Sharpham CMP Oct 2012 small file.pdf

K/800, October 2012 

Keystone 

3 Colleton Crescent 

Exeter 

EX2 4DG 

keystonehb@aol.com 

01392 259304 

www.keystone-historic-buildings.com 

A Conservation Management Plan 

for 

Sharpham House and Stable Yard, 

Ashprington, Devon 

for 

The Sharpham Trust

Contents 

Introduction 1 

Summary 2-7 

1 – Understanding 8-77 

1.1 – Early History of the Site 8-12 

1.2 – Philemon Pownoll c.1735-1780 13-14 

1.3 – Sir Robert Taylor 1714-1788 15-16 

1.4 – The New House, Phase 1: Taylor’s Work for Pownoll at 

Sharpham: c.1769-? 17-32 

1.4.1 – Documentation 17-20 

1.4.2 – Evidence in the Building 20-27 

1.4.3 – Discussion 28-32 

1.5 – The New House: Phase Two c.1780-1835 33-38 



1.5.3 – Discussion 38 

1.6 – 1835-1841 39-40 


1.7 – 1841-1878. Richard (i) Durant and alterations for him 41-47 




1.8 – 1878-1962 48-51 




1.9 – 1962-2011 52-58 


1.9.2 – Evidence in the Building 57 

1.9.3 – Discussion 57-58 

1.10 – The Stable Yard 59-73 

1.10.1 – Phase One, c.1770 incorporating some earlier fabric 61-65 

1.10.1.1 – Documentation 61 

1.10.1.2 – Evidence in the Building 61-64 

1.11 - Phase Two 1842-? 66-70 


1.11.2 – Evidence in the building 68-70 


1.10.2.2 – Evidence in the Buildings 66-68 

1.12 - Later alterations 71-73 

1.12.1 – Documentation 71 

1.12.2 – Evidence in the buildings 71 

1.12.3 – Discussion 71-73 

1.13 - The Setting 74-77 

1.13.1 – The formal garden 74 

1.13.2 – The walled garden 75 

1.13.3 – The woodland garden 76 

1.13.4 – The shrubbery 77

2 – Significance 78-82 

2.1 – The house 78-80 

2.1 – The stable yard 81-82 

3 – Defining Issues 83-93 

3.1 – Statutory and other external controls 83-84 

3.2 – The purposes of the Trust 84-85 

3.3 – The aspirations of the Trust 84-85 

3.4 – Uses of the buildings and their setting 85-87 

3.5 – Access 87-88 

3.6 – Constraints and opportunities 88-90 

3.7 – Financial constraints 90 

3.8 – Maintenance and house-keeping 90 

3.9 – Sustainabillity and green energy 90-91 

3.10 – The presentation and interpretation of the house and setting 91 

3.11 – Understanding 91 

3.12 – What can be learned from past management regimes? 92 

3.13 – Fire safety precautions, emergency planning and security 92 

3.14 – Archives and record-keeping 93 

3.15 – Communtiy expectations 93 

4 – Policies 94-98 

Sources and acknowledgements 99-100 

Appendix One: Sharpham Time Line 101-117 

Appendix Two: List Descriptions of the Sharpham Buildings 118-121 

Appendix Three: Garden Registration Description 122-126 

Appendix Four: Text of Lecture by Oxley Durant Parker 127-137 

Endnotes 138

Fig.1. The core buildings at Sharpham shown in relation to the River Dart (top) and the approximate 

outline of the area covered in this Conservation Management Plan.

Introduction 

This Conservation Management Plan was commissioned by the Sharpham Trust in 2011 but not 

completed until 2012. It covers the core buildings: the house and stable yard at Sharpham in detail. 

There is some reference to the planted compartments that make up their immediate setting: the 

walled garden, the formal garden, the woodland garden and the shrubbery. However these are dealt 

with principally as the context of the roofed buildings and not covered in the same depth. The plan 

does not cover the wider landscape (analysed in a report to the Sharpham Trust by Debois Landscape 

Survey Group in 1998) and only refers to the contents of the house in passing. 

A Conservation Management Plan was recommended by English Heritage because the Trust is 

considering an integrated development of the stable block and an associated new building to 

the designs of George Batterham. This would allow for larger gatherings than can currently be 

accommodated in any of the existing spaces of the house and could bring more activity and access 

to the core buildings. This plan has not been driven by the current proposals, but has followed the 

broad four-part approach traditional for these documents: 

What have you got? (Understanding) 

Why does it matter? (Significance) 

What is happening to it and what might represent a risk to its importance? (Defining Issues) 

What can you do about it? (Policies) 

This approach is the foundation for a separate appendix on the proposals, the idea being that the 

Plan will be useful to the Trust, whether or not the proposals are built. 

The ‘Understanding’ section has raised a number of uncertainties about the development of both 

house and stable yard which Keystone has not yet fully-resolved. As requested by the client, and 

given the budget for the Conservation Management Plan, we have not provided historic room data 

sheets for either the house or stable block. These might help to answer some of the questions raised 

in the ‘Understanding’ section. 

This report is accompanied by appendices: a referenced time line, which could be improved and 

updated in-house; the list and garden registration descriptions and a summary history of Sharpham 

produced by one of its owners in 1921. This had been provided to the Sharpham Trust in the past but 

had gone astray and Keystone considered it worth providing electronically to ensure that it remains 

easily available in the Sharpham archive. 

We are very grateful to Chris Nicholls, Denise Scribbins and tenants of the Trust for access and to 

the staff of numerous archives listed in the acknowledgements. Thanks are due to Chris Nicholls 

and Lynette Gribble, a former Sharpham Trustee, for discussion based on their close knowledge 

of the house and their research into its history. Thanks also to Lynette Gribble for corrections 

and suggestions on a first draft of this report and to George Batterham for on-site discussion and 

suggestions. 

Limitations of this Document 

The core buildings at Sharpham are part of a large estate including a landscaped park, created in 

conjunction with the building of the house, begun in c.1770. The Trust’s activities extend across the 

whole estate. The core buildings are used both in association with the wider estate and sometimes 

independently. A document that is concentrated on the core buildings alone cannot do full justice 

either to the architecture and art of a house-and-landscape designed together, or to the range of the 

Trust’s work over the whole estate.

Summary 

Sharpham House is a Grade I listed house, the first phase begun to the designs of Sir Robert Taylor 

in c.1769. It is in Ashprington parish, with a Grade II stable yard to its west, standing in gardens and 

park land registered Grade II*and in the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The house 

is spectacularly sited on a high promontory on the bank of the River Dart, about 3 km south-east of 

Totnes. The Dart curves round the promontory from which there are long views north to Totnes, east 

across the Dart Valley and south across a valley to a north-facing hill slope known as Great Run. The 

house is part of an estate owned by the Sharpham Trust, a charitable Trust which was founded in 

1982 [Fig.1]. The Sharpham Trust directly manages the house and its immediate setting. The rest 

of the estate comprises three tenants of the Trust with portions of woodland within the tenancies 

directly managed by the Trust. 

The House 

The present house is the result of two major building phases, with many later alterations, especially 

to the service buildings [Figs.2, 3]. The first and most important phase was built to the designs of Sir 

Robert Taylor for Philemon Pownoll, a naval captain made fabulously wealthy in 1763 by the capture 

of a prize ship. This was a villa, begun in c.1769 and has been described as Taylor’s masterpiece. 

Its severe exterior depends on fine Portland stone ashlar and rustication for impact. The plan is 

unusual in Taylor’s opus of villas with an entrance into the ground floor, taking advantage of views 

to east, north and south, rather than his more usual arrangement of an entrance up a flight of steps 

to principal rooms on the first floor. There were no views west, where the ground rises sharply and 

where the services at Sharpham were located. This made the villa less compact and in-the-round 

than other Taylor villas where the services were in the basement, and gave it only three rather than 

four show elevations. Although the evidence is not entirely clear-cut, it seems that Taylor’s design 

incorporated a two-storey and attic 16 th or 17 th -century crosswing, which became a picturesque 

element in the south elevation, and an existing north west wing was probably used for services. The 

incorporation of elements of an old house is unique in Taylor’s villa designs and the full extent to 

which the ground plan of the old house at Sharpham infuenced Taylor’s plan is not known for sure. 

Thick walls in some locations suggest that he may have retained more of the fabric of the old house, 

than the crosswing and north-west wing (the latter thoroughly rebuilt later) but without opening 

up this remains highly speculative. Taylor’s architecture was associated with a designed landscape 

usually attributed to Lancelot Brown (1716-83) (Stroud 1975), who worked with Sir Robert Taylor 

elsewhere, and whose son served as MP for Totnes. House and landscape were designed together. 

