Great Potheridge

Great Potheridge is a country house, now downgraded to a farmhouse and used by Bicton College of Agriculture. It was rebuilt by George Monk around 1660–70, then largely demolished in 1734, with subsequent alterations and minor additions. The walls are constructed of stone ashlar at the front, squared rubble to the sides, and rubble at the rear. The roof is slate, hipped on all sides except for a gable to the rear wing. There are two good original axial stacks of stone ashlar with moulded dripcourses and a tall 18th-century brick lateral stack at the side of the rear wing.

Plan and Original Extent

What survives of the original house is an L-shaped block. The larger front range consists of a sizeable heated room to the right with a smaller room in front and a stairhall to its left, through which the house is now entered. To the left of that is a very small room with service rooms behind. The wing behind the left-hand side consists of one large heated room. Minor single-storey 19th-century additions have been made at the rear of the front range for service purposes, and the large right-hand room has been subdivided.

The original plan is extremely problematic due to the drastic reduction in size, and the remaining building does not make much sense on its own. Any interpretation can only be hypothetical, and an archaeological survey would be needed to reveal the original extent. The house appears always to have had its principal front to the south, as evidenced by the best stonework on this side, the most favourable aspect, and a large garden area bounded by a 17th-century stone wall. However, the doorway at the front of the stairhall is likely to be an insertion, as it opens under the stairs rather than facing them, suggesting that the principal entrance was into the now demolished section.

From the evidence of fragmentary walls, this demolished section was to the west of the surviving range. At the rear, a wall that has been reduced in height is obviously continuous with the side of the house, returns—in more fragmentary form—to the west, and then extends back to the south, ending in a small ruinous building. Although highly conjectural, the most likely explanation is that the recessed ruinous wall formed a central entrance range with another, apparently smaller, wing extending more or less parallel to the south with the existing range. Many anomalies remain, particularly since the staircase does not appear to fit perfectly in its place and the purpose of the two surviving principal rooms is unclear.

Exterior

The house is of two storeys with an almost symmetrical five-window front of early 20th-century two-light wooden mullion and transom windows. The central window on each floor is blocked. Flat stone arches sit above the windows and a moulded stringcourse runs between floors. To left of centre is an 18th- or early 19th-century porch with a pedimented timber hood on wooden Tuscan columns, infilled with later wooden panelling with a four-centred arch at front. There are sprocketted eaves with a moulded cornice on carved acanthus leaf brackets, with a plain modillion cornice at the sides.

The left-hand side wall has a 19th-century mullion and transom window on each floor towards the left-hand end and a very small 20th-century light to the right on the ground floor. The stringcourse is continuous from the front and also extends along the reduced height wall to the rear of this end. This wall has two blocked window openings with dressed stone arches and a doorway to the left. Projecting to the west from this wall and parallel to the front of the house is another low wall of dressed stone rubble with evidence of low window openings. This extends to meet another wall opposite the side of the house, whose blocked window openings correspond to those on the reduced height wall at the rear. This wall terminates in a small outbuilding whose southern-facing wall is partly of the same stone ashlar as the front of the house.

The right-hand (eastern) elevation is three windows wide, also with two-light mullion and transom windows, the central first-floor opening blocked. These are 19th- or early 20th-century, apart from the two right-hand original 17th-century ground floor windows, which have very heavy wooden frames and mullions, chamfered on the inside. The stringcourse continues around this side and the rear of the house.

The rear elevation is also three windows wide with a 19th-century outshut and single-storey wing built in front of the ground floor. There is an original three-light leaded pane mullion and transom window to the left with a contemporary two-light one to its right which is not leaded. Beyond that is a blocked mullion and transom window which may also be original. The inner face of the rear wing has a 19th-century mullion and transom window to the right on the first floor and a blocked opening to its left. All the window openings at the side and rear have the same dressed stone flat arches. Extending to the rear (north) of the house is a single-storey outbuilding built against the wall which was reduced in height, which has a stringcourse along its end wall and a blocked window opening.

Interior

The front right-hand room has a large fireplace with a cambered and chamfered wooden lintel which is ogee-stopped and rests on a curved wooden corbel and dressed stone rubble jamb to the left, and a replaced granite jamb to the right with an oven behind. There is a small section of herring-bone pattern stone at the back of the fireplace. Of the two original mullion and transom windows, the right-hand one retains probably contemporary heavy fielded panel shutters; those to the left-hand window are 19th-century replacements.

The very grand original dog-leg staircase has long closed string flights of tapered balusters with carved acanthus leaves at the bottom, a very heavy moulded handrail, and large square newels with recessed panels. The two newels on the half-landing fit awkwardly together and it is likely the staircase has been moved from the demolished section. The very good painted plaster ceiling above it might therefore have been for a first-floor chamber and has three panels with very robust circular garlands of high relief fruit and foliage and strips of similar decoration in between the panels. The paintings appear to be of classical themes depicting cherubs and female figures, although in places some touching-up seems to have occurred. Around the ceiling is an egg and dart cornice.

The other notable room is in the rear wing and contains good quality 17th-century panelling and an exceptional carved wooden overmantle, both of which appear to have been re-used since the panelling does not fit correctly and the massive overmantle, set above a corner fireplace, overpowers the relatively modest-sized room. The panelling is five sections high with sunken moulded panels and fluted Ionic pilasters. The frieze is also fluted with consoles and a modillion cornice above. Opposite the fireplace the central panel has a carved strapwork device. The two opposing doorcases are very imposing, surmounted by segmental pediments with a strapwork shield which has carved decoration around it. The far doorway has unfortunately lost its pediment—though it survives in a fragmented state—and there is in fact no doorway behind it but a solid exterior wall.

The fireplace has huge wooden consoles with carved acanthus leaves to either side. Above is the wooden overmantle carved very robustly with various military trophies and devices, and three putti with a crown at the top—referring presumably to General Monk's part in restoring the monarchy. The cornice at its top is above the level of that of the panelling.

Other 17th-century fragments surviving are a heavy moulded cornice and bolection moulded dado to the principal first-floor room and cornice to its small adjoining room. At the top of the staircase are heavy fielded eight-panel doors. Leading to the attic is a small section of 17th-century staircase with turned and moulded balusters.

Roof

The original principal rafters survive, extending over a considerable span. They have curved feet resting on tie-beams and with straight morticed collars and trenched purlins.

Historical Context

The Monks owned Great Potheridge as early as Henry II's reign. George Monk, restorer of the monarchy and first Duke of Albemarle, was reputedly born here in 1608 and rebuilt the house on a grand scale. After the death of the second duchess, the house was partly demolished in 1734.

All the evidence suggests that Great Potheridge was once a very important house, rebuilt by one of the most eminent men of the time. It appears that only a fragment remains, but this still gives an impression of its former greatness and constitutes an important survival both historically and architecturally.