Description

BUCKERELL
SY 10 SW

5/93 Hembury Fort House
22.2.55 (formerly listed as Hembury Fort
Hotel)
II

Gentleman's villa, now in use as a retirement home. Early C19 possibly with an C18
core with C20 alterations including recent window replacement. Rendered, the central
block whitewashed; slate roof behind parapets; rendered stacks.
Plan: Approximate L plan. South-facing main block, the centre portion of which may
be C18, with projecting pedimented bays to left and right, rear right wing. Central
front door leads into a large heated entrance hall, principal stair to rear left,
service stair in what was presumably the service wing to rear right.
Exterior: 3 storey main block. Symmetrical 1:3:1 window south front, the centre 3
bays with 2 platbands and a moulded cornice below the parapet, the outer bays
projecting with pediments. Central Greek Doric portico, probably circa 1830, with
paired columns, a triglyph frieze and moulded cornice. The portico has been filled
in with a round-headed 2-leaf panelled outer door. On either side of the porch C19
French windows with small panes and proud architraves. The pedimented blocks each
have large early C19 French windows with fanlights with spoke glazing bars and glazed
flanking panels. Unfortunately all the other windows are plastic replacements but
probably in their original embrasures. The centre 3 bays presumably had 3/6 pane
sashes to the second floor and 12-pane sashes to the first floor, all now replaced
with small pane plastic windows. The outer bays presumably had tripartite first
floor sashes and 3/3 pane second floor sashes, all now replaced with small-pane
plastic windows. The left (west) return is 4-bays and 1 bay to the return of the
pedimented projection. All the windows and 2 ground floor doors are plastic
replacements, the windows probably in their original embrasures. The right return
and rear elevation retain some original timber windows but most have been replaced
with plastic.
Interior: Not thoroughly inspected. Good early C19 cantilevered principal stair with
stick balusters and a ramped wreathed handrail. Other features of interest,
including decorated plasterwork, may survive.
Polwhele records that the house - the eighteenth-century parts - is brick and was
purchased by Vice Admiral Graves about 1750. He repaired and enlarged it: it was
originally called Cockenhayes. (History of Devonshire, (p.p. 1793, 1974 edn., vol.
II. p. 274).

Listing NGR: ST1156502455

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26500081

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

• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)