Leeford House

EAST BUDLEIGH EXMOUTH ROAD, Knowle ST 08 SE Leeford House 6/66 11.ll.52 GV II House. Mid C19, refurbished in neo-Georgian style circa 1930. Plastered brick; brick stacks; most plastered; slate roof. House faces south-east. The main block is double depth with a front and back room either side of the entrance hall and staircase. These rooms have side stacks. Either end is a circa 1930 single storey 1-room wing projecting a little forward from the main front and linked by a circa 1930 colonnade across the front. From each end of the back there are rear service blocks set at right angles, each served by a stack backing onto the main block. The left (south-western) block is extended 2 more rooms with axial stack between and set further out than the first room and returning north-eastwards with another service room. Main block is 2 storeys with attics, flanking wings are single storey, and rear service wings are 2 storeys. Symmetrical 1:3:1 window front. Central front door behind a C20 shallow porch with canted sides, moulded entablature and double panelled doors. It is flanked by large horned sashes without glazing bars and the first floor has 12-pane sashes (probably original). Across the front, between the wings, is a circa 1930 Doric hexastyle portico in the form of a colonnade in antis on 2 stone steps and with a moulded entablature. Moulded eaves cornice with plain parapet over and roof is half-hipped each end. The C20 flanking wings are built in a similar style. To the front each has a large mullion-and-transom window with glazing bars. The moulded entablature of the portico colonnade is carried across the wings and the parapet above has urns on the corners. Their roofs are hipped front and back. On their outer sides the wings have 2 more mullion-and-transom windows. In the end walls of the main block the attics are lit by elliptical-headed windows containing C19 sashes with Y tracery glazing bars at the top. The service wings contain C20 casements with glazing bars and the roofs have hipped ends. Interior. The principal rooms of the main block include some original joinery detail including panelled doors and the entrance hall has a vaulted ceiling. However most of the detail was introduced in the C20. The open string stair is geometric but has early C18 looking twisted balusters although the mahogany handrail and fluted newel post are C19. The neo-Georgian moulded plaster cornices are C20 and the inlaid marble chimneypieces are introduced. The rear service blocks may be earlier but no carpentry detail is exposed. Roofs not inspected. Leeford House is attractively situated in spacious landscaped grounds. The C20 neo- Georgian refurbishment and extensions were well-conceived.

Listing NGR: SY0477582598