Details
NEWTON ABBOT
SX8770 TORQUAY ROAD
1012-1/11/128 (North side)
16/07/49 Forde House
(Formerly Listed as:
TORQUAY ROAD
(North side)
Ford House)
GV I
Manor House, now the property of Teignbridge District Council.
c1550 for John Gravelock, enlarged 1610 altered c1625 for Sir
Richard Reynell; restored 1930s and 1981-3.
MATERIALS: roughcast over stone rubble, C20 slate roofs with
ceramic ridges, double-pitched to the central ranges, and tall
C20 diagonal stacks to the central valley and gable ends.
PLAN: E-plan house of 1610 with original house of c1550 as the
service wing to the rear right with a further late C19 wing
the rear right corner.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; symmetrical 7-window range to the 1610
south front.
A high parapet surrounding the building rises at the front in
5 large semicircular Dutch gables extending over the outer
forward wings, the 2-storey porch and the flanking ranges. A
central cupola with weather vane is flanked by triple stacks
in the roof valley. Stone mullioned and transomed windows,
5-light to the outer wings, 4-light to the other
forward-facing windows, blind 3-light to the inward-facing
returns of the wings. Windows to the first floor have late C19
glazing with 4 panes to each light, those to the ground floor
have leaded lights with some old glass except the outer wings
which are similar to the first floor and the sills have been
lowered.
The right return, slightly lower at the rear where it is 3
storeys, has paired stacks flanking a semicircular Dutch
gable, that to the left is external. A continuous dripmould is
shaped over a central 3-light second-floor leaded window, the
lintel of a similar window to the far right reaches the
dripmould. To the right of centre is a first-floor C20 cross
window over a tall 3-light leaded window. The late C19 wing
has 4 gables facing north.
The 2-storey left return also has a central Dutch gable
flanked by paired external stacks, that to the left is
corbelled out approx one metre from the ground. Cross windows
with cavetto moulded (restored C20) to the outer first-floor
corners, label moulds to 2 central ground-floor windows
between the stacks, that to the left has the lower half
blocked.
The 3-storey rear has spectacular alternate semicircles and
triangles to the parapet. Formerly with oak-mullioned leaded
windows with label moulds, there is now a variety of 4, 3 and
2-light casements and an early C18 sash window with 12/12
panes and thick glazing bars to the first-floor centre. A
large 5-light window to the upper right corner has similar C19
glazing to those at the front. A C17 stop-moulded architrave
to the right now has a C20 panelled door in C17 style. A door
close to the angle of the rear wing has a repaired C17 studded
door with 3 horizontal panels in a restored frame.
The roof of the rear wing is hipped to the rear with large
tall paired ridge stacks. The west side facing the courtyard
has a small 4-light timber-mullioned leaded casement window at
eaves level to the right and a similar 2-light window to the
left flank a tall central C19 half-dormer. To the left is a
C19 lean-to porch on chamfered supports over a C17
wide-planked studded oak door with wrought-iron strap hinges.
To the left of the door is a C18 cross window with C20
leading.
INTERIOR: evidence for an older house, discovered during
repairs of 1981-3, include remains of a north doorway to the
screens passage, part of a turret stair by the hall
chimneystack and the ends of 2 cruck blades over the main
range. Rear north wing of 2-bays, possibly former lobby
entrance plan divided by back-to back open fireplaces with
massive granite lintels and full-depth jambs, stone-flagged to
the ground floor. Along the east wall is a complete set of C18
servant's bells. A lobby at the junction of the C17 house has
a wide C17 oak door to the rear courtyard.
The 1610 E-plan building is chiefly notable for the retention
of exceptionally fine woodwork and especially plasterwork. The
hall, probably formerly with a low screens passage, is fully
panelled with strapwork carving to the smaller upper panels,
all painted and grained c1980. The design of the ribbed
plasterwork ceiling includes the passage (hence a low screen)
and has a large central pendant. The 4 wide doors to the
porch, rear stairs, right and left-hand rooms are elaborately
panelled with studded squares and rectangles; the upper panels
are in semicircular arches with carved spandrels; the moulded
architraves have vase stops. An open fire to the rear has a
wide white stone Tudor arch with a painted arcaded timber
overmantel; the floor of the fire, and all the other
fireplaces is chequer-pattern of small slates set edge-on.
The room to the left forward wing, the Chairman's Parlour, has
a C17 strap work plastered ceiling with a truncated pendant to
the centre; to the left is an arcaded overmantel flanked by
Ionic columns with taller ones below; set into the former open
fire is a c1830 black marble fireplace with roundels to block
corners. C17 panelling up to a dado rail. Two pairs of late
C19 paired Ionic columns to the rear with a lower ceiling to
the rear, support a frieze of cartouches framing rectangular
panels which encircle the room.