The most spectacular feature of the interior is Taylor’s great oval stair hall. This lies behind the 

colonnaded entrance hall, with a dizzying cantilevered Portland stone stair rising through three 

storeys against the blind west wall of the centre of the house to a top-lit dome. The principal Taylor 

rooms on the first floor are characterized by their variety of shape, size, height and finish. They 

are lavishly finished, including high quality sculpted marble chimney-pieces, decorated niches and 

cornices and pictorial medallions showing classical scenes. The first floor rooms, some of which have 

curved doors to fit the oval of the stair hall, have fine views of the landscape, although tree growth 

on the north side has obscured some of the long view to Totnes [Figs.4,5]. There are two fine ground 

floor rooms either side of the entrance hall. The second floor had a memorably ingenious suite of 

two small matching oval rooms with their own circulation system, linked by lobbies front and back. 

The structural and documentary evidence suggests that the kitchen of the Taylor house was in a newbuilt 

rear right (south-west) wing, partly over Taylor-designed cellars, and given a rendered finish 

to distinguish it from the part of the house that contained the high-status rooms. This service wing 

provided, with the crosswing from the earlier house, three-part architectural variety to the south 

elevation. 

It is not clear whether the first phase house was completed in Pownoll’s lifetime. Two c.mid 19 th - 

century sources state that it was finished by Pownoll’s grandson, John Bastard, in the 1820s. 

However, the archaeology of the building, read in conjunction with paintings by John Lewis 

commissioned by Pownoll, argues that Phase One was a ‘complete’ building, even if not finished until 

after Pownoll’s death in action in 1780. The structural evidence also proves a major Phase Two, which 

expanded the original Taylor design in a sympathetic style for the highly visible elevations, and added 

a much plainer but very substantial rear (west) block, including a new kitchen on the ground floor 

2

Fig.2. The house from the south west. 

and more bedrooms and private room above. The relationship of this block (built against the blind 

west wall of the great stair hall) to the earlier house, was awkward. The two phases were separated 

by a ground floor north/south passage, essential for circulation, with a full-height lightwell above. 

The new block was the same height as its predecessor but was four, rather than three storeys, with 

a semi-basement ground floor as the result of rising ground to the west and was provided with its 

own staircase. At the same time the old kitchen wing, formerly probably single-storey and attic, was 

raised. Structural evidence below ground indicates that flooding problems in Taylor’s cellars were 

resolved by what is, in effect, a massive French drain dug into the bedrock west of the cellars. 

Phase Two was a massive enlargement of Pownoll’s house, leaving Taylor’s highly decorative 

reception rooms to front plainer rooms of conventional form in what was now a medium-sized country 

house. The bulk of Phase Two seems to have been undertaken for John Bastard, Taylor’s grandson, 

who inherited in 1816 and died in 1835. The changes to Taylor’s design reflected, not only changing 

architectural taste, but perhaps also the difference between a newly-wealthy man with just one child, 

and one from an established Devon gentry family with four children, a sense of dynasty and probably 

a substantial household of servants. 

The house remained in the Bastard family until 1841 when it was purchased by Richard Durant, a silkbroker, 

who remained the proprietor until 1878. As acquired by Durant the house was described as 

neglected and in a wretched state. Durant seems likely to have replaced some of the small-pane sash 

windows with plate glass sashes (in place by c.1900) and also added to Taylor’s decorative scheme in 

the octagonal drawing room. On map evidence much of the stable block was rebuilt for Durant in the 

1840s and on stylistic evidence he also rebuilt the rear service wings in the c.1860s. 

Durant was succeeded by a spinster daughter who first occupied Sharpham and then purchased it in 

1887. In 1906 it was inherited by Oxley Durant Parker, who researched Sharpham using documents 

that were kept at the house and wrote a summary history of the place in 1921. His only daughter, 

Ethelinda (known as Katharine) is said to have remained at the house for a period after her father’s 

death in 1932, although the estate passed by inheritance to Oxley Parker’s cousin, Alastair Hope Kirk. 

The house failed to sell at auction in 1940, was used temporarily by a convent school during the war 

when it suffered some bomb damage and was for sale again in 1951, the vendor Major R C B Astley 

Sparke.

In 1962 Sharpham was bought by Ruth and Maurice Ash. Ruth was the daughter of Leonard and 

Dorothy Elmhirst of Dartington Hall. Maurice was a dedicated environmentalist and became chair 

of the Dartington Trust. Numerous different enterprises were established at Sharpham, which 

maintained links with Dartington Hall. The house was restored making use of Robert Hening, an 

architect who had worked at Dartington in and after the 1930s. Some damaging alterations to the 

house were reversed, the house was repaired and updated and some of its rooms were converted 

to flats for Dartington students. A Buddhist-based community was established and a programme of 

public talks and education sought to make links between eastern and western thought. The estate 

was in the forefront of late 20th-century changes in organic farming and locally-produced food. 

Maurice Ash established a vineyard and creamery, both highly successful, the latter based in the 

stable yard from 1981-2003. The Sharpham Trust was established in 1982. 

Fig.4. Phased plan of the house as interpreted by Keystone. Base plan by Batterham Matthews Design Ltd.

Figs.4, 5. Views east from the promontory (top) and north, towards Totnes (below).

The Stable Yard 

Pownoll and Taylor appear to have intended a 3-sided stable yard to west of the house with a showy 

3-storey entrance tower on its north side. As built, the existing ranges round the stable yard have a 

complex structural history [Figs.6,7]. The north range incorporates an entrance archway on the north 

side which can plausibly be attributed to Taylor, but otherwise Taylor’s scheme seems not to have 

been built as intended. The structural evidence suggests that the rest of the north range is c.1800. 

The north range abutted Upper Sharpham house, which was demolished before 1843, leaving a 

fragment of its masonry in the north east corner of the north range. 

Map evidence, if reliable, indicates the rebuilding of the east and west ranges of the stable yard 

between 1841 and 1843, shortly after Sharpham was acquired by Richard Durant. The east range 

was probably used in part for simple accommodation and provided with a garden from 1843. Over 

time this range developed into a self-contained dwelling including a phase of work in 1966. The south 

range is more difficult to interpret, but appears to have been erected against a pre-existing wall. It is 

considered here to be later than the east and west ranges and something of an afterthought, but was 

also in place, on map evidence, before 1843. The north range, including the putative Taylor entrance, 

is relatively intact and still legible as a pair of double coach-houses and harness rooms. The other 

ranges are less architecturally ambitious and more altered. The west range, extended north between 

1843 and 1889, has been developed in the late 20 th century as a storage building and carpenter’s shop 

and the south range altered in the late 20 th century, first for a creamery (from 1981) and subsequently 

for storage use. 

Fig.6. Phased plan of the stable yard as interpeted by Keystone. Base plan by Batterham 

Matthews Design Ltd.

Fig.7. The stable yard looking north from inside the yard (top) and the north side of the north range (below) 

with the rear of the house to the left. 

7

1 - Understanding 

1.1 – Early History of the Site 

The Sharpham Estate originated as an ancient landholding with a recorded sequence of owners 

dating back to the 15 th century. Historians disagree on the earlier history of the site. A local family 

called Sharpham is recorded in Totnes records in the 13 th century. H R Watkin points out that men 

called Sharpham (spelled Scherpham, Schearpeham etc.), presumably taking their name from their 

place of origin, are recorded at least since 1260 when Clement Sharpham, son of Thomas, appears 

in the Totnes Guild Roll of 1260. However, Copeland states that in the late 13th and 14th centuries 

Sharpham was held by several generations of the Sopecumb family. Both agree that it belonged to 

the Winard family in the late 14th century. 

The 18 th -century historian, Richard Polwhele, citing the 17 th -century biographer, John Prince, lists 

owners of the estate in his History of Devonshire, 1793-1806, beginning with Robert Winard, in 

the reign of Henry IV (1399-1413). The holding then passed by descent through daughters to the 

French, Prideaux and Drewe families. In 1426 Robert Frensch of Sharpham was one of the county’s 

Commissioners of Subsidies. In 1417 Sharpham was licensed for a private chapel, an indication of 

the high status of the house at that date. Sharpham passed by marriage of a Frensch heiress to the 

Drewe family, whose principal seat was Grange, in Broadhembury. Drewes of Sharpham included 

Edward Drew, Serjeant at Law, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. According to Charles Worthy, Drew 

became Recorder of London. He acquired Killerton as his principal Devon seat. In 1598 Thomas Drew 

of Killerton sold Sharpham to John Giles of Bowden, which was also in the parish of Ashprington. 

