| Summary : A former manor house built in 1884 in a picturesque revivalist style on the site of an earlier house and before that a monastic grange linked to Torre Abbey (NMR AMIE number 447608, SX96 SW10). The house is constructed from local red sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings and decorative, moulded, red brick stacks. The roof is of red pantiles with a terracotta ridge. The building has a truncated L-shaped plan, oriented north-west to south-east, with a later south-west range to the rear. On the exterior, the principal elevation (north-east) is of two storeys and attics with an asymmetrical eight-window front., and a projecting, two-storey, gabled porch to the left of centre. Shiphay Manor occupies the site of one of the granges, or home farms, of nearby Torre Abbey. The remains of a late-15th century or 16th century barn (NMR AMIE number 446199, SX86 NE27) that are adjacent to the manor are believed to have been part of the grange which would have included an extensive range of buildings. Shiphay Manor is documented from the 16th century; It is this post-Reformation manor house, believed to have been reconstructed in 1665, that was sold to William Kitson of Painford in 1740. The manor house may have incorporated or re-used materials from the monastic grange. The post-Reformation house was, however, substantially demolished at a later date. The present Shiphay Manor dates largely from a re-building of circa 1884. During the 20th century the buildings were converted for a variety of uses. |
More information : Shiphay Manor is indicated on the 1964 edition of the OS 1:10000 map sheet SX 86 NE at SX 8964 6507. (1)
A recent (2001) web site indicates that Shiphay Manor is a GP's surgery. (2)
A former large house possibly built in the 19th century. the building is built of limestone rubble with a tiled roof. It has two storeys plus an attic level. The front features two projecting gabled bays, with mullion windows, and a gabled wing at the east end. The entrance door is in the left hand projecting bay, recessed in a narchway, above which is an armorial design. When the Royal Commission on Historic monuments visited the building in 1978 the ground floor was boarded up. The north side of the gabled wing carried a sign indicating that it was the "Shiphay Manor Hotel Country Club".(3)
In 2003 it was used as a doctor's surgery. (4)
Shiphay Manor occupies the site of one of the granges, or home farms, of nearby Torre Abbey. The remains of a late-15th century or 16th century barn (NMR AMIE number 446199, SX86 NE27) that are adjacent to the manor are believed to have been part of the grange which would have included an extensive range of buildings. Shiphay Manor is documented from the 16th century; It is this post-Reformation manor house, believed to have been reconstructed in 1665, that was sold to William Kitson of Painford in 1740. The manor house may have incorporated or re-used materials from the monastic grange. The post-Reformation house was, however, substantially demolished at a later date. The present Shiphay Manor dates largely from a re-building of circa 1884. During the 20th century the buildings were converted for a variety of uses including a private nightclub, a hotel and a riding school. Most recently it formed part of the Torquay Girls Grammar School, since then it has stood empty for some time.
(5) |