Hestercombe House

Hestercombe House is a country house that now serves as a fire brigade headquarters. It retains some work from the 16th century, but most of the visible structure is from the 18th century enlargement and alterations, which are obscured by a refronting and enlargement from around 1875. The 19th century work was commissioned by Viscount Portean. The building is constructed of ashlar Ham stone and features gabled cross wings and a central block with a pediment that projects forward. It has slate roofs, including a mansard roof on the tower. The entrance front is L-shaped, facing west, with a northwest tower, and the long south front includes a service wing. The architectural style is Italian Villa with influences from French Renaissance and Greek design. The house has two storeys with an attic and basement, a three-storey central section, and a four-stage tower. The symmetrical west front has two, three, two, and three bays, with the exception of a canted bay on the ground floor to the left. It features sash windows without glazing bars and a flat-roofed Doric porch supported by paired pilasters and Doric columns, leading to half-glazed double doors with sidelights. The south front is more varied, showing evidence of blocked mullioned windows on the southeast gable end. Inside, there is a 16th-century moulded arch in the northwest crosswing, along with 1870s plasterwork on the coved stair ceiling and in the reception rooms, which also feature contemporary panelling and chimney pieces. The house was once the residence of the gentleman architect Coplestone Warre Bamfylde, who died in 1791 and made significant improvements to the grounds. Edwin Lutyens later designed the gardens, although the south front was entirely covered in creeper at that time, providing a harmonious backdrop to the gardens, which are no longer present.