Giles appears to have sold the property to Allan Lyde of Lovington in Berry Pomeroy, who mentions 

his estate in ‘Sheirpham’ in his will of 1630. 2 Henry Blackhaller, JP, held the property in the 17 th 

century and probably succeeded Lyde. He died in 1684. In 1674 the Hearth Tax returns record Mrs 

Blackkhaller taxed on 10 hearths in Ashprington. Oxley Parker, who owned Sharpham in the early 20 th 

century and evidently had access to extensive documentation (some, but perhaps not all of which is 

now deposited in the Devon Record Office) quotes (without indicating the source) a description of 

Sharpham in the late 17 th century shortly after Blackhaller died: 

‘A pleasant seat in the parish of Totnes, about a mile and a half below the Town of Totnes. It stands 

upon an ascent just above the River Dart, on the West side thereof, on its way to Dartmouth, where 

it disembogues itself into the Ocean about five miles to the South. It hath also a fair prospect of the 

river up to the Town of Totnes, by which it is well near semi-insulated; whose daily flux and reflux 

affordeth in the season the choicest fish and fowl of various kinds both for recreation and hospitality, 

of which there is no want in the last possessor’s time Henry Blackhaller, Esq., a Justice of the Peace of 

this country, an honest man and friendly gentleman, who lately inhabited there.’ 

Blackhaller seems to have been succeeded at Sharpham by Edward Yarde, a relation by marriage. In 

June 1748 the estate, then owned by Gilbert Yarde, was put up for sale [Fig.8]. The sale particulars 

show it was divided into three principal landholdings: Lower Sharpham, Upper Sharpham and 

Holybeare, for which field names and acreages are given, plus land that was leased out, mostly in 

the parish of Ashprington, but also in Paignton and ‘Bridgetown Pomeroy’ near Totnes. The sales 

particulars note the value of the timber ‘fit to be cut’ on the estate. A map of the estate made by 

William Doidge in 1749 for Philip Cockey shows that Cockey was the buyer. 4 

The map [Fig.9] shows that the landholding which included the principal house was then called 

Lower Sharpham. This occupied part of the promontory overlooking the Dart and its land extended 

down south along the shoreline of the river. A small inset on the map [Fig.10] also shows the south 

elevation of the old house, which judging from its architectural detail was 16 th or 17 th century and 

very likely earlier in origin. It overlooked a knot garden and was surrounded by orchards and 

plantations. The building group shown on plan on the map was a U-plan complex with a rear right 

(east) wing and a front left (west) wing or crosswing. Both map and elevation show a long wing 

projecting west from the rear of the house, on the same axis as the main range. The elevation shows 

the garden extending in front of this wing, which is blind on the south side, suggesting that it did not 

contain principal rooms but might have been retainers’ lodgings, a service wing, or stabling. It 

8

appears to be shown thatched on the elevation, in contrast to the slate roof of the main range. A 

detached building at the east end of the house is shown on the plan [Fig.11], but not the elevation, 

suggesting that this, too, was lower status than the main range. A building group close by to the 

north-west, loosely arranged round a courtyard, was a separate house, Upper (later sometimes 

known as Higher) Sharpham, with its own garden and land, according to the key of the map. 

The key to the estate map includes some interesting words: the main house is described as ‘Tar. 

Townplace and house and gardens etc.’, ‘Tar must be ‘Tor’, a word of Celtic origin meaning a rocky 

peak. A townplace or townsplace can be used to mean a settlement. A small enclosure on the slope 

down to the Dart north west of the house is identified as the ‘Vinsery’, presumably a vineyard, a 

precursor of the vineyard established in the 1980s which also makes use of the steep sides of the 

promontory, but to the east of the house. 

Fig.8. 1748 Particulars of the lands and estates of Gilbert Yard of Sharpham for sale on 13 June 1748, 

Devon RO 90M/E4. Reproduced with permission. 

9

Fig.9. 1749 Plan of Sharpham estate made for Philip Cockey with an inset elevation of the house, Devon RO 

90M/E1. Reproduced with permission. 

10

Fig.10 (top) enlargement of the inset on the plan for Philip Cockey. Part of the crosswing projecting to the front 

and the wing to left (west) appears to have been retained in the design of the 18th-century house. 

Fig.11 (below) enlargement of the plan of the old house, coloured in by Keystone because the original is very 

faded. The L-plan building to left of Lower Sharpham, the old house, was Upper Sharpham.

The estate map and elevation correspond quite closely to another image of the old house in a 

painting of c.1765 by John Lewis [Fig.12]. The mansion house has a knot garden in front and the 

second house, ‘Upper Sharpham’, is shown alongside to the west. An L-plan group of agricultural 

buildings or stabling is shown in the painting to east of the house, just as on the plan. However, the 

painting and plan are not such a good match when it comes to Upper Sharpham and its associated 

structures. The painting shows the south elevation of the house flush, whereas the plan shows it 

with a projection at the west end. It is difficult to pick out anything of a walled garden – clearly 

shown south west of upper Sharpham on the 1749 plan – in the painting. An outbuilding parallel 

to Upper Sharpham house is shown in the painting but does not appear on the plan. However the 

differences may be explained by changes to the buildings and their setting in the fifteen year interval 

between plan and painting. 

A footnote in Polwhele records a 1755 advertisement for the manor and lordship of Ashprington, 

which then contained 48 tenements (besides cottages) and was worth about £1,770 per annum. 

Other details given by Polwhele are very similar to those in an undated printed survey of ‘the Manor 

of Ashprington’ which may relate to the same sale or lease, or a later one. 7 These particulars note 

that the manor included the advowson (this was the right to present a particular person to the 

ecclesiastical living), which was worth £240, and emphasized the fine fishing in the River Dart and 

the qualities of the land, which included lime for agricultural purposes: ‘The said Manor lies in a very 

good Country, pleasantly situated upon the said River Dart, and consists of very good Land, Orchards 

that make the best Cyder, very near to Lime and other Dressing, the Houses in tolerable good repair’. 

Polwhele states that Philemon Pownoll, ‘about 1763, bought Sharpham of _____ Cockey, esq. and 

rebuilt it’. 8 Oxley Parker identifies the sale date as 1765. 

Fig.12. An extract from a copy, made for the Sharpham Trust, of the 1765 John Lewis painting of the old 

house at Sharpham. This compares well with the 1749 image and plan (see Figs.10 and 11) and shows 

Upper Sharpham House to the left (west) of Lower Sharpham. The 1749 plan and elevation suggest that 

the gabled 3-storey tower-like structure shown is the south front of a crosswing. 

12

1.2 – Philemon Pownoll c.1735-1780 

Pownoll [Fig.13] was a naval captain of relatively modest origins. He was born in c.1735, the son 

of Israel Pownoll, who was a master shipwright in the naval dockyard at Plymouth, 1762-5, and 

subsequently at Chatham, 1775-9. Pownoll was described by a late 18 th -century naval antiquary 

as ‘a Gentleman of American extraction’. 9 It has been suggested that he may have been descended 

from the independent seamen based in Shadwell (where his father owned property) in the mid 17 th 

century and who had strong links with New England. 

Pownoll joined the navy aged about 13 or 14 and was swiftly promoted. In 1762, as commander of 

the sloop, Favourite, he was involved, with the frigate Active, commanded by Captain Herbert Sawyer, 

in the capture of a Spanish prize ship, Hermione, off Cape St Mary, in the Seven Years War. She had 

sailed from Peru before the outbreak of war and was captured without putting up a fight. She was 

carrying bags of dollars, gold coin, ingots of gold and silver, cocoa and blocks of tin. Pownoll’s share 

of the prize (the ship, her fittings and cargo), worth £519,705 in all, was £64,872. This was one of the 

largest individual sums from the capture of a prize ship in the period. According to the DNB, Pownoll 

and Sawyer subsequently married two sisters, daughters of a Lisbon merchant. 10 Oxley Parker, 

however, names Pownoll’s wife as Jane Majendie of Hedingham Castle, Essex, a family of French 

Huguenot origins. Pownoll’s only daughter, Jane, was born in 1764. 

Primary source material indicates that, whether Pownoll purchased the estate in 1763 or 1765, he did 

not acquire the occupancy of both Lower 

and Higher Sharpham until 1768 and it 

is therefore unlikely that building work 

began before 1769. He proceeded to have 

Lower Sharpham rebuilt to the designs 

of one of the leading architects of the 

day, Sir Robert Taylor and the landscape 

re-arranged, very likely by Lancelot 

‘Capability’ Brown. The landscape has 

been researched and analysed in a 

report, ‘Sharpham House: A study of 

the landscape’, 1998, provided to the 

Sharpham Trust by J L Phibbs of Debois 

Landscape Survey Group. 

Fig.13. A copy, made for the Sharpham Trust of the portrait 

of Philemon Pownall by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Pownoll was 

paying for this (and one of his wife, Jane) in 1764. 

It is not known why Pownoll settled on a 

fashionable, London-based architect to redesign 

his Devon house. He was certainly 

quick to develop the right connections 

when it came to commissioning portraits 

of himself and his wife: Sir Joshua 

Reynolds was receiving the first payment 

for these as early as 1764. It has been 

suggested that Taylor may have been 

recommended to him by Vice Admiral 

Lord Howe, one of Taylor’s patrons, on the 

basis that Howe might have encountered 

Pownoll when the prize money for 

Hermione was being distributed. 

