV344030.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2010, West Alvington (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV344242.

Gerston Manor, front garden wall and gate piers and South Manor formerly known as 'Gertson Farmhouse including front garden wall and gate piers'. Originally a three room single depth range with rear (west) cross-wing and lower barn range to the south, subdivided into two floors. Farmhouse now sub-divided into two dwellings 'Gerston Manor' to the north and 'South Manor', including the barn range, to the south. South Manor has a single-storey extension at the east end. Gerston Manor has an early 21st century extension to the rear containing the staircases. The windows are mainly early 21st century tripartite sashes, modelled on a unit in the first-floor right bay, possibly early 19th century. The early 21st century slate roof is hipped to the left (south) end and gabled to the right (north) end, with a half-hipped wing to the rear. The 18th century porch serving Gerston Manor has a flat hood supported on corbelled stone piers. A 20th century glazed porch serves South Manor with a small outbuilding wing/lobby beyond. The interior of Gerston Manor was not inspected but South Manor has an early chamfered round-headed door with a pintle. In the principal room is a wide segmental-headed stone fireplace from which a 19th century chimneypiece has been removed. The chimneypiece has been re-sized and installed in the bedroom on the first floor. History: Gerston Manor was the historic family seat of the Bastard family who held nine manors in Devon in the Domesday Book. It has been suggested that the Bastards lived at Gerston Manor for several centuries after the Conquest and that the current farmhouse probably stands on the former manor house site. The family's standing in the area was resurgent in the late 16th century and at the turn of the 17th century William Bastard became MP for Dartmouth. The family seat at Gerston was re-established around this time and was roughly contemporary with the rebuilding of the house. Gerston Manor and South Manor remains a substantial 17th century farmhouse that retains evidence for its Medieval origins.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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