Churston Court

Details

BRIXHAM

SX9056 CHURSTON ROAD, Churston Ferrers 1946-1/5/63 (West side) 11/11/52 Churston Court (Formerly Listed as: CHURSTON ROAD, Churston Ferrers Churston Court)

GV II*

Large house, now hotel. Probably mid or late C16, remodelled early C17 and late C17. C18 and C19 additions with large addition of 1985-7 at rear. Basic fabric may be late medieval. Solid rendered walls. Slated roof. 2 red sandstone ashlar chimneys with tapered caps on ridge. Large, old rendered chimney with red sandstone mouldings on left gable-end; another to rear of it. C19 rendered chimney on right gable-end. The 'cottage' attached to left end of building has a front gable-end chimney of red brick, partly rendered; chimney-breast projects on corbels. Added rear wing behind inner room has rendered gable-chimney with off-sets and tapered cap. Plan: basically 3-room and cross-passage, except that the cross-passage leads to a C16 stair turret at rear; gabled wing in front of junction of hall and inner room. The lower room appears to have functioned as a parlour in late C17; chimney in rear wall. Hall has chimney at upper end. Inner room (now kitchen) has gable-end chimney. In front of inner room is an addition with back staircase, probably of late C17. A short enclosed passage links the inner room to the 'cottage', a former outbuilding at right-angles to the frontage. Exterior: 2 storeys; in late C17 with garret; cottage single-storeyed. 7 windows wide with a further window in the cottage. Front doorway has chamfered, round-headed surround of painted stone. Except for window over doorway and in the additions, all the front windows have painted stone mullions. In the main range these are of 4 lights with king-mullions; the ordinary mullions are hollow-moulded and the king-mullions ovolo-moulded, except in left ground-storey window where the king-mullion is ogee-moulded. This window, the one to right of it, and the second upper-storey window from the right, each have an old metal casement. The wing has a 2-light painted stone-mullioned window in each storey, and a matching 3-light one in upper storey of right-hand side; mullions hollow-moulded; upper-storey windows have hoodmoulds; ground-storey window has old metal casement. Gable decorated with a pair of plaster S-scrolls and a fleur-de-lys. Addition to left has 2-light wood casement window in each storey, that in upper storey possibly late C17. Rear wall has 3-light stone-mullioned stair window with hollow-moulded mullions. Elsewhere a window with 6-paned sashes and some small-paned wood casements. INTERIOR: cross-passage and right-hand ground-storey room originally had raised bolection-moulded panelling now reconstructed with salvaged panelling on modern studwork; the room has panelled shutters and chamfered plastered ceiling-beams. Tudor-style carved stone chimneypiece probably C19 or later; decorated iron fire-back. Flanking the chimneypiece are paired wooden Ionic columns, possibly old, supporting a wooden lintel carved with lion heads. Open-well late C17 wood staircase, rising to garret; bottom flight reinstated to match original. Closed pulvinated strings, twisted balusters, square newels with ball-finials and turned pendants; dado of bolection-moulded panelling. Hall (to left of cross-passage) has old Tudor-arched moulded fireplace of red sandstone; elaborate C19 wood surround with detached columns. In front of it, oddly positioned, is a screen originally with 4 twisted wood columns; probably C19; composite capitals; decorated with tendrils of foliage. Panelled shutters. In corridor behind this room is a late C17 door with 3 bolection-moulded panels. Between inner room and wing is a stone doorway with pointed arch and quarter-round mouldings; late-medieval, possibly surviving from an early stair-turret; C18 or C19 plank door with strap-hinges. Addition has possibly late C17 straight-flight wooden stair with turned balusters. In upper storey the 2 rooms to right of staircase (now sub-divided) have raised bolection-moulded panelling. Several doors with raised-and-fielded, one-fillet, ovolo-moulded panels and brass catches. Roof of main range (inspected only over hall, lower room and staircase) has unblackened jointed-cruck trusses with cranked collars, threaded purlins and ridge. Churston Court belonged to the Yarde family from C15-C18. They were succeeded by the Bullers who, however, lived at Lupton House, Churston Ferrers (qv). In 1850 White's Directory records that the eldest son of Sir JBY Buller lived at the house, 'the ancient seat of the Yardes, which has lately been modernised, and has tasteful grounds.' Sir John Buller became Lord Churston in 1858; his descendant sold the house in 1967. (Tregaskes J H: Churston Story: Paignton: 1989-; The Buildings of England: Cherry B: Devon (2nd edition): 1989-: 834; White W: Directory of Devonshire: 1850-: 431-2).

Listing NGR: SX9039356414

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

383577

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Tregaskes, J H, Churston Story, (1989)
Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: Devon, (1989), 834
Whites Directory in History Gazetteer and Directory of Devonshire, (1850), 431-2

End of official list entry