However, this link is far from certain as 

Howe did not become Treasurer of the 

Navy until 1765, Taylor’s work for Howe in 

building him a house in Grafton Street was 

1769 and after, and Taylor’s Hertfordshire 

House for Howe, Porter’s Lodge, is dated 

1772.

Lynette Gribble notes that Danson villa, built in 1766 by Taylor for Sir John Boyd, in parkland in 

Bexley is less than 20 miles from Chatham and on the road to London. Pownoll may have known this 

building as a new house where there were few others at the time, en route to and from Chatham, 

where he must surely have spent some time as a naval commander. 

Taylor worked not only for aristocrats and church grandees, but also counted a number of self-made 

men amongst his clients. These included bankers, merchants and several contractors who were 

made rich supplying the army in times of war, reflecting, that ‘around the middle of the century 

the pattern of architectural patronage was changing rapidly’. 11 Taylor’s other work for the newlywealthy 

may have recommended him to Pownoll. Arguably, the villa, with its compact design, usually 

erected on a virgin site, was the perfect architectural match for men who may have had wealth, and 

perhaps a town house, too, but no great retinue of servants or family inheritance of objects and 

furniture. Pownoll’s sea chest ‘covered with cow’s hide and marked P.P’ was still kept at Sharpham 

during the ownership of Oxley Parker, who owned Sharpham 1906-1932, a reminder of a man whose 

professional life demanded that he travelled light.

1.3 – Sir Robert Taylor 1714-1788 

The earliest documentary attribution of the design of Sharpham to Sir Robert Taylor found to date is 

1852. However, the house shares so many characteristic features of the architect’s hand that there 

is no doubt that he was responsible for the original design, although the house was later extended 

massively to the rear (west) in the same style and has undergone minor alterations since. 

Sir Robert Taylor (1714-1788) [Fig.15] is now considered one of the leading architects of the 18 th 

century. He was the son of a mason and was apprenticed as a sculptor to Sir Henry Cheere in 1732. 

His first recorded architectural work is in the late 1740s. He was influenced by the work of Lord 

Burlington, William Kent and Roger Morris, all designing in the neo-Palladian style. As Taylor’s career 

unfolded he developed a plainer and simpler classical style for exteriors, especially in his villas. 

Here he dispensed with external columns and favoured refined ashlar stonework with high quality 

rustication used to reinforce the design. Marcus Binney, who researched Taylor, his patrons and his 

works over several decades, argues that his designs (both plans and elevations) were innovative and 

bold, providing buildings composed of ‘simple geometric volumes, plain surfaces and ingeniously 

varied plans’. He was especially inventive in introducing canted and rounded elements to produce 

rooms of interesting shapes and great variety in his villa designs. 

Taylor’s major public work, a series of extensions to the Bank of England, City of London, has 

disappeared in later alterations. Many of his London town houses have also been lost. Of his country 

villas [Fig.16], which in Binney’s view represent his greatest contribution to English architecture, two 

(Coptfold Hall, Essex and Purbrook Hall, Hampshire) have been demolished, three (Harleyford Manor, 

Bucks; Barlaston Hall, Staffs, and Danson Hall, Kent (which was completed by Sir William Chambers)) 

have suffered periods in a very neglected state, followed by thorough refurbishment. Barlaston was 

rescued by a trust established by Marcus Binney. Chute Lodge, Wiltshire was later enlarged and 

has been divided into four houses. This leaves Asgill House, Richmond, Surrey (built 1761-4) and 

Sharpham (c.1769) [Fig.17] as his most complete surviving villas with Sharpham ‘undoubtedly his 

masterpiece’ (Binney). 

Unfortunately very few of Taylor’s original architectural drawings survive, apart from a volume 

of designs for chimney-pieces, one on designs for monuments and one volume on ‘Problems in 

Geometry and Mensuration with Diagrams’. 12 

Fig.15. Extract from a copy of a portrait 

of Sir Robert Taylor at Sharpham House.

Harleyford Manor, Bucks., 1755 

Asgill House, Richmond, 1757-8 

Barlaston Hall, Staffordshire, 1756-8 

Danson House, Bexleyheath, Kent, c.1766 

The staircase at Danson House 

Fig.16. Examples of Taylor’s villas. Copyright being investigated by Keystone.

1.4 – The New House, Phase I: Taylor’s Work for Pownoll at Sharpham: c.1769-? 

1.4.1 – Documentation 

Four 1760s paintings of Sharpham by John Lewis are known to exist. The Sharpham Trust has 

copies of four of them, which hang in the house [Figs.12, 18-20]. They are presumed to have been 

commissioned by Pownoll to show the house and landscape both before and after the work he 

commissioned and are crucial to the interpretation of the development of the house. 

Fig.17. Sharpham, begun c.1769. East front 

(top), stairhall (left). 

17

There are some puzzling aspects of the paintings. One, which shows the old house is undated but 

assumed to be c.1765, shortly after Pownoll bought the estate. One of the others is dated 1769. 

Phibbs notes that anomalies between individual paintings, and also the schematic presentation of 

parts of the landscape, suggest that the landscape design had not been finally decided upon in 1769. 

The house is also shown in two slightly different forms in two of the paintings implying that two 

alternative designs are offered, rather than a record of the house as built. 

Two of the paintings include the south elevation of the new house. Both show the Taylor house 

incorporating, to the west on the south side, the crosswing of the old house, which is shown gabled 

with mullioned windows both in the 1749 image and in the Lewis painting of c.1765. In one of the 

paintings of the new house this 3-storey structure is shown with no gable, but an embattled parapet 

and a Venetian window on the first floor. In the other painting it is gabled but with what appears to 

be massively enlarged square-headed mullioned windows on the ground and first floor. The question 

of which one, if either, of these designs was used is largely academic now, as this section of the south 

elevation had been altered, or was completed to quite a different design, by c.1824. The south side 

of the main elevation of the house is shown in both paintings as three window bays, counting from 

the east, with a single recessed bay between this and the putative old crosswing. Further west both 

paintings show a lower-roofed 2-bay wing apparently single-storey and attic. Judging from the 1749 

elevation and plan, this wing is a post-1749 addition and most likely a kitchen wing to the Taylor 

house. The present arrangement on the south side is a flush elevation of 6 window bays faced in 

Portland stone and then a lower-roofed, but 3-storey rendered wing, slightly set back, at the west 

end. 

The new house is shown in the Lewis paintings with a rendered east/west wing to the rear of the 

house, on the north side with an axial stack. This could be interpreted as in approximately the same 

location as the wing (barn?, retainers’ lodgings? kitchen?) with a blind south wall (and no stack) 

shown on the images of the old house and may have been retained and adapted. 

The Lewis paintings shows a stable block to west of the house. The range across the north of the 

stable yard has a 3-storey gabled entrance with a segmental-headed arched entrance. This range is 

shown abutting, at its east end, a building with two chimney stacks, which, judging from the 1749 

plan, is Upper Sharpham house. 

Fig.18. Extract from the Sharpham Trust’s copy of the c.1769 John Lewis painting showing the east elevation of 

the house. 

18

Fig.19. Extract from the Sharpham Trust’s copy of the c.1769 John Lewis painting showing the south elevation 

of the house. The detached building with two chimneystacks to the left (west) of the house is assumed to be 

Upper Sharpham House. A presumed stable block abuts it at the left end. 

Fig.20. Extract from the Sharpham Trust’s copy of the c.1769 John Lewis painting 

showing the north elevation of the house. 

19

In 1852 it was said that Pownoll never completed the house, but that this had been finished in 1824 

by his grandson, John Bastard, an opinion that has been regularly repeated since. 13 Oxley Parker 

attributes the information to Robert Hurrel Froude. Froude was Archdeacon of Totnes and Rector of 

Dartmouth and would probably have known the house. He died in 1859. In the period 1769 until his 

death in 1780, Pownoll‘s personal history certainly suggests that building work may have proceeded 

by fits and starts. Following the outbreak of the War of American Independence he was appointed 

to the frigate, Blonde, in December 1775. He was in Chatham in February 1776 when his prompt 

action saved her from a storm. In April Blonde was sent to St Helen’s, Canada. Later in 1776 he was 

appointed to command the frigate, Appollo. His wife, Jane died in 1778, aged 33. He was wounded 

in 1779 in an altercation with the French off the coast of Brittany, taking a musket ball in the chest 

and was finally killed in action in 1780, aged 45. The inscription on his monument in Ashprington 

church [Fig.21] emphasizes his dedication to voluntary public service in preference to a life at home: 

‘…Preferring 

The Toils and Perils of the Ocean 

When the Voice of his Country 

Called for his Services 

To 

A Life of Ease and Tranquillity 

Which 

His Affluence would have afforded 

He fell 

A Victim to her Cause’ 

1.4.2 – Evidence in the Building 

A number of features, taken together, help to identify Phase One. The rear (west) wall of the stair 

hall was once external, as shown by its stone plinth, now in the north/south passage that gives access 

to the kitchen, and the eaves cornice with modillion frieze now visible in the corresponding passage 

on the top floor [Figs.22, 23]. In the attic, there are servants’ rooms arranged round the dome of the 

stair hall. Along the east front and part of the south side, these have door architraves and horizontal 

sliding sashes, in pristine condition, with fat glazing bars of early/mid 18 th -century character [Fig.24]. 

