Station House

This is a disused station house, likely built in 1846-7, designed by Brunel. It is located on Station Road, Exminster, on the former Exeter to Newton Abbot line, originally part of the South Devon Railway Company’s Atmospheric system. The station closed in 1848 due to technical issues.

The building combines a station master's house and station offices, constructed from Heavitree breccia and brick, with stucco finishes, and has a 2-span tiled roof with deep eaves and gables to the front and rear. The roof features rendered axial stacks with moulded caps, and a small brick shaft in the valley. The architectural style is Italianate. The building’s plan incorporates four rooms, with four heated rooms served by back-to-back fireplaces.

The west-facing side provides access to the station master's accommodation, consisting of two principal ground floor rooms, one on either side of a central hall containing the staircase. The rear right room is divided between the kitchen and a station store, while the rear left room serves as the station office and has a north-facing entrance.

The east elevation, facing the railway track, is asymmetrical with two windows, deep eaves carried on moulded brackets, and projecting architraves to all openings, which were boarded up in 1985. The first floor has two Venetian windows with keystones; the central lights of these windows have margin glazing. A 4-panel door, with windows on either side, leads from the station store, while a larger window to the right illuminates the station office. The west elevation is symmetrical, with steps leading to a central entrance flanked by three-light mullioned windows. A single-light window is located above the entrance, with Venetian windows to the left and right. The north elevation includes a doorway into the station office at the extreme left, a central tripartite blind recess, and a large rectangular blind recess on the right, likely for displaying timetables and posters. It also has three single-light windows to the first floor. The interior was not inspected, but fittings may survive in the station master’s office. The building is an attractive and largely complete example of a station house with detailing characteristic of Brunel’s work, and is similar in style to the Starcross Pumping Station on the same line.