Tuckenhay Paper Mills

Tuckenhay Paper Mills

Paper mill converted into holiday accommodation. Dated 1889 by datestone; converted into holiday accommodation in the late 20th century. The buildings are constructed mainly of slate rubble with red brick window and doorway dressings. The west elevation of the north range is rendered with ashlar joint lining and partly slate hung. Welsh slate roofs with gabled ends and black glazed ridge tiles.

The complex is arranged on a north-south axis with a broad wing on the east side and a low narrow wing on the west side. A vat house stands at lower ground level across the north end, with a single storey detached range in the angle to the east. Built on a steeply sloping site, the ranges vary between 1, 2 and 3 storeys.

The tall main block has a south gable end at higher ground level with 3 large segmentally arched windows with keystones and 2 smaller similar windows above. The datestone H.S. 1889 is positioned between these windows, with a bullseye above in the gable. The north gable end is similarly treated. The west elevation is partly glazed with a large 4-light window extending from eaves to second floor level, and a slate hung gable-ended wing slightly lower stands to the north west.

Straddling the ridge of the main block is a large Italianate clock turret, square on plan, hung at its base and boarded above. It has clock faces on each side with small louvres above under deep bracketed eaves, a hipped slate roof, and an ornate metal finial and weathervane. To the north of the turret on the ridge is a louvred ventilator with gable-ended slate roof, segmented headed windows on the north and south sides, and a bullseye in the gable end wall.

At lower level across the north side of these two blocks is a gable-ended single storey range with round-headed cast-iron frame windows with glazing bars. The end walls have 2 storeys of these windows and a bullseye in the gables. The west end is rendered and the east end has a wide round-arched doorway with keystone and 19th-century 6-panel double doors with fanlight above. Also at the east end, in the angle with the main range, is a small single storey gable-ended building with large round-headed windows with keystones and frames, a doorway with fanlight with glazing bars and plank double doors. In the north east angle stands a single storey detached range with round-headed windows and a lunette, the west gable end and east gable bullseye both featuring keystones.

At the south west side of the main block is a long and irregular single storey range. Its north side is built on a revetment and features 20th-century casements and raking roof dormers.

The north range retains a complete late 19th-century roof of softwood with trusses having both king and queen-posts with struts and boarded roof. The other roofs also appear to retain their late 19th-century character.

This building appears to be an extension to the earlier Tuckenhay Mill, which is said to have begun work in 1829 and produced high quality hand-made paper. It was the only surviving vat-mill in Devon.