Oldstone,Ruins Of House

BLACKAWTON SX85SW Oldstone, Ruins of House 2/6 7.10.76 GV II

Ruins of country house in farmer wall landscaped park. C18, possible with earlier remains, remodelled in C19 and later gutted by fire and now a roofless ruin. Dressed slate rubble. Photographs in the National Building Record of drawing and sketch plan of the house how a 7-bay south east front range with 2 principal rooms (drawing rooms on right dining room on left) and a central entrance. The C19 remodelling involved reorientating the house and the formation of a large stairhall at the back with an entrance porch on the left (South West) side in Gothic Style: The services were in ranges at the back. What now remains is roughly L-shaped on plan, the services having been destroyed. The front (south east) range, originally with a hipped roof and modillion eaves cornice, has a symmetrical 3-storey 7-bay facade, the top storey and heads of first floor windows have collapsed. There is a stringcourse at first floor level and a fine limestone Doric portico with engaged columns, triglyphs in the frieze and triangular pediment. The left hand return has a 2-storey gabled projection with a large 3-light Gothic style window lighting the stairhall with Perpendicular tracery and a porch below with a chamfered 4-centred arch. To left a gable with a projecting stack terminating in a square cap and short round pillars. Also in the National Building Record is a photograph of a drawing of the drawing room showing a late C18 interior with a Neo-classical moulded plaster ceiling and chimneypiece. Oldstone was probably an C11 estate (Hoskins). It was the seat of the Cholwiches, who rebuilt the house in the C18. Source W G Hoskins, Devon, National Buildings Record.

Listing NGR: SX8169751782