Bishop'S Court

Bishop's Court is a substantial country house, now serving in part as a company headquarters. Originally a palace of the medieval bishops of Exeter from its purchase by Bishop Bronescombe in the mid-13th century until the mid-16th century, it preserves considerable amounts of 13th-century fabric together with fragmentary detailing from later periods.

Historical Development

The property remained in episcopal hands until Bishop Veysey was induced first to lease the manor (in 1546), then to grant outright the Manor of Bishop's Clyst, along with the palace, to John Russell, first Earl of Bedford (in 1549). Some 16th-century work is preserved in various rear rooms of the main range and service end.

The house was purchased by Admiral Graves, who partly rebuilt it in 1803. The plan and some of the decorative scheme remain from this work. The entire building was remodelled between 1860 and 1864 by William White for the Garrett family, with the elevations completely reworked. The building is constructed of varied stones (Eastlake counted eight different types), random rubble with some carefully positioned dressed stone, and slate roofs. The roofs to the main range are concealed behind a parapet.

Plan and Medieval Layout

The medieval palace was arranged on a courtyard plan, as shown in Swete's engravings. The main range stood to the west. Considerable parts of the fabric of the chapel wing survive, with the medieval chapel located on the first floor. The respond of an internal arch, carefully exposed by White, remains at the junction between this wing and the main range. The main range contained an open hall, and it seems likely that the screens passage divided the hall (on the right) from the private rooms on the left adjoining the chapel. Judging by the high quality of the 16th-century rooms in this position, it appears that the principal rooms were retained at the lower end of the hall. The location of the kitchen and other rooms mentioned in documentary sources, such as the chancellor's hall and accommodation for other officials and visitors, is uncertain. A ruined north-west angle tower, presumably medieval, is indicated in Swete's engraving. In terms of scale, the late medieval and 16th-century complex of buildings, which included a tithe barn and stable range, must have been comparable to Dartington Hall.

The 1803 work gave the house a polite, symmetrical appearance with a central entrance and a right-hand wing running parallel to the chapel (as shown in an engraving by Penny from 1826). William White retained this plan but gave the house its present distinctive and muscular Gothic appearance.

Current Arrangement

The house is composed of three principal functional elements: a double-pile main range with an axial corridor to both storeys, served by stairs at either end (those to the left dating from 1803, with the principal staircase at the right-hand end by White); a two-storeyed library wing projecting forward of the principal staircase; and the chapel, forming a cross-wing at the left end of the main range, clearly distinguished by its steeply-pitched roof and tall lancet windows (replacing a first-storey Perpendicular window). To the left of the chapel, at the same alignment as the main range, are the service wings and servants' accommodation.

Each range has axial and end stacks with clustered polygonal stone shafts. The external lateral stacks to the front and rear are important elements in the elevations. Except for the chapel, all parts are of two storeys, with the service end having garret rooms.

Exterior

Front Elevation

The front is markedly asymmetrical. The three principal elements in the plan—the main range and library wing, the chapel, and the service end—are carefully distinguished and dramatically contrasted.

The main range and library wing are contained under a moulded parapet pierced with shouldered-arched apertures. The main entrance is set to the extreme right-hand of the main range (whereas before it had been centrally placed) and is approached by a glazed, lean-to conservatory that abuts the inner wall of the library wing. Above this feature is some weathering and a corbel table that presumably marks the outline of White's original (or intended) porch.

The main front is a five-window range with paired lancets to the first floor and a prominent central external lateral stack with bold set-offs and gabled buttresses, containing a single lancet. The stack has polygonal stone shafts. The ground floor windows comprise one of three lights, three of two lights, and one of one light (to the entrance hall), all with stone mullions and square-headed.

To the left of this part of the front, occupying the angle formed by it and the chapel, is a tall bell turret with a shingle spire, containing a 15th-century bell. The front end of the library wing has a two-over-eight-over-two pane oriel supported by a massive central buttress elaborately corbelled with crisp foliage decoration and a small carved bishop.

The chapel has three tall correctly 13th-century lancets by White, stumpy weathered flying buttresses, and two lancets to the inner face, none to the outer.

The service range is much more domestic in character. Each range is separately roofed with patterned slates, all half-hipped. The range is asymmetrical, with a shallow front wing running parallel with the chapel and a single-storeyed gabled-end front wing containing the main service-end entrance.

Right-Hand (North) Elevation

This elevation is dominated by the heavily buttressed external stair turret, with lancet and casement windows irregularly arranged. One three-light window is placed under a pentice roof, squeezed between the stairs and the north-west angle tower, which probably marks the site of the medieval tower illustrated by Swete. This tower is polygonal, with lancets to the ground floor and tall sash windows above. The parapet, heightened at this point, takes in the corner tower and is emphasised by the deeply overhanging coping. Recessed above this is a glazed, timber hexagonal turret with spirelet and elaborate weathervane.

Rear (West) Elevation

The rear is very long with hardly any breaks in plane to the main range. The first floor has two- and three-light sash and casement windows, variously treated but all under window arches. The ground floor has sets of double and triple steeply pointed lancets which serve as glazed garden doors. The main entrance is under a wide pointed arch.

