More information : (SX 53124920) Wembury House (NAT) (1) Wembury House was built in 1803 on the site of an the site of an earlier building. To the west of the house is a walled and raised terrace built in the 16th century with "enormous substructures". (2-3) SX 54 NW WEMBURY 8/194 23/4/52 Wembury House GV II* Country house in landscaped garden, built on the site of a late C16 house. 1803. Stone rubble formerly rendered and with ashlar dressings and ashlar basement. Parapet with plain stone coping and string courses. Rusticated stone quoins. Slate hipped roof. Two storeys, attic and basement. Five bays. Large sash windows with glazing bars, in moulded stone architraves. Central doorway with large rectangular fanlight. Fielded panel double doors and porch with slender Tuscan columns and entablature with cast iro balcony. Deep basement area in front with plain iron railings. One bay set back to left hand (north). East garden front also five bays, and with niches either side of central ground floor window. Interior: Relatively plain interior is virtually unaltered and retains its original joinery, plasterwork, chimneypieces and staircase etc. The house was built for Thomas Lockyer in 1803-6 on the site of a great mansion of Sir John Hele which was demolished to built a late C17 or early C18 house which in turn has been replaced by the present house. Sir John Hele bought the estate in 1592 and built what was reputedly an enormous house of which only the wall to the west q.v. survives. There is a drawing (by Edmund Prideaux) of Wembury House, dated 1716, depicting a late C17/early C18 house. It was then the seat of John Pollexfen. The drawing is now at Prideaux Place, Cornwall. SX 54 NW WEMBURY 8/195 Wall approximately 90 metres west of Wembury House GV II* Large wall possibly defensive which is all that survives of a late C16 mansion. Circa late C16. Enormous rampart faced in stone rubble with granite dressings, with a grassed walk on top. The outer (west) revetment wall has buttresses with set-offs, and moulded saddle-back coping. Eastern side also buttressed but without stone coping. The eastern side has a flight of steps leading down to a lawn in front of the house. The house (Wembury House qv) was built on the site of a great mansion of Sir John Hele who bought the estate in 1592 and built what was reputedly an enormous house of which only this wall survives. It is said to have been a fortification against pirates because of its proximity to the coast. SX 54 NW WEMBURY 8/196 Garden walls and two pairs of gate piers immediately north west and south east of Wembury House GV II Garden boundary wall and gate piers. Early C19. Two high stone rubble walls to north and south of rectangular garden with a pair of gate piers at the east end of each wall. The south gate piers is stone square on plan, with plain cap and ball finial. The north gate piers are large, rusticated ashlar, square on plan with plain caps and ball finials. and have ornamental wrought iron gates. SX 54 NW WEMBURY 8/197 Two pairs of gate piers and link walls approximately 230 metres north north east of Wembury House II Two pairs of gate piers and linking walls. Early C19. Two squat ashlar gate piers, square on plan with moulded cornices and hemispherical caps. Two similar outer piers without hemispherical caps linked by low stone rubble quadrant walls. SX 54 NW WEMBURY 8/198 Kitchen garden walls and gate piers approximately 120 metres north east of Wembury House II Kitchen garden walls with gate piers to entrance. Early C19. Stone rubble walls with plain stone coping, enclosing a rectangular kitchen garden. Ashlar gate piers to road on west side, square on plan, with moulded caps and ball fiials. The kitchen garden is detached from the grounds of Wembury House by a road. (4) SX 53124925. Wembury House. The manor was bought at the Dissolution by Mr Rider and sole to Sir John Hele. Prince asserts that the building was made "from an old monkish dorter" but this is the only evidence for actual monastic buildings on the site though the original medieval manor was the property of Plympton Priory. The ancient walled and raised terrace opposite the house is said to have a passage under it leading to the sea and now blocked off. (1.5.84). Earthwork SX 54 NW 005 01 (15.12.82) Cropmark SX 54 NW 005 02 (15.12.82) Chapel SX 54 NW 005 03 (15.12.82) (5)
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