The room to the right of the porch is a C20 kitchen. The room
to the right forward wing, a parlour, has a C19 rear division.
Pilasters flank the rear end which has a simple cornice; the
rest has rib moulding to the ceiling, a C17 heavily-painted
2-arch panelled overmantel similar to that in the hall with an
inserted C19 fireplace. The left-hand internal wall has a
recess with a C19 architrave to adjustable shelves.
The stair well to the rear right of the hall (the upper end),
has a C17 foliate frieze and an open-well closed-string
staircase with carved octagonal vase balusters and newels with
gadrooned vase finials; the sides of the straight moulded
handrail is carved with daisies and nailhead panels. There is
evidence of some structural alteration. The stair window is
3-lights with hollow-moulded stone mullions.
The axial barrel-vaulted room to the first floor above the
hall, known as the King Charles Room, thought originally to
have been the great chamber, has a shallow Tudor arch to a
fire at the rear, rib moulding to the ceiling and elaborate
tympana, that to the left with cartouches surrounding a
mermaid. The door to the rear left has a late C17 cyma-moulded
architrave. Double-doors to the left are C19 or C20.
A small room of the same depth over the porch has strapwork
axial barrel-vaulting with a C17 anthemion frieze. The glazed
porch has a flat ceiling with a Pegasus frieze.
The Long Room to the first-floor-left over the Chairman's
Parlour, formerly two rooms, has a spectacular strapwork
barrel vault with three large pendants. Projecting from the
rich frieze are female supports to the vault; they are in C17
costume and each holds a different flower.
Toward the front of the left-hand wall is large fireplace
similar to that in the hall without an overmantel; toward the
rear is a similar smaller fireplace. Architraves and
raised-and-fielded panelling below the windows are early C18.
To the front right is an early C19 recess with adjustable
shelving.
Two rooms to the first-floor right of the porch; that to the
left, a former withdrawing room, has a plain axial barrel
vault, early C18 and C19 panelling around the window and steps
to a narrow passage in the rear right corner leading to a rear
staircase. Fireplace to the rear. The ceiling of the
similar-sized bedchamber to the right has repeated rectangular
panels with strapwork surrounds. A fireplace to the rear has
massive red sandstone full-depth jambs and lintel. Joinery is
late C18/early C19.
The bedchamber in the right-hand projecting wing has a similar
ceiling to the left wing with strap moulding, 3 pendants and
an anthemion frieze; to the right is a large Tudor-arch
fireplace.
The rear of the house is 3 storeys and rooms have lower
ceilings.
To the lower ground-floor rear left is an unheated storage
room; above it is a heated room with painted decoration to the
walls, some original some restored; 2 plastered-over axial
beams and a simple C19 fireplace. This room may have been a
former steward's room; the room above is part of the present
great chamber.
To the right of these 3 rooms is the main stairwell. The room
to the first-floor right can be entered from both sides. The
entrance to the right of the mezzanine landing of the main
staircase is through a C16 panelled and studded door, probably
repositioned from the original building set in a C17 moulded
frame. Known as the Trophy Room, it is complete c1700.
Full-height and pine-panelled, the raised panels have
bolection moulding, those to the rear wall conceals shelves
and drawers within the thickness of the wall. The mullioned
window of this room was replaced by a 16/16-pane sash window
with thick glazing bars over an integral window seat.
Bolection moulding to a 2-panel door to the right with a large
brass lock and small wrought-iron knob.
The corner fireplace backing onto the fire of the King Charles
Room has a c1700 architrave panelled above and an early C19
hob grate. Wide oak floorboards.
To the right is a passage and rear stair, possibly a former
gallery.
To the far right-hand corner is a closet and staircase to the
rear of the bedchamber. Roof structure not seen.
HISTORY: John Gavelock was steward to the Abbey and Convent of
Wolborough before the Dissolution. He bought the Wolborough
portion of the Abbey property from the Crown in 1545 and built
a house from c1550.
The property was sold c1599 to Sir Richard Reynell who spent
30 years as a lawyer at "some office in The Exchequer in
London, and got great wealth". The house, built c1610, was
given its spectacular interiors for the visit of King Charles
I and his large retinue in 1625. The Reynell tomb (qv) is in
the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Old Totnes Road (qv).
(BoE: Pevsner N & Cherry B: Devon: London: 1989-: 589-90).
Listing NGR: SX8699670940
