The Red House

Details

BIDEFORD

SS4526 BRIDGELAND STREET 842-1/5/42 (South side) 19/03/73 Nos.25 AND 26 The Red House (Formerly Listed as: BRIDGELAND STREET (South side) Nos.24-26 (Consecutive))

GV II

Large house, the ground storey converted to a shop. Probably 1692 or 1693, the front remodelled in about 1900. Rear wing added early or mid C19; minor C20 additions to rear of main range. Solid walls (probably of brick), the front clad with mathematical tiles, the rear wall rendered. Roofs covered with c1900 tiles. Chimney at each end of ridge: old red brick with rebuilt top to left, late C20 red brick to right. Plan of 3 rooms wide and 2 rooms deep with central through-passage in ground storey (rear blocked by a later addition); middle room on upper floors simply a closet with 1 window. Staircase in place of rear left-hand room; small room behind it (against party-wall), that in second storey altered to provide access to rear wing. Right-hand front and back rooms combined into one on all 3 floors; some of the dividing wall remains in ground storey. 2 storeys with attic; 5-window range. Ground storey has wide central doorway with late C18 or early C19 wooden doorcase: reeded half-column at either side supporting frieze with raised-and-fielded, 2-fillet ovolo-moulded panels; flat moulded hood on scrolled brackets; this has been strengthened top and bottom by scrolled iron brackets; reveals and soffit of doorcase panelled; 6-panelled door (bottom 2 panels flush, top 2 now glazed) with fixed, matching 3-panelled leaf to left of it. To right of it a single-storeyed canted bay window of similar date; 3 pairs of sashes, the upper sashes 6-paned, the lower ones 2-paned. The other ground and second-storey windows have similar sashes, but probably early C18 with box-frames, the 6-paned sashes with thick ovolo-moulded glazing bars; some contain old glass. Raised cement band at sill-level in ground storey, possibly disguising an original brick band. Heavy wooden eaves-cornice, late C17 in style but with the lower part cut to a double ogee over each window. Roof-line broken by a continuous line of c1900 flat-topped dormers faced with mathematical tiles, the roof-tiles swept down over them; 5 wood casement windows of 2 lights each. Rear walls considerably altered. Main range has an upper-storey sash-window with margin-panes; 2 dormers with 2-light wood casements, each light of 2 panes. Rear wing has 6-paned sash window in upper storey. INTERIOR contains a good proportion of the original fittings, with alterations in early C18 or early C19; some of this later work possibly moved from its original position. In ground storey the front section of passage has late C18 or early C19 tall panelled dado; doors to front rooms of similar date with 2 raised-and-fielded ovolo-moulded panels. Late C19 half-glazed screen with coloured glass. Right-hand front room has on left and rear walls a panelled dado (possibly re-set) like that in passage; right wall has early C18 raised-and-fielded ovolo-moulded panelling. Right-hand rear room has panelling with a raised moulding (probably late C17) around chimneybreast, including cupboard with shaped H-hinges; wide fireplace, probably for original kitchen; moulded cornice and 2-panelled door with strap-hinges and raised mouldings leading to passage. Left-hand front room has raised bolection-moulded panelling with box-cornice. To right of chimneybreast an early C18 cupboard with moulded architrave, panelled doors and base, this last with a panelled pilaster at each end; matching window-shutters. Wooden dog-leg staircase rising to garret. Closed moulded strings, square newels with flat moulded caps, turned balusters, broad handrail with chamfered top. In second storey the right-hand front room has on right wall early C18 panelling matching that in room below; simple Art Nouveau wooden chimneypiece with yellow tiles and cast-iron grate. Rear room has coved cornice, raised bolection-moulded panelling on right wall; matching wooden chimneypiece, the overmantel-panel with oil painting (probably original). Left-hand front room has moulded cornice; early or mid C19 reeded stone chimneypiece (now painted) with Gothic cast-iron grate; 2-panelled door with raised mouldings. Both main front rooms have panelled shutters. Stair landing has small C18 wall cupboard with panelled door on H-hinges. Plank door with tall ovolo-moulded panel leading to middle front room. In garret, right-hand rear room has small early C18 chimneypiece with ogee-moulded surround, the arch segmental with fluted keystone; C19 cast-iron grate. On landing an early C18 cupboard (possibly re-set) matching that in ground storey. Plank door with tall ovolo-moulded centre panel leading to left-hand front room; old wooden coat-pegs on the inside. 2-panelled, ovolo-moulded door with shaped H-hinges leading to left-hand rear room; latter has cupboard with similar doors. Plain plank door to right-hand rear room. This was Bideford Bridge Trust propery first leased to John Courtis of Bideford, carpenter. He is mentioned as the lessee in a lease of the neighbouring house, No 24, dated 29.12.1692, and in a lease of No 27 on the other side it is said that he built Nos 25-26. The first surviving lease of the latter, however, is to Richard Wadland, mariner, on 6.2.1700. A later lease, of 20.7.1864 says it has been converted into 2 houses. On 24.9.1899 the lease was granted to the architect, G Malam Wilson, who advertised it for sale in June 1901. It was then described as 'a double-fronted family residence ... recently reconstructed, and occupied by G Malam Wilson, Esq. (Architect)'. The rooms were listed and also certain fittings, including, on the ground floor, 'a screen with leaded lights' in the entrance-hall and 'Dining Room divided by folded screen'. (Bideford Bridge Trust Surveys: A1/18-20; Bideford Weekly Gazette: 11.6.1901: P.46).

Listing NGR: SS4540026790

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

375754

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Bideford Weekly Gazette in 11 June, (1901), 46

Other
Bideford Bridge Trust, Survey,

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Print the official list entry