Attic rooms (not seen by the owner or his guests) often exhibit old-fashioned features. The sash 

windows took borrowed light from now-blocked roof lights into the corridor around the dome and 

20 

Fig.21. The monument commemorating Philemon 

Pownoll and his wife, Jane, in Ashprington church.

the servants’ bedrooms. Some of the doors into the servants’ room preserve HL hinges, also of early/ 

mid 18 th -century character [Fig.25]. Beyond the rear wall of the stair hall the servants’ rooms have 

19 th -century doorframes, doors and internal windows. 

On the exterior of the house, between the third and fourth window bays from the east on both north 

and south sides, there is a discernible change to the design of the eaves cornice, which has a slight 

upstand to west [Fig.26]. There is a small block of what appears to be Bathstone in the eaves cornice 

below the modillion frieze on both the north and south sides associated with the change in the eaves 

cornice [Fig.27]. It is also possible to see very slight differences in the rustication of the masonry 

east and west of a dividing line between the third and fourth window bays on each side. West of this 

line the blocks of Portland are also slightly longer. On the north side this is associated with a thick 

Fig.23. The stone cornice of the same wall, now internal. 

Fig.22. The stone plinth of the formerly external 

west wall of the Phase One house. 

21

Fig.24. First phase horizontal sliding sashes in 

a servants’ bedroom in the attic. 

Fig.25. First phase doorcase in the attic with 

surviving HL hinge. 

masonry crosswall. The ground floor windows east of 

the change in the cornice design, on both north and 

south and east fronts all show evidence of having had 

their sills dropped [Fig.28], while the windows further 

west appear always to have had sills close to the 

plinth (the existing French windows are probably late 

19 th century or later). On the north elevation, the scar 

of a former pediment can be seen over the second 

ground floor window from the east [Fig.29]: the 

pediment would have been central to a 3-bay design. 

There is now a pediment over the third window from 

the east, which is central to the existing 5-bay design. 

The upper moulding of the platband on the north 

side can just be seen inside the house, returning 

along what was once an external west wall where a 

secondary stair is sited, On the south side, the ashlar 

elevation is six bays and there are pediments over 

windows two (which would have been central to a 

three-bay façade) and five. Inside the house there are 

notably thick walls on the east and west side of the 

present dining room, on the south side of the house. 

The principal rooms on the ground and first floor 

are distinguished by lavish decorative finish [Fig.30]. 

The chimney-piece in the octagonal drawing room 

has been attributed to Sir Henry Cheere (Taylor was 

apprenticed to Cheere), the painted medallions in 

the library to Angelica Kauffmann. The doorcases to 

the principal rooms have six-panelled ovolo-moulded 

doors and Roman ogee architraves. These doorcases 

contrast with those in the rooms in the rear west 

block and upper floors of the south west wing where 

the doorcases have a Greek ogee to a double astragal 

moulding and the finish of the rooms and surviving 

chimney-pieces are relatively plain. 

At the west end of the 3-storey south west wing, 

in what is now a separate dwelling, doorcases with 

Roman ogee mouldings survive [Fig.31], along with 

a substantial blocked fireplace in the west wall. The 

wing is distinguished from the part of the house 

containing superior rooms by plainer external 

treatment and a lower roofline. It is a good candidate 

for the Phase One kitchen. Cellars lie partly underneath this wing and partly under the rear courtyard 

[Figs.32, 33]. The northern of the two cellar rooms has been partly hacked out of bedrock and has 

a blocked doorway and window in the west wall, evidence that it was once accessible from the 

west courtyard. The walls and vaulted roofs of both rooms are otherwise handmade red brick. The 

vaulted roofs spring from square section piers and pilasters with Portland stone capitals with dragged 

rustication. An unpainted ledged door with strap hinges survives into the southern room of the cellar. 

All these features are consistent with a late 18 th -century date, with no convincing evidence of earlier 

fabric. The delicate rustication on the capitals strongly suggests Taylor’s work. 

A wide, flagged corridor, incorporating a flight of stairs to accommodate rising ground, extends east/ 

west behind the stair hall on the south side [Fig.34]. The corridor projects into the rear courtyard as 

a porch, incorporating a recycled late 16 th /early 17 th -century stone doorway with co-eval door and a 

stone mullioned window with dripmould [Figs.35,36]. The external timber cornice at ceiling level and 

the round-headed Georgian style window in the first floor (this is a 20 th -century replacement of an 

earlier round-headed window) indicate that this porch was formerly single-storey but has been raised 

to two storeys. 

22

Fig.26. Eaves upstand between the third and fouth bays on the north side 

Fig.27. The junction of Phases One and Two is 

marked on north and south sides by a Bathstone 

block. 

Fig.28. Masonry blocks in the ground floor Phase One 

windows (tinted by Keystone) prove that they originally 

had higher sills. 

23 

Fig.29. The scar of a former 

pediment over the first floor 

north side window. This would 

have been symmetrical in a 3-bay 

design.

The entrance hall Roman Doric colonnade. 

The first floor octagonal drawing room. 

Fig.30 Features and finishes of the Phase One house. 

24

Doorways in the second floor suite of oval rooms. 

The Carrera marble chimneypice in the first floor north room. 

A detail of a goatherd from the drawing room 

chimneypiece. 

25 

The coved ceiling of the first floor south front 

room.

Built-in shelves in the library. 

A vaulted lobby between principal rooms. 

26 

A niche in the drawing room. 

A medallion over the chimneypiece in the first floor 

north room by John Webber. This shows the God, 

Appollo. ‘Appollo’ was the name of the frigate 

Pownoll commanded in 1776. Webber won a Royal 

Academy prize for the relief in the same year. 

The chimneypiece in the drawing room, using 

Sienna marble (information from Lynette Gribble).

Fig.31. The design of a doorcase in the south 

west wing proves that it is Phase One, although 

it might be considered rather grand for a kitchen 

location, as proposed here. 

Fig.32. (above left) The construction and features of the cellar are all consistent with a late 18th-century date. 

Fig.33. The Portland stone cellar capitals have delicate dragged rustication, consistent with design by Taylor. 

This compares with the finish of the archway in the north range of the stables, see Fig.73. 

27

1.4.3 – Discussion 

Observation establishes that the Portland-faced north and south sides of the house were originally 

3 bays deep (exactly as Lewis shows in the paintings of the south side) later extended to five bays on 

the north side and six on the south. The extension on the north side would have required at least 

partial demolition or massive rebuilding of the earlier wing inherited from the old house on this side 

and shown in the Lewis paintings. 

28 

Fig.34. Steps in the probable Phase 

One passage illustrates the sharp rise 

in the ground to the west. 

Figs.35,36. The porch at the west end of the passage incorporates a re-sited late 16th- or early 17th-century 

doorway, door and window, recycled from the pre-Taylor house. The porch has been raised from one to two 

storeys.

The plan of the first phase of the stone ashlar part of the house was two rooms deep in the centre, 

with an entrance hall with Roman Doric arcading and the stair hall behind and, in the centre, 

extended no further to the west. On the south side at the east end, there was a library on the ground 

floor. At the west end of the south side this phase of the house included a rear wing with a large 

fireplace in its west end wall on the ground floor, as proved by the surviving door architraves on 

the ground floor and supported by the Lewis paintings. With the Taylor cellars partly constructed 

beneath this wing, this is a very good candidate for the Phase One kitchen. However, there is a 

problem in reconstructing the Phase One plan here, which is access from the putative kitchen to the 

principal rooms, particularly the dining room. By 1841 this was the ground floor front on the north 

side, but might have been on the south side in Phase One. There is no visible evidence for a doorway 

through the thick wall between kitchen wing and the present dining room, although the 1749 image 

of the old house shows a doorway in this wall, located approximately where there is now a stack 

serving a fireplace with a 19th-century chimneypiece. There is a blocked doorway into the west 

end of the flagged passage from the putative kitchen wing. One possible answer is that the flagged 

passageway is Phase One in origin and might have had its own roof as a single-storey structure, lying 

alongside what was then the rear courtyard. 

