Poltimore House
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Poltimore House is an 18th-century
country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peop ...
in Poltimore, Devon, England. The
Manor of Poltimore The Manor of Poltimore is a former Manorialism, manor in Devon, England. The manor house known as Poltimore House survives in its 18th-century remodelled form, but has been dilapidated for several decades. A charity named the "Poltimore House Tru ...
was from the 13th to the 20th century the seat of the Bampfylde family, which acquired the title
Baron Poltimore Baron Poltimore, of Poltimore in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1831 for Sir George Bampfylde, 6th Baronet. His son, the second Baron, held office as Treasurer of the Household from 1872 ...
in 1831. The house retains much of the fabric of earlier buildings on the site erected by the family. It is designated a Grade II*
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
. It fell into a dilapidated condition during the second half of the 20th century. A group of volunteers began raising funds to restore the house in 2003, after it was a finalist in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's ''
Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...
'' programme, missing out on the funding that went with the top prize.


History


Acquisition by Bampfyldes

The Bampfylde family were bequeathed the Manor of Poltimore in 1298 by William Pontyngton, a
canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...
of Exeter Cathedral. There is no record of where the early manor house was located, but it is believed to have been situated in or near the village. There is no evidence of a previous house having occupied the site of the present one. Poltimore House was built by Richard Bampfylde(1526-1594), who started the works in 1550. There is no record of when the house was completed, although when Richard died in 1595, he bequeathed the house to his son,
Amyas Bampfylde Sir Amyas Bampfylde (''alias'' "Amias Bampfield" etc.) (1560 – 9 February 1626) of Poltimore and North Molton in Devon, England, was a Member of Parliament for Devon in 1597. Origins Bampfylde was the son of Richard Bampfield (1526–1 ...
(d.1626), in his will. As Richard had been appointed
Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...
in 1576, it is likely that his grand house was complete by then. Two wings of his original house can still be seen in the present building. It is not known what form the original house took, whether it was just these two wings forming an "L", or if there was a third or even a fourth wing forming a courtyard in the middle. Later members of the family added to the building, the last major building works having been in 1908. The Politmore estate held a number of tenanted estate farms in the area, such as that at
Whipton Barton Whipton Barton was an estate farm to the East of Exeter. The ' Barton' suffix is the traditional Devon wording for the manor house, and indicates a demesne in the feudal system. Whilst the house and farm no longer exist, they have given their name ...
, at Huxham and Heavitree. Many of these had long standing tenants, such as the Rewes at Whipton Barton, where tenancies spanned hundreds of years.


Sold by Bampfyldes

It was occupied by the Bampfylde family until 1920, when it was offered for sale with its grounds and estate. The estate was sold but not the house and grounds, which were then leased to house
Poltimore College Poltimore House is an 18th-century country house in Poltimore, Devon, England. The Manor of Poltimore was from the 13th to the 20th century the seat of the Bampfylde family, which acquired the title Baron Poltimore in 1831. The house retains ...
, a girls' school that closed in 1939. In 1940, the boys from
Dover College , motto_translation = I cannot refuse the task , established = , closed = , type = Public SchoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = Church of England , headmaster = Simon Fisher , r_head_label = , r_head ...
were evacuated to Poltimore House. The House became a private hospital in 1945, which was taken over by the
National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
when it came into existence in 1948. It closed as a hospital in 1974.


Dilapidation

It then had a series of owners before suffering an arson attack in 1987 and being left empty from then on. It suffered from theft and vandalism and fell into a state of dilapidation.


Restoration

In 2000, Poltimore House Trust was set up to find a use for the house and restore it. The first phase was to encase the house in scaffolding with a roof to protect it, which was done in 2005. In 2009, the Trust secured £500,000 from
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...
to begin the restoration process.


Future plans

Poltimore House Trust published its 10-year strategic business plan in 2009. The plan states that the renovated Poltimore House will have become by 2019: * A showcase for the Arts and Creative Industries: a venue for arts, crafts, media companies, filmmakers and software developers. * A home for Creative Entrepreneurs: high-specification workspaces, hot-desking and studios with excellent communications. * The Poltimore Forum: high-profile lectures, workshops and mentoring sessions will bring leading-edge thinkers to the South West. * The Club at Poltimore House: a meeting venue for the region with super-equipped meeting spaces for briefings, networking and research. * Intensive innovation: exposing new thinking, practice, learning, skills: linking academia, heritage, industry, technology and the arts. * A different day out: Poltimore House will attract visitors seeking inspiration, skills and learning, networks, relaxation and fun. This range of projects is designed to bring Poltimore House and its grounds back to use as an important resource for local and regional businesses, arts and the community.


Public access

The charity Friends of Poltimore House allows public access to Poltimore House at times published on its website.


Charities involved in restoration

* The Friends of Poltimore House, Poltimore House, Poltimore, Exeter, EX4 0AU email: chairman@poltimore.org.uk * Poltimore House Trust, Poltimore House, Poltimore, Exeter, EX4 0AU email: secretary@poltimore.org


See also

*
List of Restoration Candidates A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
Baron Poltimore Baron Poltimore, of Poltimore in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1831 for Sir George Bampfylde, 6th Baronet. His son, the second Baron, held office as Treasurer of the Household from 1872 ...


References


Further reading

* *
Archaeological Journal, Vol. 31, June 1874, pp. 89-103, Bampfylde House, Exeter
* Thomas Wotton (1771)
''The English Baronetage: Vol 1''
London, pp. 374–381, "Bampfylde of Poltimore" *Charles Worthy (1896)
''Devonshire Wills: A Collection of Annotated Testamentary Abstracts together with the Family History and Genealogy of Many of the Most Ancient Gentle Houses of the West of England''
London, pp. 474–484, ''Bampfylde of Poltimore''


External links

*{{NHLE , num=1098310
Trust and Friends of Poltimore HouseBBC Devon Features
Country houses in Devon Grade II* listed buildings in Devon Buildings and structures in Devon Tourist attractions in Devon East Devon District