The Belvedere

The Belvedere is a ruinous structure located in the Powderham Castle Park, built between 1771 and 1774 for the 2nd Viscount Courtenay. It is constructed of Flemish bond brick, rendered, with Portland stone dressings, showcasing a refined Gothick style. The building is triangular in shape, overlooking the Exe estuary, and features corner towers, one of which contains the remains of a stair. After suffering fire damage post-war, it now stands as a roofless shell. Originally, the plan included a ballroom adorned with ornamental plasterwork, and it served as an estate cottage in the early 20th century.

The exterior consists of two storeys topped with an embattled parapet above a deep moulded string and a platband at the first floor level, along with a deep moulded stone plinth. Each of the three faces has a large moulded two-centred arched stone doorway and a similarly large first-floor window. The corner towers are detailed with quatrefoil windows on the ground floor and two-centred arched first-floor windows, some of which still have sash windows with intersecting glazing bars, though the glazing is missing. The towers also feature trefoil upper windows with moulded stone frames that rise above the main building's height.

Inside, the structure has been gutted by fire and is roofless. Two of the towers are six-sided internally, with one retaining the remains of a cantilevered timber stair, while the third tower is round in plan. No other interior fittings survive, except for the remains of a flagpole in a case, the date of which is uncertain. The Belvedere is a high-quality example of 18th-century Gothick architecture.