The two 16th-century rooms to the rear of the chapel are marked by the only significant breaks in this sheer elevation: two flying buttresses, gabled with set-offs supporting superordinate arches containing the two- and three-light ovolo-moulded windows with stone mullions and surrounds.

The service end clearly incorporates some older fabric. It is mostly of Heavitree stone, with another ovolo-moulded window and an external stack. It has axial stacks and irregularly placed windows, and provides an effective foil to the rather austere rear facade.

Interior

Medieval Work

Little is now identifiable internally. White revealed part of a first-floor arch (now in the chapel antechamber) that possibly gave access from the bishop's private apartments into the first-floor chapel.

16th-Century Work

Sixteenth-century work survives in two rooms to the south-west end of the main range and to the rear of the chapel. These contain three cross ceiling beams, stopped with complex mouldings, and axial beams similarly treated. One of these spans an extremely narrow area between a cross beam and an internal partition and has blocks (not stops) added by White. The herringbone slats between the joists were believed by Dr Alcock (in 1966) to have no recorded parallels. The fireplace has unusual moulding, largely replaced by White. The existence of high-quality detailing such as this to the lower end of the passage reinforces the impression that the conventional plan was jettisoned, and the 16th-century private apartments probably represent a remodelling of the medieval private rooms.

1803 Work

Except for alterations at either end of the main range, the first floor retains the early 19th-century decorative scheme. The axial corridor has a central domed skylight with husked festoon, panelled doors to bedrooms to either side, and double panelled doors at the north end under a large semi-circular fanlight with coloured glass. Some early 19th-century decorative features survive at ground floor level, including plaster acanthus cornices and chimneypieces. Especially noteworthy is the marble fireplace to the north-west room with two Tuscan columns. A dogleg staircase stands to the south of the main range.

White's Work of the 1860s

White's work is of exceptional quality and is remarkably intact. The design retains much original work whilst transforming it completely.

Entrance Hall

The entrance hall is dominated by an arcade of four arches of unequal width which allow access to the axial corridor, all with polished limestone shafts with stiff-leaf capitals and moulded bases. The walls have varied, brightly-coloured all-over stencilled patterning. The five-light window has three pointed inner arches with shafts and capitals similar to the arcade. Part of an ovolo-moulded window (rebated to take glass) has been converted by White into a chimneypiece with elaborate all-over patterning to the fireback and overmantel. A second chimneypiece to the right of the entrance is all White's work and very characteristic, with stumpy columns, oversized capitals, and supporting a tripartite mirror with robustly detailed wooden overmantel. Also by White is the furniture: a huge low table, a floor-to-ceiling armoire with mirrors, a Gothic mantel-clock, and coat and hat stand, all in situ and an intrinsic part of the design.

Principal Rooms

The principal rooms lead off from the axial corridor. The former dining room to the left of the entrance hall has big dressers-cum-buffets to either end, a stone chimneypiece with three pointed arches (containing the fireplace) under a superordinate arch, internal shafts to window arches, intersecting ceiling beams, and a date (1863).

The saloon opposite the entrance hall has White's painted ceiling but contains much work of 1803, including the chimneypiece. The polygonal corner turret is entered from this room by a multi-centred arch with panelled soffit and is vaulted in timber, with polished limestone shafts.

The library is rather more restrained, with floor-to-ceiling fitted bookcases. The 1803 chimneypiece is retained.

The rear principal rooms are less worked over by White, who added small touches to the 1803 scheme, retaining the chimneypieces and cornices.

Principal Stairs

The principal stairs are approached through two arches of unequal width. The open-well staircase has inventive carpentry detailing, turning around a large pier to a half landing with foliated capital.

Axial Corridor and Chapel

The axial corridor has a free-standing angel in a canopied corner niche and a double-chamfered pointed arch in preparation for the chapel. The chapel is an impressive building, very tall for its area, with its decorative scheme and fittings intact. The wooden west gallery, with moulded rail and chunky balusters, is supported by a glazed seven-bay screen, entered from the first-floor axial corridor. The contrast between the restrained 1803 work retained here by White and the powerful Early English chapel is dramatic.

The roof is of three bays, with collars, arch-braced, with stone and timber corbels, the principals canted and boarded between. The walls are stencilled to simulate ashlar. Tall lancets to the east have trompe l'oeil shafts and extremely fine 13th-century-style stained glass. The floor has all-over tiling.

The fittings include collegiate stalls returning at the west end, a prie-dieu, brass lectern, fald stool, several pairs of wrought-iron candlesticks, and an altar cross studded with semi-precious stones. There is a triptych by Westlake and a brass (south wall) to John Garrett, who died in 1886.

Summary

Bishop's Court is one of William White's most important domestic buildings. His treatment of the early work was to transform it completely. The exterior is rugged, characteristic, and studiously asymmetrical, with all the various parts clearly distinguished according to their functions. The interior is a remarkably well-preserved example of a serious mid-19th-century architect's conception of domestic Gothic. The fittings are all carefully designed with remarkable attention to detail, and everything, including a complete set of internal shutters, survives intact.