The Grange

The Grange is a house, later used as a hospital, built circa 1838 by Samuel Alexander Greig for James Veitch, a nurseryman. It was extended circa 1867 and again later in the 19th century. The construction is of coursed grey limestone with painted freestone dressings, topped with a Welsh slate roof and moulded stone coping to the gables. The building has truncated gable-end stacks with weathered set-offs.

The plan features principal rooms facing the south garden, with a staircase and entrance hall positioned behind. The entrance is on the east side, and a service wing extends to the northwest. In 1867, a wing was added to the northeast, which was subsequently extended northward later in the 19th century.

The architectural style is Tudor Gothic. The south front is symmetrical, with a three-bay design. The central gabled section projects forward, featuring a canted oriel window on the first floor. Smaller gables flank the central section, each displaying a shield. The windows are mullioned; the first-floor windows have glazing bars, while the ground floor has French windows within canted bays, complemented by moulded cornices. The east return features a large gable-end stack with weathered set-offs and an arch at its base, alongside a gabled stone porch with a four-centred moulded arch. An 1867 two-bay range extends to the north, followed by a later 19th-century five-bay range. The service wing at the rear extends northward. 20th-century hospital extensions are visible on the west side and to the northeast, constructed in brick.

The interior of the original house remains largely intact, retaining original joinery, including Gothic panelled doors, window shutters, a principal staircase with stick balusters and a moulded mahogany handrail, and stone Gothic chimneypieces in the main rooms.

Originally known as Buckerell Villa, then Gras Lawn, the house was built for James Veitch, son of John Veitch, a celebrated nurseryman who worked at Killerton for Sir Thomas Acland. James Veitch established his own nursery at Buckerell Villa around 1836. The architect, Samuel Alexander Greig, exhibited a design for a villa in the old English style at the Royal Academy in 1839, noting its construction near Exeter on land belonging to Mr. James Veitch. The building features stop-chamfered spine beams with run-out stops.