Another uncertainty is the function and form (or existence) of the rear north wing shown in the 

Lewis painting. The existing wing now (2012) in place here is partly Phase Two extension and, further 

north, a structure of the c.1860s. The evidence from historic images and the 1749 plan (allowing for 

inaccuracies of scale and proportion) suggests that Taylor retained, or intended to retain, the northwest 

range of the old house, with its blind south wall. This is an alternative candidate for the Phase 

One kitchen, but since the evidence has been lost in subsequent rebuildings, remains speculation 

only. The location of the cellars tips the balance in favour of the Phase One kitchen having been in 

the south-west wing. 

Access to the servants’ accommodation in the attic in Phase One is also unclear. The existing 

arrangement is via a second flight of stairs interpreted here as part of Phase Two and clearly built 

outside the shell of the Taylor house. It seems most likely (though unsubstantiated by any structural 

evidence noted by Keystone) that the Phase One attic stair was on the south (kitchen) side of the 

house. If this is correct, the evidence was lost in the Phase Two alterations. 

The Lewis paintings can be interpreted as showing Taylor’s new building incorporating the crosswing 

of the old house, visible as part of the south elevation, but up-graded (with two options) as regards 

windows. This is supported, as far as can be ascertained, by the structural evidence. There is a thick 

crosswall at the west end of the dining room. The east wall of the dining room is also thick and has 

been hacked back to accommodate a regularly spaced Phase Two window at the east end. 

The evidence in the fabric of the building, taken with the Lewis paintings, indicates a certain L-plan, 

probably a U-plan Phase One house to Taylor’s designs. The most convincing interpretation is that, 

as the Lewis paintings show, it incorporated part of the 16 th or 17 th -century crosswing from the old 

house, displayed as part of the south elevation. If part of the old house was retained as a north-west 

service wing, as the Lewis paintings suggest, the structural evidence to prove this has been lost. 

The east front of the Phase One house was much as it is today, although without the existing French 

windows in the sides of the canted bays. Observation proves that the windows preceding these were 

longer than the small windows shown in the Lewis paintings and the windows in the 3-bay north and 

south fronts were also shorter than the existing French windows. 

The principal rooms were compactly-arranged with good circulation systems off the entrance hall 

and from the piece de resistance, the stair hall [Figs.37-38]. The entrance hall, with its ‘compass’ 

design in the flooring and the stair hall, its balustrade ornamented with wrought iron panels [Fig.39], 

credibly interpreted as ‘P P’ for Philemon Pownall, are ostentatious on a grand scale and relate the 

new house to its naval captain owner. There were two good rooms on the ground floor, including a 

library to south. The function of the north ground floor room is not clear. The highest status rooms 

were on the first floor, in the common Palladian fashion. The octagonal drawing room allowed for 

three distinct views east out from the promontory. The room on the north side might have been a 

dining room (although the medallion over the fireplace suggests that it may also have functioned as 

a music room) [Fig.35], with a smaller first floor room, perhaps a parlour, to the south, lit from south 

29

Fig.37. The spectacular oval staircase rising to a top-lit dome. 

30

Fig.38. The gallery is designed to give access to rooms only to the south, east and north. 

Fig.39. Panels of interlaced Ps are the only decoration in an otherwise plain balustrade.

and east. Taylor’s skills in creating architectural delight in nternal variety of shape and volume, are 

evident. Not only are the rooms all different sizes and shapes, but there is variation in the ceiling 

heights, leaving considerable dead space above some of the ceilings. The second floor must have 

included the principal bedrooms, including the charming suite of paired oval rooms in the centre. 

Taylor’s design for this particular villa was a departure from his usual plans in that the house was not 

entered by a flight of steps directly up to a first floor suite of rooms – the piano nobile – allowing the 

ground floor to be used for services. The ground floor entrance at Sharpham allowed the staircase to 

be taller and more spectacular by a whole storey than was usually the case in Taylor’s designs. It also 

provided additional high status rooms on the ground floor. 

Binney argues that it was the distinctive site at Sharpham, as well as the decision to incorporate fabric 

from the previous house that drove Taylor to make radical adjustments to his usual villa design. The 

promontory meant that the views from the house were all to the front and sides, making it unsuitable 

for rear-facing principal rooms, a characteristic of the ‘in-the-round’ villa design. The size of the 

promontory must also have been a limiting factor in choosing which way the new house would face. 

The most dramatic view out is the river view to south-east, which Phibbs describes as ‘considerably 

enhanced by the almost complete absence of foreground…this has the effect of suspending the 

whole composition in space’. However it would have been difficult to squeeze in a house facing 

south-east across the top of the promontory, which is narrow from south-east to north-west. 

As important perhaps, as the limited space offered by the promontory, was the early (judging from 

the Lewis paintings) decision to incorporate fabric from the old south-facing house in the design. 

Perhaps the newly-wealthy Pownoll was seeking to gain in status and a sense of history from 

retaining the crosswing. Another issue in the new design may have been the presence of Upper 

Sharpham house, lying west of the old house and, judging from the Lewis paintings, not proposed for 

demolition. Pownoll and his small family could have occupied Upper Sharpham during the building 

works. 

It is suggested here that the evidence in the building makes a good case for a ‘completed’ Phase One 

house and contradicts the c. mid 19 th -century statement that the house was not ‘finished’ until the 

1820s. However, it is not known whether Phase One was finished in Pownoll’s lifetime, probably not. 

It seems that the house was fit for occupation by Pownoll’s immediate successors, rather than an 

uninhabitable building site. 

32

1.5 – The New House: Phase Two c.1780-1835 


As explained above, the documentary source for an incomplete house, finished by John Bastard 

in 1824 is Burke’s Visitation of Seats published in 1852. The same information is attributed to 

Archdeacon Froude (died 1859) by Oxley Parker. 

While there is plenty of documentation about the owners of Sharpham between 1780 and 1824, 

no engravings or plans have been found to date for the period of Pownoll’s immediate successors, 

his daughter Jane and her husband, Edmund Bastard. On Pownoll’s death in 1780, Sharpham was 

left in trust for Jane, his only child, then aged 16 and an orphan. She was to inherit when aged 

21 or married, whichever came first. The appointed trustees were all naval men. Charles Proby, 

presumably Pownoll’s brother-in-law, was the guardian entrusted with her maintenance and, if 

he should die, Sarah Proby, Pownoll’s sister. 14 It is not known whether Jane lived at Sharpham or 

elsewhere with her guardians. 

If it were not for Oxley Parker’s 1921 lecture on Sharpham to the Totnes Antiquarian Society 

(published in the Totnes Times on 22 nd January 1921), primary sources in the Devon Record Office 

would lead one to suppose that Jane had a perfectly conventional marriage in 1783, aged 19, to 

Edmund Bastard, second son of the Bastard family of Kitley and a lieutenant in the navy. There was 

a traditional pre-nuptial agreement with the trustees of her estate and a wedding in St George’s, 

Hanover Square. However, Oxley Parker’s account states that all this was preceded by an elopement 

to Gretna Green. It is not clear what objections Jane’s trustees might have had to the younger son 

of an established Devon family. However, Parker states ‘The head of the Bastard family, the late Col. 

Bastard told me that they still hold the Blacksmith of Gretna Green’s Certificate of Marriage as a 

relic’. 

In 1791 the Land Tax Assessments show Edmund Bastard owning and occupying Lower Sharpham 

and ‘the great wood’. Upper Sharpham was rented out to a tenant, Nicholas Colston. By 1800 

Edmund occupied both properties. This suggests that Upper Sharpham house was not demolished 

until after 1791. It is difficult, given the scale and graphics, to make sense of the 1803-4 Ordnance 

Survey map as a record of the buildings in place then [Fig.40]. 

Edmund became MP for Dartmouth. He 

made his will in 1805 and died in 1816 

leaving Sharpham to his second son, John 

Bastard. His eldest son inherited Kitley, so 

Sharpham, the mother’s inheritance, went 

to John. Edmund provided £500 a year for 

his wife for life and use of the plate, jewels, 

books, furniture, ornamental pictures, 

garden tools, carriages and horses at 

Sharpham. He asked for an inventory to be 

deposited with his brother, John Pollexfen 

Bastard and after her decease to become 

part of the residue of the estate. This has 

not been found. He provided £21,000 for 

‘each’ younger child, knowing that he only 

had one. By a codicil he increased the 

amount to £24,000. 16 

Fig.40. Extract (enlarged) from the he 1803-4 Ordnance 

Survey map. 

Edmund’s widow, Jane Bastard lived for 

another six years, dying in 1822. John 

Bastard (1787-1835) who inherited in 

1816, married Frances Wade in 1817. 

