Orleigh Court

Orleigh Court is a Grade I listed manor house in Buckland Brewer. The building began as an early to mid-14th-century hall constructed for the Dennys family. It was substantially altered when a very fine late 15th-century hammer-beam roof was installed. Further alterations were made around 1720 for Joseph Davie, whose father, a Bideford merchant, had acquired the property in 1684. The exterior was remodelled after 1869 for Thomas Rogers by architect J.H. Hakewill. The building was converted into flats in 1982.

The construction uses coursed slatestone rubble with a gabled slate roof and stone ridge stacks. The building follows a courtyard plan with an open hall positioned to the right of the porch. The front elevation is two storeys with an L-plan created by a wing projecting to the left.

The left front has a three-window range with a 20th-century door and plate-glass casements set in chamfered stone architraves dating from around 1870. The main front wall comprises a five-window range with moulded stone-mullioned and transomed windows from around 1870 to the left and a gabled projection of the same date on the right. A 20th-century door set in a chamfered architrave of around 1870 stands to the left. To the right of the two-storey gabled porch is a tall late 16th or early 17th-century six-light ovolo-moulded stone-mullioned and transomed window. The porch itself features an oriel window dating from around 1870 above a late 15th-century archway with vine-trails to the outer arch and fleurons to the inner arch. A 15th-century studded plank door with original lock is set within a two-centred early 14th-century wave-moulded doorway.

The left side wall has a five-window range with plate-glass sashes in chamfered stone architraves from around 1870. The right side wall contains a six-window range with two lead downpipes dated around 1720 and plate-glass sashes set in moulded stone architraves from around 1870. At the rear is a fine brick Venetian window of around 1720, featuring thick glazing bars to fixed panes and switch tracery to the central fanlight.

The interior contains the open hall positioned to the right of the front porch. This space has a stone-flag floor, a flat stone arch over an open fireplace, plastered walls, and reset late 16th-century panelling with scallop-carved heads and blind arches featuring fluted pilasters and carved spandrels.

The principal interior feature is the magnificent late 15th-century four-bay hammer-beam roof. This roof is supported by various head and figure corbels and features a heavily moulded wood cornice. The hammer beams are decorated with carved pendentives and are surmounted by unusual heraldic beasts. Moulded beams and purlins divide the ceiling into panels of diagonal and square framing with carved bosses. Fine arch-braced trusses complete the roof structure.

Early 18th-century panelled double doors set in a moulded wood semi-circular arched architrave lead from the open hall to an early 18th-century inner hall to the rear right. This inner hall contains panelled doors, dado work, a moulded plaster ceiling, and a dog-leg staircase with landing dating from around 1720. The staircase is notable for its barley-twist balusters set in an open string, decoratively carved brackets, and panelled dado with fluted Doric half-columns. Natural light reaches the staircase through a Venetian window featuring fine fluted Corinthian pilasters and Corinthian entablature. The landing has similar dado work, doors, and a plaster ceiling.

First-floor rooms are fitted with bolection-moulded panelling and fireplaces. The flat to the left of the porch contains a late 16th-century dog-leg staircase with a landing and turned balusters set on a closed string. The room over the porch features a mid-19th-century Gothic-style fireplace and ribbed ceiling.

The L-plan rear wing is not of architectural or historical interest.

Historically, Orleigh was granted to the Dennis family in the 13th century by Tavistock Abbey. The property was sold to John Davie, a Bideford merchant, in 1684, and his son Joseph undertook alterations to the house around 1721.