Newplace

Newplace is a large detached house located on the outskirts of Tiverton, dating to the 1770s, but likely incorporating an earlier building. A sympathetic addition was made in 1927, and renovations occurred from the late 1960s to the 1990s. The house is constructed of rendered mass wall, with a tiled roof and rendered stack shafts.

The asymmetrical plan suggests the presence of a possible 16th or 17th century three-room and through-passage house, with evidence of blocked windows and doors, and burnt ceiling beams revealed during re-rendering. The house is arranged with three rooms wide, the entrance originally to the right of centre, now leading into a heated entrance hall with a rear staircase. The West Exe area, developed by Heathcoat in the 19th century, now borders the garden.

The two-storey front has a 3:1:1 window arrangement. A two-storey porch is centrally positioned on the right side, topped by a finely-moulded cornice and parapet. A single-storey addition, built in 1927, is located to the left and blends with the original style. The porch features a doorway with fluted pilasters, panelled reveals, and a deep flat porch hood supported by shaped brackets; a six-panel front door sits within. Sash windows are set within square embrasures with round-headed glazing bars. The central windows have 12-pane sashes, while those to the left have tripartite sashes with 12 panes in the centre and 4 in the outer lights. The left-hand addition has round-headed windows and a hipped slate roof. The right return features a Georgian bay window with curved sides, small panes, and a central doorway. One first-floor tripartite sash is also present.

The rear elevation primarily has late 19th or 20th century timber casements and sashes, but retains the original 18th-century stair window, characterized by a round head within a square embrasure and timber spandrels. A stone rubble outbuilding with a corrugated iron roof is attached to the rear right corner. This outbuilding, likely dating from around 1800, has three round-headed windows with small-pane windows and a Tudor arched doorway with a 20th-century glazed door.

Inside, original features include white Italian marble chimney-pieces and a staircase from the 1920s, featuring a deep handrail and square-plan turned balusters. A handsome round-headed, panelled door with a moulded doorcase connects the entrance hall to a room on the left. The name of the house has changed several times, though title deeds are reported to begin in the late 19th century.