Terraced gardens and all associated garden buildings at Castle Tor

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SX9363SW 885-1/19/201

TORQUAY OXLEA ROAD (east side) Terraced gardens and all associated garden buildings at Castle Tor

18/04/85

II Garden with terrace retaining walls, flights of steps, pergolas, paving and ponds, fountains, a well and garden ornaments, an orangery, a lookout tower, a gatehouse and railings etc c1929-34 by Fred Harrild for H Pickersgill. Coursed limestone rubble from Somerset with freestone dressings.

PLAN: four terraces on a steeply-sloping site overlooking the bay, with terrace retaining walls with a slight batter and castellated pargets which break forward on corbels.

EXTERIOR: tower terrace has a medieval-inspired gatehouse with a portcullis, machicolations and arrow loops. The flight of steps through the gatehouse archway rises to the next terrace, which has an ornamented wall and a fountain in the form of a nicely-stylised dragon gargoyle, cast in lead. The terrace above has a round tower overlooking the gatehouse below, with a similar dragon gargoyle. This level is the main terrace and the linear pond and circular garden at the end are keyhole-shaped on plan. The long canal-like pond with stepping stones across, is overlooked by an orangery with a Tuscan colonnade and flanking niches. At the end of the pond is a complicated flight of steps to the next terrace. At the other end of the terrace an arched opening in the retaining wall leads to stairs in a shaft which rises to the terrace above. At this level there is a small formal sunken garden with pergolas supported on Tuscan columns. The sunken garden is situated beside the contemporary house (Castle Tor), which is not included in the listing. On the other side of the house a flight of steps rises to the top level through a series of circular arches which frame a vista down to the sea. There are only vestiges of the original planting including some of the topiary and box hedges but the structures are completely intact including the decorative wrought-iron railings at the lower boundary with Lincombe Drive.

Listing NGR: SX9346163713