Description

In the entry for:-

SY 29 SE AXMOUTH MUSBURY ROAD

14/29 Stedcombe House

11.9.51
II*

the entry shall be amended to read:

SY 29 SE AXMOUTH MUSBURY ROAD

14/29 Stedcombe House

11.9.51

GV I

Large house overlooking the Axe valley. Built c1697 by Richard
Hallett; restored 1989 by C Rae-Scott. Red brick in Flemish bond
with Beer and Portland stone dressings. Slate hipped roof with
modillion eaves cornice and leaded flat around the belvedere.
PLAN: square double-depth plan with opposed entries in W and E
elevations, of 2 rooms wide with main and service stairs between rooms
on N side.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys and attic. Five by five bays. Moulded stone
plinth, rusticated quoins and moulded band at first-floor level.
Moulded stone window architraves with small keyblocks. 2-light stone-
mullioned basement windows. West door, doorcase and steps of 1989 (a
reproduction of the original) with similar moulded architrave and
canopy on scrolled consoles with carved acanthus ornament. To east
elevation is semi-circular arch over half-glazed doors of 1989, a
conjectural reconstruction of the original. Original 6/6 pane sashes
with thick glazing bars to north elevation and one to belvedere;
other to belvedere is an early C18 repair; other sashes, after the
original, were installed 1989, incorporating glass from decayed early
C19 sashes. Lead rainwater furniture of 1989; 3 triangular-
pedimented dormers to each facade, reproductions of 1989. Belvedere
to centre of roof, a square brick structure with moulded stone
cornice, quoins and semi-circular arched window on each side with
stone voussoirs and small chimneystacks at the corners, these being
Portland stone caps of 1989. Stone-mullioned basement windows, 5
being restorations after the original, and original studded basement
door to west elevation. Basement surrounded by path enclosed by brick
walls surmounted by iron railings of 1989.
INTERIOR: restored to an exceptionally high standard by Mr Rae-Scott
in 1989, 14/45 doors, 27% of the panelling and almost all fireplaces
being careful reproductions after the original. Basement has original
features including keyed arched stone door architrave to wine cellar,
plank doors with bolts and Norfolk latches and C18 panelled cupboard
doors (one to NE dated 1742). Panelled throughout with straight-cut
ovolo-mould and bolection-moulded panelling. c1730 egg and dart
surround to fireplace in west first-floor room. Main first-floor
rooms each open into two closets. Main stairhall has cyma-moulded
cornice of 1989 (after the original) to ground floor and enriched
cornice to first floor (a quarter of which is restored) with corner
shells and foliate/floral motifs: open-well stair with 2 twisted
balusters per tread and plain dado. Back stairs positioned to north
rise from basement to attic, with turned balusters on closed string
rising around open well. Cornice and balustrade installed 1989.

History: the Halletts had bought the estate in 1691 from Sir Walter
Yonge of Escot. According to Cherry (1988) "Stedcombe stands between
the larger country houses and a number of smaller brick houses" such
as Pinbrook which were built around Exeter as villas for wealthy
merchants in the late 17th century. An exceptionally fine and
complete example of this type of small late 17th Century country
house, the compact and centralised plan being an early example.

N Pevsner and B Cherry, The Buildings of England: Devon, 1989, pp.
759-60; B Cherry, "The Devon Country House in the Late Seventeenth
and Early Eighteenth Centuries", Devon Archaeological Society
Proceedings, Vol 46 (1988) pp. 123-5; C Rae-Scott, "The Restoration
of Stedcombe House", Association for Studies in the Conservation of
Historic Buildings, Vol 15 (1991) pp. 31-8.

------------------------------------
In the entry for:-

SY 29 SE AXMOUTH MUSBURY ROAD

14/29 Stedcombe House

11.9.51

GV I

the description shall be amended to read as follows:

