Egland

Gentleman's villa. Built in 1804 by John and William Lee of Honiton for Thomasine Anne Elliott, and enlarged in 1931 by Walter Sarel, architect, and Dart and Francis of Crediton for the descendants of the original owner.

The house is probably stone, colour-washed and rendered, with a gabled slate roof and stacks with rendered shafts. It exemplifies a classical design extended in the historical Roman Doric style.

The original 1804 plan was a double-depth south-facing block, two rooms wide, with a central entrance hall flanked by principal rooms and a spacious stair hall behind. The 1931 extensions were carefully managed internally with considerable attention to the original structure, making it difficult to distinguish where the early house ends and the extensions begin. The principal alteration was the addition of Roman Doric porticos to the front left and right (south-west) corners, while a kitchen wing was added at the rear (north) entrance. The partition between the original entrance hall in the centre front and the principal left-hand room was removed, and the stack in the principal left-hand room was relocated from the left end to the rear (north) wall. The principal entrance is through a south-east portico.

The exterior is of two storeys with a symmetrical seven-bay south (garden) front. The outer bays are of 1931 construction with porticos returning at each corner. The five-bay main block has rusticated quoins, a platband, moulded cornice, and parapet, with the centre bay broken forward and the parapet stepped. The central Roman Doric porch, presumably of 1931, features a triglyph frieze and a late 20th-century two-leaf glazed front door with glazing bars. Early 19th-century sash windows with moulded architraves occupy the centre five bays: 12-pane to the first floor, 18-pane to the ground floor with shouldered, eared architraves. The outer bays have 1931 12-pane sashes matching the 1804 windows on the first floor. The front door and doorcase under the south-east portico on the south wall is probably of 1804, possibly moved from the central bay. It comprises a six-panel door with a fanlight of spider's web glazing, a pedimented doorcase with left and right columns, and an inscription recording: "This house was built in 1804 by John William Lee of Honiton for Thomasine Anne Elliott and enlarged in 1931 by Edith Sophie Mary (Esme) Nicholl and her great niece and Reginald James Bowker, her great nephew with the assistance of Walter Sarel, architect of London and Dart and Francis of Crediton". The returns and rear elevation display a mixture of early 19th-century and 1931 timber sashes.

The interior contains numerous features of interest from both the early 19th century and the 1930s, including joinery, cornices, chimney-pieces, and a fine early 19th-century suspended stick baluster stair. The large stair hall is panelled with a good cornice extending into the entrance hall; the stair hall panelling may be of 1804, extended into the 1931 entrance hall, or may itself be of 1931. The entrance hall is lit by a round-headed window on the north wall filled with interesting early 19th-century stained glass, including a pictorial panel of a seated man smoking a pipe. The front right room is the library, shelved with a round-headed niche in one corner featuring trompe l'oeil painted vaulting; the plaster cornice suggests the fittings may be of 1931. The 1804 entrance hall, now part of the drawing room to the left, retains an 1804 niche on the north wall with panelled surround, keyblock, and 1804 trompe l'oeil painted vaulting. The plaster cornice of the drawing room in early 19th-century style must be of 1931, as it follows the line of the 1931 chimneybreast on the north wall. The rear left dining room of 1931 has a fine, presumably re-sited, circa 1804 china cupboard with glazed doors and shaped shelves. The first floor was not inspected but may retain features of interest from either 1804 or 1931. Walter Sarel worked with Dart and Francis at Coombe Trenchard in Lewtrench parish, a house in an eclectic vernacular revival style.

Egland is an extremely interesting house, notable both for its 1804 classical core and as an example of 1930s historicism. It has group value as part of a cluster of detached villas in the south-east of the parish.