Wolborough House

BRIXHAM

SX95NW BERRY HEAD ROAD 1946-1/2/266 (South side) Wolborough House

GV II

Large house, empty at time of survey. 1910 (rainwater heads). Rusticated local grey limestone with sections of roughcast and tile-hanging; tiled roof with decorated cast-iron railings; stacks with stone shafts and moulded cornices. Eclectic style mixture of Arts and Crafts and French Baroque. Plan: 2 rooms wide and 2 rooms deep; rear entrance into hall containing stair; basement reputed to be original ballroom now divided into flats. Exterior: 2 storeys, the ground floor over an arcaded terrace at the front, which lights the basement. Ground floor stone; first floor roughcast; unusual coved sgraffito cornice. Timber mullioned and transomed windows, mostly with small leaded panes above the transoms. Terrace with decorated cast-iron railings on arcade of round-headed arches, corbelled out in the centre. Terrace extends round return with turned balusters. The entrance elevation, to the rear has a 3-bay symmetrical ground floor with a moulded segmental-arched stone doorway in the centre, flanked by 4-light bow windows. First floor has 4 windows. 2 bowed and a cast-iron balcony on cast-iron brackets. The balcony returns round one wall of the projecting service wing at the left. INTERIOR: also eclectic. Main ground-floor room baronial Tudor style with oak panelling and inglenook fireplace with stone segmental-headed chimneypiece and carved text on inner arch of inglenook. Probably original wall light fittings. Other rooms stylistically varied with different plasterwork and chimneypieces ranging from C17 to Adam style; good bolection-moulded chimneypiece in billiard room. Stair with timber balustrade and interesting stained glass in stair window illustrating scenes from the history of Brixham including the landing of William of Orange. A richly detailed house in an eclectic mixture of styles, prominently sited above the harbour on steeply-rising ground.

Listing NGR: SX9328456597