The Old Coach House and Stables

The Old Coach House and Stables, built around 1870-80 and enlarged in 1986, was originally constructed to serve Upottery Manor, the now-demolished residence of Lord Sidmouth. The building is now being converted into housing. It’s constructed from local stone and flint rubble laid in rough courses, with Membury stone ashlar dressings, stone rubble stacks with plastered chimneyshafts, and a slate roof.

The plan consists of a large structure built to accommodate coach houses, stables, haylofts, and grooms’ accommodation, arranged around three sides of a courtyard. The main block backs onto the road and faces west into the courtyard, housing the coach house with haylofts above. Short stable blocks project forward at right angles at each end, each featuring an axial stack. A wing was extended in 1986, incorporating a house and garage built in the same Tudor Gothic style.

The courtyard is enclosed by an arcade of four-centred arches: three along the main block and one on each side. The arcade is interrupted on the right end of the main block by a stable with a Tudor arch doorway and window overlooking the courtyard. The side arcades feature a Tudor arch doorway to the main block, along with two Tudor arch doorways and a Tudor arch window on each side, all containing their original joinery. The east-facing rear of the coach house, originally symmetrical with three bays, was originally distinguished by a gabled central bay that projects slightly, containing a blind double lancet with Tudor arch heads, and a Tudor arch hayloft loading arch above. Blind lancets flanked the centre bay, with gabled dormers containing Tudor arch-headed sash windows. In the mid-20th century, the right-hand (south) end was converted into a shop; a lancet was converted into a window, another Tudor arch window was inserted alongside, and a further window and doorway were created in the south end. Shaped kneelers and coping are present on the central gable-end and gable-ends of the main roof. The extension, which provides a carriageway into the courtyard, is built in a matching style.

The courtyard is paved with stone sets and is enclosed on the west side by a tall stone rubble wall, containing a blocked gateway with square posts and pyramid caps. The wall curves from the front end of the south stable wall to the gateway; the corresponding wall from the north wing was removed to allow for the 1986 extension. The interior has not been inspected.