Like his father and grandfather, he was a 

naval man, a captain. It is he who is said 

to have ‘completed’ the house. Work

seems most likely to have begun in earnest after his mother’s death in 1822. He was buying land 

around Sharpham in 1824 including fishing rights in the Dart (which seem to have been lost to the 

estate since 1749) so presumably he was not short of money. A lithograph of Sharpham, tentatively 

dated 1826, is dedicated to John Bastard, Esq., MP and shows his ‘admired villa’ from the south-east 

[Fig.41]. By this date the south elevation had received an ashlar finish of six bays and presumably the 

north elevation had been extended to five bays, as it is today. The south-west wing is shown at its 

present height and taller than in the Lewis paintings. 

John Bastard died in 1835, having made his will in 1833. This provided for his ‘dear wife Frances’ in 

her lifetime and set up a trust during the minority of his eldest son, John Pollexfen Pownall Wade 

Bastard, who was to inherit at age 21. By 1833 John Bastard not only owned the manor and lordship 

of Ashprington ‘with the capital messuage or tenement called Sharpham House’ and other properties 

in Ashprington, Totnes, Diptford, Manaton and Blackawton ‘commonly called the Sharpham Estate’, 

but also held the Washbourne Estate in Harberton, Halwell and Ashprington as well as land in 

Tandridge in Surrey. His second son, Edmund Pollexfen Bastard had died ‘an infant under 21 years 

of age’; his third son was William Benjamin Bastard. He also had a daughter, Frances. His wife, 

Frances, was to have, for her lifetime, ‘the sd capital messuage or tenement called Sharpham House 

with all the buildings, out offices, gardens, lodges, roads, approaches and appurtenances thereunto 

belonging’ and ‘the fields or closes of land and orchard thereunto adjoining and usually held 

therewith and known as: 

Slade – 8 acre meadow 

The orchard near the house – 3 acres 

Bailey Park – 4 acres 

as well as 10 acres of ‘the lawn’ to be selected by her. 

This would amount to about 30 acres in all. She was also to have ‘his household furniture plate linen 

china books pictures utensils and effects in and about his house and premises at Sharpham at the 

time of his decease’. He also bequeathed her ‘all her jewels, trinkets and ornaments of the person... 

that came from her mother, Mrs Arabella Rowley’ and ‘all his carriages carriage and saddle horses and 

ponies with their harness and equipment cows and other livestock wines and liquors’. His trustees 

and executors were his elder brother, Edmund Pollexfen Bastard of Kitley and William George Lawyer. 

Fig.41. c.1826 print showing the south side of Sharpham much as it is in 2011.


The evidence for the north side extension, or re-facing, by two bays and the south side by three is 

described in 4.2 above. The alterations to the external masonry were made with extraordinary care 

and skill. The quality of the ashlar and rustication on the Phase One villa was maintained to a very 

perfect degree, although the west return of the new north side was rendered [Fig.42]. One difference 

was that the ground floor windows in the new stonework were longer than those in the Phase One 

building. The earlier windows on the north and south sides may have been lengthened at this date, 

probably as sashes and not French windows, as they are now. 

A four-storey block, 3 window bays wide, behind the stair hall is rendered externally and glazed with 

sash windows [Fig.43]. It provided a large kitchen on the ground floor heated from a fireplace in its 

north wall, with an axial passage between the kitchen and the rear wall of the stair hall, which was 

clearly previously external. The suites of rooms above the kitchen are accessed from a stair tucked 

in rear north of the primary stair hall [Fig.44] . The 4-storey block relates awkwardly to the 3-storey 

Taylor house [see Fig.47] as well as to the carefuly copied design of the extended north wall: here 

floors cut across the two new windows. 

The existing south west wing is three storeys, whereas the Lewis paintings show it as a tall singlestorey 

and attic structure. The addition of a storey to the rear porch containing the late 16 th /early 

17 th -century door, doorway and window is noted above. 

If the Phase One south side incorporated the 3-storey crosswing, as the Lewis paintings indicate, this 

was lost as an external feature 

in the Phase Two extension. The 

evidence for its survival in the 

existing internal plan of the house 

is noted above, in the thick walls 

flanking the present dining room, 

particualrly the formerly external 

west wall. 

Fig.42. The extended north wing was rendered on the west face. 

Behind (west of) the Taylor cellars 

and accessed from a doorway in 

the court behind the Phase two 

kitchen, a low passage leads to a 

deep slot, now requiring ladder 

access down from a higher level, 

which has been cut into the 

bedrock. This returns along the 

south side of the Taylor cellar with 

a drain in its south-east corner. 

Chris Nicholls reports a former 

sump in the lawn to south of the 

house. Pipework now takes water 

to the south edge of the south 

lawn, marked by two manhole 

covers. The best explanation for 

the slot and the amendments 

to the cellar, which was once 

accessible from the court to west 

(there is a blocked doorway in the 

west wall of the north cellar), is 

first a flooding problem and, later, 

alterations to the west courtyard. 

The slot appears to function as 

a massive French drain carrying 

ground water from the west round 

and away from the cellars to south.

Fig.43. The rear centre block. 

Fig.44. The stair giving access to the four 

floors of the west block. The horizontal 

feature just below ceiling level and cut by 

the lightshade in this photograph, is the drip 

course from a Phase One window.

Fig.45. The south-west wing was raised. 

Fig.46. The Phase Two kitchen. 

37

The blocking of the north cellar doorway and window, raising the ground with rubble and a concrete 

floor, may be a late 19th or 20th-century amendment providing more space in the west courtyard by 

abandoning what an flight of steps down to the cellar in preferecne for access from inside. 


The additions to the Phase One house: the new four-storey rear centre block and the raising of 

the south-west wing, added at least ten rooms to Sharpham. The expansion, as understood both 

from the Lewis paintings and from the archaeology of the building, seems to have been undertaken 

principally in order to provide more private rooms for a larger family (John Bastard had four children 

and by 1841 the house was described as having three nurseries) and far more extensive services, 

including accommodation for in-house servants. A new kitchen (described in 1841 as ‘fit for a 

nabob’) was placed rear centre [Fig.45], probably leaving the old kitchen wing for re-use as servants’ 

hall, housekeeper’s room etc. The amendments to the cellar are impossible to date with confidence 

but are considered here to be Phase Two, although they might just as well have been made in the 

later 19th-cnetury for Richard Durant. 

What is remarkable is the fidelity of the Phase Two external work, where it abutted Taylor’s original, 

to the 1769 design, continuing the Portland ashlar facing and repeating the refined rustication of the 

lower courses. The ground floor windows in the new work were longer than those in Taylor’s north 

and south elevations, which may have been dropped to match the new work at this date. It seems 

likely that these were sash windows, and not the existing French windows. 

Inside, the Taylor rooms, with all their elaborate finishes and the most splendid views out, were left 

unaltered, as the public face of Sharpham, which now had the architecture of a middle-sized country 

house including extensive private rooms, at the back. 

One aspect of the new work was the removal of all visible traces of the old house, apart from the 

late 16 th -/early 17 th -century door in a moulded stone frame and a stone mullioned window in the 

rear porch. Whether this was just a consequence of the extension of accommodation, or a matter 

of taste, is not known. Perhaps the Bastards, as an established gentry family, had more social 

confidence than Pownoll and felt no need to display the antiquity of their home. 

The lithograph of c.1826 is dedicated to John Bastard and described as showing his ‘admired villa’. It 

may have been a record of the completion of Phase Two [see Fig.41]. 

The relationship between Phases One and Two is best appreciated in section [Fig.47]. 

Fig.47. Phase One shown in yellow, Phase Two in purple, shown by Keystone on a 1962 section by 

Clutton and Drew, held in the Sharpham archive. 

38

1.6 – 1835-1841 

No clear evidence for changes to the building in this period has been observed. 


It seems unlikely that much was done to the house by, Frances, John Bastard’s widow, in the period 

after her husband died in 1835 and before his heir came of age, in 1841. In that year, immediately 

after John Pollexfen Pownall Wade Bastard reached his age of majority, Sharpham was put up for sale 

[Fig.48]. There were fulsome sale particulars and an engraving, showing the house from the north- 

east, is said to have been published as part of the sales campaign. The sales particulars are in sharp 

contrast with an account of a visit to Sharpham in 1842, presumably made before the new owner was 

installed, and published in the Gardeners’ Magazine, which described the place as neglected and the 

walled garden as incomplete. 

The 1841 sales particulars identify most of the room uses at that date. The ‘grand suite’ – this must 

be the first floor - consisted of a dining parlour ‘with a tasteful statuary marble chimney piece’: this 

was the first floor room on the north side; the octagonal drawing room; a morning room (presumably 

over the library), a boudoir (behind the morning room?), the state bedroom and dressing room (on 

the south side?), three nurseries, a bathroom and a ‘commodite’, presumably a room containing a 

commode. 

On the ground floor, in addition to the library, still in the south-east corner of the front range, the 

room on the north side of the entrance hall was described as a billiard room. There was also a 

‘magistrate’s room’ –the location of this is unclear. Minor court cases in this period were often heard 

in private houses, or inns, with little court paraphernalia, the magistrates sitting behind a table. 

