Combe Hill Including Walls To The Walled Garden

COMBE RALEIGH SY 10 SE

6/109 Combe Hill including walls to the - walled garden

II

Gentleman's villa. Described by Polwhele as "the seat of Thomas Graves Esq. Captain the Royal Navy .... built in 1789", early C20 alterations. Rendered, stone and brick construction, the end walls of the attic storey of framed construction; slate roof, half hipped at ends of main range; axial stacks to main range, stack to kitchen wing and end stack to music room. Plan: L plan. A rectangular, double depth main range facing approximately south with a rear right kitchen wing at right angles, entrance on east side, 3 principal rooms facing south. Tall flint rubble walls form a service courtyard to the north of the main range and a large walled garden beyond it. The core of the house is late C18: the early C20 alterations involved the addition of 3 projecting bays on the garden (south) elevation, a new stair and the addition of a single-storey music room at the east, linked to the main range by a glazed lean-to along the east front. The early C20 work is high quality and sympathetic to the original, extending cornices and skirtings into the bays. Exterior: 2 storeys. Symmetrical 3-bay south (garden) elevation with a 5-sided 2- storey projecting bay in the centre with a peaked slate roof and canted bays to left and right. A parapet above a bold dentil moulding breaks forward round the centre bays The bays are glazed with early C20 small pane timber sashes. The right return (entrance elevation) has an early C20 gabled porch with a 2-leaf half-glazed outer door with a fanlight with spoke glazing and a window in the left return; 2-leaf half- glazed inner door with panelled reveals. C20 tripartite timber sash to the left of the porch, 3 first floor 12-pane sashes, 1 attic storey 12-pane sash. The glazed lean-to giving access to the music room has small-pane windows with Gothick style arched glazing bars. The early C20 music room has a hipped slate roof and a canted bay on the south end with sash windows matching those in the lean-to, stack at the north end. Tall flint rubble walls form the service courtyard and walled garden beyond to the rear. Interior: A mixture of late C18 and early C20 features include moulded plaster cornices, marble chimney-pieces, high quality joinery and an Edwardian stair. The cellars are said to represent the remains of an earlier house on the site. Roof: The late C18 roof structure survives, adapted where it adjoins the early C20 additions. Polwhele, R. History of Devonshire f.p. 1793, vol. II, p. 329.

Listing NGR: ST1570803145