Ruins of Gatehouse 130 Metres West of Columbjohn Farmhouse is a Grade II listed building in the East Devon local planning authority area, England. First listed on 30 June 1961. Ruin.

Ruins of Gatehouse 130 Metres West of Columbjohn Farmhouse

WRENN ID
gentle-alcove-juniper
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
East Devon
Constituency
Exmouth and Exeter East MP: David Reed (Con)
Country
England
Date first listed
30 June 1961
Type
Ruin
OS grid reference
SX 959 997
Coordinates
50.78786, -3.47752
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The ruins of a gatehouse located 130 metres west of Columbjohn Farmhouse date back to the 16th century and were part of the now-destroyed Columbjohn Mansion. The structure is built from random rubble volcanic trap, featuring dressed stone quoins and a moulded wall plinth. Surviving elements include the inner arch and wall, along with portions of the side walls. The arch displays composite concave and cyma recta moulding, with capitals and shafts that have prominent roll moulding. On the exterior to the north, there is a hood mould with distinctive stops shaped like diamonds, accompanied by three decorative bosses. Historically, the Manor of Columbjohn was owned by the Courtenay earls of Devon by the early 15th century. It is believed that foundations for a new house were laid by Henry Courtenay, Marquis of Exeter, but construction halted after his attainder in 1539. The property was later purchased by Sir John Acland during the reign of Elizabeth I, and the antiquarian Lysons suggested that he built a new house on Courtenay's foundations. In March 1646, Columbjohn served as the headquarters for Sir Thomas Fairfax.

Local climate

Ruins of Gatehouse 130 Metres West of Columbjohn Farmhouse receives an average of 850 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 58% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 67% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 22 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 77% of listed buildings. Of these, 8 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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Nearby listed buildings

  1. Columbjohn Bridge Grade II 160 m
  2. Columbjohn Chapel and Churchyard Wall Grade II 188 m
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  4. Paddleford Bridge Grade II* 734 m
  5. Old Heazille Farmhouse Grade II 1.0 km
  6. Barnhayes Grade II 1.0 km
  7. Lilyvale Grade II 1.0 km
  8. Cubbyclose Cottage Grade II 1.1 km
  9. Danes Cottages Grade II 1.2 km
  10. Medieval cross base and War Memorial, Rewe Grade II 1.2 km