Large house overlooking the Axe valley. Built c1697 by Richard
Hallett; restored 1988-90 by C Rae-Scott. Red brick in Flemish bond
with Beer and Portland stone dressings. Slate hipped roof with
modillion eaves cornice and leaded flat around the belvedere.
PLAN: square double-depth plan with opposed entries in W and E
elevations, of 2 rooms wide with main and service stairs between rooms
on E and N sides.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys, basement and attic. Five by five bays. Moulded
stone plinth, channelled quoins and moulded band at first-floor level.
Moulded stone window architraves with small keyblocks. 2-light stone-
mullioned basement windows to E, N and S elevations, 2/2 lights to W
elevation. West door, doorcase and steps of 1989 (a reproduction of
the original) with similar moulded architrave and canopy on scrolled
consoles with carved acanthus ornament. To east elevation is semi-
circular arch over half-glazed doors of 1989 (doors and fanlight
conjectural reconstruction of the original). Original 9/9 pane sashes
with thick glazing bars to north elevation and one 11/6 radius headed
sash to belvedere; another to belvedere is an early C18 repair;
other sashes, after the original, were installed 1989, incorporating
glass from decayed early C19 sashes. Lead rainwater furniture of
1989; 3 triangular-pedimented dormers to each facade, reproductions
of 1989. Belvedere to centre of roof, a square brick structure with
moulded stone cornice, quoins and semi-circular arched window on each
side with stone voussoirs and small chimneystacks at the corners,
these having Portland stone caps of 1989. Stone-mullioned basement
windows, some leaded lights being restorations after the original, and
original panelled basement door to west elevation. Basement
surrounded by path enclosed by brick walls surmounted by iron railings
of 1989.
INTERIOR: restored to an exceptionally high standard by Mr Rae-Scott
in 1988-90, 14/45 doors, 27% of the panelling and almost all
fireplaces being careful reproductions after the original. Basement
has original features including keyed arched timber door architrave
to wine cellar, plank doors with bolts and Norfolk latches and C18
panelled cupboard doors (one to NE dated 1742). Main floors panelled
throughout with straight-cut, ovolo-mould or bolection-moulded
panelling. c1730 egg and dart surround to fireplace in west first-
floor room; c1690 red marble bolection surround in NE ground-floor
room and c1695 stone flat bolection surround to NE first-floor room.
Main first-floor rooms each open into two closets. Main stairhall has
cyma-moulded cornice of 1989 (after the original) to ground floor and
enriched cornice to first floor (a quarter of which is restored) with
corner shells and foliate-floral motifs: open-well stair with 2
twisted balusters per tread and panelled dado. Back stairs positioned
to north rise from basement to attic, with turned balusters on closed
string rising around open well. Cornice and balustrade to belvedere
gallery installed in 1989.

History: the Hallets had bought the estate in 1691 from Sir Walter
Yonge of Escot. According to Cherry (1988) "In size Stedcombe stands
between the larger country houses and a number of smaller brick
houses" such as Pinbrook which were built around Exeter as villas for
wealthy merchants in the late 17th century. An exceptionally fine and
complete example of this type of small late 17th Century country
house, the compact and decentralised plan being an early example.

N Pevsner and B Cherry, The Buildings of England: Devon, 1989, pp.
759-60; B Cherry, "The Devon Country House in the Late Seventeenth
and Early Eighteenth Centuries", Devon Archaeological Society
Proceedings, Vol 46 (1988) pp. 123-5; C Rae-Scott, "The Restoration
of Stedcombe House", Association for Studies in the Conservation of
Historic Buildings, Vol 15 (1991) pp. 31-8.

------------------------------------
In the entry for:-

SY 29 SE AXMOUTH MUSBURY ROAD

14/29 Stedcombe House

11.9.51

GV I

The last sentence of the penultimate paragraph shall be amended to
read:-

An exceptionally fine and complete example of this type of small late
17th Century country house, the compact and centralised plan being an
early example.

------------------------------------

SY 29 SE AXMOUTH MUSBURY ROAD
14/29
11.9.51 Stedcombe House

II*

Large house overlooking the Axe valley. Circa 1697 for Richard Hallett of Lyme
Regis. Red brick in Flemish bond with white-washed stone dressings. Slate hipped
roof with modillion eaves cornice. Moulded stone plinth, rusticated quoins and
moulded band at first floor level. Square on plan. Two storeys, attics and
basement. Five by five bays. Moulded stone window architraves with small
keyblocks. Sashes with glazing bars, those on north side have thick glazing bars,
the sashes on the west side have lost their glazing bars. Three flat roofed
dormers. C18 porch at centre of east front, brick with modillion cornice,
rusticated quoins and moulded round arch with panelled pilasters. Also probably C18
a belvedere over the centre, square brick structure with moulded stone cornice,
quoins and round arch window on each side with stone voussoirs and with small
chimney stacks at the corners.
Stone balustrade around a deep basement area on all sides.
Interior: Much of the fine interior was stripped out after an outbreak of dry rot
and at the time of the survey in 1983 it is still in this state. Some of the
balustrade to the staircase with twisted balusters remains. Most of the drawing
room panelling and a very fine rococo-chinoiserie chimneypiece remain intact.
Stedcombe House was built by Richard Hallett who with his brother John Hallett a
Barbados planter made a fortune from trade with the West Indies. It was built near
the site of an older house which was garrisoned by Parliamentarians and destroyed by
Royalists in 1644. Reference: Country Life 26.Xll, 1963.

Listing NGR: SY2641991982

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Stedcombe House at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17525896

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy