Kelly House is a Grade I listed country house and estate located in the village of

Kelly Kelly may refer to: Art and entertainment * Kelly (Kelly Price album) * Kelly (Andrea Faustini album) * ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap * "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland * ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...

, in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, England. The estate has been the property of the Kelly family since approximately 1100. Parts of the original

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

house and great hall are still standing, though they are obscured from view, as this part of the house was significantly remodelled in the Tudor architectural style. In 1742 the west wing of the building was constructed in the Georgian architectural style and surrounded by parkland. The most recent north wing of Kelly House was built in 1877. During the twentieth century parts of the estate were sold off, and the house fell into disrepair. A description of life in the house and village during the first world war was written as a diary by Margaret Kelly, the lady of the house at the time. It includes details of the running of the house. After the war Mary Kelly founded the Village Drama Society, which was based at Kelly House from 1919 until about 1925. Kelly House continues to be inhabited by members of the Kelly family while opening some rooms for

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

basis. The house was added to the

Heritage at Risk Register An annual ''Heritage at Risk Register'' is published by Historic England. The survey is used by national and local government, a wide range of individuals and heritage groups to establish the extent of risk and to help assess priorities for acti ...

due to concerns particularly about the leaking roof. Parts of the house have been restored, with students from Kelly College assisting with the works. These parts of the house are open to the public through guided tours, and since 2013 the house has offered three bedrooms as bed & breakfast accommodation. In April 2010, Kelly House was the subject of a

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

television programme presented by hotelier

Ruth Watson Ruth (or its variants) may refer to: Places France * Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France Switzerland * Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny United States * Ruth, Alabama * Ruth, Ar ...

as part of her ''

Country House Rescue ''Country House Rescue'' is an observational documentary series which airs on British terrestrial television channel, Channel 4. The series has also aired on BBC Canada, ABC1 in Australia and Living in New Zealand and in South Africa. In each e ...

'' series.

Arms of Kelly of Kelly

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the head of the family of Kelly of Kelly is recorded in 16th century Visitations of Devon and is

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vi ...

ed ''argent, a chevron between three billets gules''. John Lambrick Vivian, ed., ''The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620'' (Exeter, 1895), p. 511

References

{{reflist

External links

Margaret Clare Kelly's diary during World War I

Kelly-house.co.uk
Country houses in Devon Historic house museums in Devon Grade I listed buildings in Devon Borough of West Devon