Primley House

Primley House is a large villa dating from the 1820s, with alterations made in the 19th century. It is now used as a home for the elderly. The house is constructed of rendered material, with a slate roof and stacks featuring deep projecting cornices. The building follows a deep rectangular plan, comprising a main block two rooms wide with a central entrance leading to the staircase, alongside rear service and subsidiary blocks.

The symmetrical five-bay entrance block is characterised by a hipped roof, left and right panelled clasping pilasters, a platband at first-floor level, and a plain parapet, which likely replaced an earlier one with a cornice. A slightly recessed central bay creates definition. An open Doric porch featuring paired columns is topped with an entablature, moulded cornice, and a decorative 1870s wrought-iron balustrade. Steps lead to the porch, which is paved with monochromatic plain and encaustic tiles. A half-glazed 19th-century inner porch features a dentil cornice and a two-leaf door with low panels and glazing bars. The ground floor has four 12-pane sash windows without horns while the first floor mirrors this with five similar sashes, all with scalloped fascias for sunblinds.

A scar on the left return wall marks the former location of a conservatory. To the far left is a projecting eight-bay block. One section is recessed, featuring two gables with bullseye windows set within moulded surrounds. The right-hand block, of four bays, is distinguished by first-floor pilasters and a dentil frieze below the cornice. A bow window with 20th-century glazing bars, a cornice, and a parapet occupies the two right-hand bays. Windows are mostly 19th-century, encompassing both small-pane and later two-pane sashes. An unfortunate 20th-century single-storey projecting porch is present. The right return of the building mirrors the style, incorporating a probable 1860s three-storey block with a hipped roof, deep eaves, and a three-bay front glazed with four-pane sashes. A stack with scrolled stuccoed brackets stands at the left end.

Inside, the ground floor of the main block retains features such as white Italian marble chimney-pieces, delicate decorated plaster ceiling friezes and cornices, and folding doors in the party wall. One room is adorned with a late Victorian painted marble chimney-piece and a 19th-century cornice. The staircase has cast-iron balusters and a mahogany handrail. Other interesting features may remain elsewhere in the house. Primley House was the home of the Belfield family, who resided in Paignton from the 1550s. The Reverend Finney Belfield, former vicar of Torre, retired here in 1825.