Abbey Vale

Detached villa. Built in circa 1850 with later alterations. Stuccoed with plat band, and a hipped slate roof supported on a deep boxed eaves with pairs of moulded brackets. Chimney stack is rendered.

PLAN: Rectangular plan to main block with rear wing, now a separate flat. Entrance to south-east elevation. Cellars with ground floor access to the rear. There has been some repartitioning on the ground and first floor.

EXTERIOR: Two storeys and cellar. The garden elevation (south-west) is composed of three bays. Three steps lead from the garden to the ground floor verandah which runs the length of the elevation with returns at either end. It has a tent felt roof supported on plain posts with straight struts. The ground floor windows are one-over-one sashes which have probably been re-glazed. The first floor windows have shouldered, eared architraves and are glazed with twelve-pane double-hung sashes. The entrance elevation (south-east) is slightly altered. There is a central chimney shaft to the centre, above the porch. The large, projecting, central porch has ionic columns in antis and plain, rebuilt, parapet. To the first floor are three blind windows, one re-glazed opening and two, small, secondary windows. To the ground floor is one two-over-two sash window and one inserted window. The principal entrance consists of a half-glazed outer door with Edwardian-style geometric stained glass and glazed side lights with a Greek key cornice over. The side (north-east) elevation is blind and the rear elevation (north-west) has mostly one-over-one sash windows but one twelve-pane sash survives on the ground floor.

INTERIOR: The doors have been replaced but skirting and panelled shutters survive. The stair has slender turned balusters and a wreathed handrail, of which a section is missing at the landing. Decorative plaster cornices survive on both the ground and first floor. Two original polished limestone chimney-pieces survive. The stairwell is lit by a round light with coloured glass and glazing bars in a floral motif.

HISTORY: The land on which Abbey Vale was built was owned by the Cary family, who acquired the land, which included the remains of the dissolved Torre Abbey and its grounds to the immediate south, in 1662 (until 1930). Abbey Vale replaced an earlier C19 cottage. The estate map of 1858 reveals that Abbey Vale was built before this date. The deeds for Abbey Vale depict the villa within a substantial plot with a cottage, barn and walled gardens to the west. The current OS map shows that the barn and cottage have been demolished and replaced with a petrol station and a further detached house and flats have been erected within the former walled gardens.