Copplestone House

COLEBROOKE SS 70 SE 3/65 Copplestone House 26.8.65

• II

Large house. Circa 1840 incorporating fragment of C16 work. Plastered rubble, the front now exposed and centre portion of volcanic ashlar; stone rubble stacks with plastered brick chimney shafts; slate roof. Irregular plan. The front comprises rooms with end stacks either side of central entrance hall and stairs. Left of centre rear wing at right angles with end stack and right of this is a parallel service wing under separate roof. This has an axial stack. 2 storeys with 3 storey section under a cross roof over entrance hall. Symmetrical 5-window 2:1:2 main front. The central bay, 3 storeys high with gable roof breaks forward very slightly. It contains the large doorway, nor with C20 double doors and a flat-roofed Doric porch with granite columns resting on granite steps and with moulded entablature. Above are painted stone Tudor Gothic windows, 4 lights on first floor and 3 lights on second floor. The lights have 3-centred heads, the first floor king mullion and both second floor mullions are carved with wreathed enrichment with crocketted finials, and both have moulded hoods with carved labels. Each of outer 2-window bays contains C20 horned sashes without glazing bars in eared and shouldered architraves. There is a plain eaves cornice with shaped brackets and roof is hipped each end. Between the central bay arxi window to right of it the wall includes half of a blocked C16 volcanic stone arch. All the other walls are plastered. Left end wall includes an original 6-panel door with a moulded stucco architrave and a flat hood on shaped bracket. The irregular rear elevation includes many original windows, mostly 12-pane sashes and including a tripartite sash in the rear block and first floor 9-pane sashes to right of it. The service wing at left end has C19 casements and there is a pent roof along the front carried on a series of square-section timber posts. Interior: includes much original joinery, plaster and several chimneypieces. There is a large stair well containing an Imperial stair, first one then 2 flights. It has an open string, slender turned balusters, mahogany handrail, scrolled wreath and curtail step. Despite the blocked C16 arch in the front no other C16 features are known, and in 179 Polwbele noted that there were 'scarcely any remains of a mansion house' on the site. Source: Devon SMR.

Listing NGR: SS7719001959