Oxenham Manor Including Front Garden Walls To North And Rear Courtyard Walls To South

SX 69 SE SOUTH TAWTON

4/163 Oxenham Manor including front garden walls to north and rear 20.2.52 courtyard walls to south, (previously listed as Oxenham House) GV II

Small country house. Probably 1714, thoroughly refurbished in the mid C20. Plastered walls, probably stone rubble, may be some cob; stone rubble stacks, the ones of 1714 have granite ashlar chimneyshafts, starting from the roof as divided shafts, joining near the top, and having moulded granite coping, slate roof. Plan: double depth house facing north. The plan was not made precisely clear since only limited internal inspection was possible at the time of this survey. Nevertheless it seems that there are 3 rooms front and back. The end rooms are heated by gable-end stacks and there-is a central rear lateral stack. Entrance lobby with stairs to rear (this section recessed on the back) is left (west) of centre. The rear courtyard walls incorporate some of the earlier house. The present house appears to be the result of a 1714 rebuild; it is 2 storeys with C20 single storey extension on right (east) end. Exterior: regular but not symmetrical 6-window front of C19 and replacement C20 12- pane sashes. The 2 doorways this side both contain C20 doors; the one left of centre is the main front door. Main roof is gable-ended adorned with the chimneyshafts described above. Seventh similar front window in flat roofed extension to right. Rear is less regular and contains C20 casements with glazing bars, but also left of centre a presumably reset C16 or C17 granite 2-centred arch with moulded surround. Interior: only limited internal inspection was possible. The mid C20 refurbishment was apparently thorough. For instance, the front right end room has a plain crossbeam and exposed joists, stripped of their plaster, and a plain granite fireplace with unchamfered oak lintel, missing its chimneypiece. The entrance hall however is wholly original. It is lined with bolection-moulded panelling in 2 heights with moulded dado. At the rear a good 1714 dogleg stairs with square newel posts, moulded flat handrail and turned vase-like balusters. A high granite rubble wall encloses the rear (southern) courtyard. The back wall is apparently the wall of an earlier house since it shows window and doorway embrasures and the curving recess of a newel stair. In front (north) of it a large fireplace alcove has been converted to a seat and there are the massive-granite grind-stones from the former cider house here. The front (north) garden of the house is also enclosed by granite rubble walls. On the side nearest the drive (the west side) the wall ramps down to a lower level and in the middle includes gate posts; these are monolithic granite uprights with moulded edges, facetted caps and curving bracket- like decoration similar to that on the forecourt gate posts (q.v.) which are dated 1714. This was the home of the Oxenham family from the C13 to 1814. Source: Devon SMR.

Listing NGR: SX6649594231