The service rooms are described as in ‘the basement’. The rising ground to west of the house 

certainly made the kitchen a semi-basement room. In addition to the Phase Two kitchen described 

as ‘fit for a nabob’ there was a housekeeper’s room, servants’ hall, scullery and two larders, butler’s 

pantry, and bed room. 

The sales particulars list service rooms and areas outside as ‘A drying ground, bakinghouse and dairy, 

with Dutch tiles; brewhouse, woodhouse, slaughterhouse, and cyder cellar, with loft over’ and a 

court yard including an ‘eight-stall stable, and a place for four more. Two double coach-houses, two 

harness rooms, hay and straw depository, two rooms over lofts, a carpenter’s shed etc’. The grounds 

included ‘a beautiful conservatory, hot and succession houses, and a pinery’ with fruit and kitchen 

gardens ‘extensive and beyond measure’. 

Only a year later a description in the Gardeners’ Magazine, which inevitably concentrates on the 

garden buildings, described Sharpham as being in ‘a wretched state’ and ‘in a state of sad neglect, 

nothing having been done to it for several years. It appears, indeed, never to have been completed; 

for the walls of the kitchen-garden have not been built, and there are the rafters of a vinery, under 

which vines are trained, but for which, we were informed, the sashes were never made’. 

39

Fig.48. The front page of the 1841 sales particulars. The Devon and Exeter 

Institution, reproduced with permission 

40

1.7 – 1841-1878. Richard (i) Durant and alterations for him 


The house was purchased in 1841 by Richard Durant, a silk broker, then aged about 50 [Fig.49]. A 

lithograph, tentatively dated 1840 by the West Country Studies Library, but stated elsewhere to have 

accompanied the sales particulars of 1841 shows the north side of the house [Fig.40]. Today the 

ground level rises sharply here, but this is not shown on the lithograph which shows a single-storey 

rear north wing, its north front divided into full-height bays. Beyond this there is a glimpse of the 

stable court which shows a clock turret, apparently on the east range of the stable yard. Differences 

between a map accompanying the 1841 sales particulars and the tithe map of 1843 are taken here to 

show significant changes made by Durant shortly after purchase. [Figs.51, 52] 

Fig.49. Richard Durant from a portrait copied for the Sharpham Trust.

Fig.50. Lithograph of Sharpham. This may have been produced to accompany the 1841 sales particulars. 

West Country Studies Library. Reproduced with permission. 

Richard Durant seems not to have moved into Sharpham until after the 1842 visit described in the 

Gardeners’ Magazine. He was born in Exeter and the family business, Durant and Co., had been 

started by an Exeter uncle, who had moved the business to London. There were offices in Copthall 

Court in Richard Durant’s day. According to Oxley Parker, before he was 20 Richard Durant ‘had gone 

to sea and to America, to join in the War, but yellow fever drove him back to the Old Country’, where 

he was taken into business by his cousin. Six years after buying Sharpham, this same cousin, who had 

no immediate family, died and left Durant another estate, High Canons in Hertfordshire in 1847 and 

Richard became head of Durant and Co. from that year until his death in 1878. 

Durant must have divided his time between London, Sharpham and High Canons before 1856, when 

he gave his Hertfordshire estate to his eldest son on his marriage, although he is described as ‘of 

Sharpham and High Canons, Herts.’ on his tomb in Ashprington churchyard [Fig.53]. Neither he 

nor any members of his family were at Sharpham for the 1851 or 1861 Census. In 1851 he and his 

wife were both at 23 Park Crescent, Marleybone, presumably their London house. This was in a 

fine stuccoed terrace to the designs of John Nash, close to Regents Park. He gave his age as 60 and 

described himself as Sheriff of Devon, magistrate and silk broker. His wife was then 61 and one of 

their sons, Charles James, aged 21, and two unmarried daughters, Elizabeth and Emily, were also 

at home on Census day. In 1861 (his wife had died in 1855) he was a guest in a Brighton hotel on 

Census day. There was a skeleton staff in Devon at ‘Sharpham Mansion’ as it was called: Louisa Ward, 

a housemaid aged 29; Marina Pring, a kitchen maid, aged 52 and Charles Button, an under gardener, 

aged 17. 

Richard Durant was quick to make improvements to his Sharpham estate. Philanthropy, in the shape 

of improving Ashprington, seems to have come first. In 1841 the old church house was dismantled 

and its materials used to build a schoolhouse on land belonging to ‘Mr Durant of Copthall Court’. 17 

By 1850 White’s Directory stated that Durant had ‘lately much improved the village by erecting a new 

inn and rebuilding many of the cottages’ and Oxley Parker praises his ‘doing away with practically all 

the old cob cottages and buildings: widening roads and altering them etc., say in the approach to the 

village of Ashprington, etc., from Totnes’. 

42

Fig.51. An extract from the plan in the 1841 sales particulars, 

rotated to put north at the top. Reliability uncertain. Reproduced 

courtesy of the Devon and Exeter Institution. 

Fig.52. Extract from the tithe map of 1843. Devon Record 

Office. The wings projecting east from the stable yard have 

disappeared. 

Fig.53. The Durant grave slab in Ashprington churchyard.

In 1844 he was debating the planting of a double avenue of trees between Sharpham and 

Ashprington, ‘Church Path’, and in the following year was contributing to the restoration of the 

church. 

A photograph in the Totnes Image Bank, reckoned to be the Durant household at Sharpham and 

dated c.1900, could be a little earlier [Fig.54]. It may show Elizabeth Jane Durant, Richard’s daughter, 

seated. It shows that one of the windows in the canted bay on the east front had a two-pane plate 

glass sash by this date, and no doubt this was one of a set. For reasons of expense this style of 

window is unlikely to be earlier than 1840 (when the tax on plate glass was removed) and any at 

Sharpham presumably replaced the small-pane sashes to give better views of the landscape, unobscured 

by glazing bars. Architects’ elevations show that there were plate glass sashes in the Phase 

One ashlar portion of the house in 1962. 

Fig. 54. The Durant household in an 

undated but c.1900 photograph in 

the Totnes Image Bank, DRA/0073/ 

AP1. Reproduced with permission. 


Maps of the 1840s show service wings at the rear of the house but these appear to be narrower 

and shorter than the existing. Two outer service wings now (2011) give Sharpham a deep U-plan 

[Figs.55-56]. The south wing seems to have been accessible only from the rear courtyard, but there 

is evidence of an internal link from the north wing into the house. The roofs of the existing wings 

match one another and they were evidently built together. Externally they are of unrendered stone 

rubble with deep eaves on shaped brackets, the north wing gabled, the south wing hipped at the 

west end. The south wing, which is shorter than the north and abuts the putative c.1770 kitchen, is 

single-storey. The north wing abuts the rear of the Phase Two main block of the house and is single 

storey at the west end, but 2-storey to the east as a result of the sharp rise to west in ground level. 

The full-height north end room in the north wing has a large archway (now infilled) with a ventilator 

above and there is evidence of a stack inside. The ground floor includes a room with slate shelves, 

typical of a dairy arrangement. The north wing has been extensively altered to create a dwelling and 

an office, the latter converted from a garage. The south wing was originally blind on the south side, 

ensuring privacy in the garden to the south. Its existing windows on the south side are 1970. 

The roofs of both wings are of interrupted tie beam design with arched braces, strapped back to the 

tie, with a roll-moulded finish. The arched braces cross, scissor fashion, at the apex, with a lap joint. 

There are two sets of purlins [Fig.57]. The roof carpentry is consistent with a date in the 1860s. 

The finish of the octagonal drawing room has been made more ostentatious with the addition of 

decorative frames to each facet of the octagon. The ceiling has a border decorated at the corners 

and a central plaster motif. This decoration with its gilded flourishes contrasts with the more sober 

character of the round-headed niches and relates awkwardly to the chimney-piece, the windows and 

the round-headed niches [Fig.58].

Fig.55. (top), the north service wing, north side. 

Fig.56. (below), the south service wing, south side.

Fig.57. The matching roofs of the service wings.


Late 19 th -century changes to the Phase One Taylor design can probably be attributed to Richard 

Durant before 1878. 

The external character of the rear wings and their roof construction are consistent with a date in 

the 1860s. Presumably they were added for Richard (i) Durant, replacing whatever had been there 

before with more up-to-date facilities. By 1940 the facilities provided in the wings were described 

as: ‘a Laundry with Wash-house and Ironing Room and “Ideal” Boiler, Brew House, Bakehouse, Wood 

Shed, Underground Coal Cellar and W.C.’. The south wing was evidently the laundry and ironing room 

and may have had this function since the 1860s. A stone rubble tank in the garden of the east range 

of the stable yard is said to have provided water for the laundry using a gravity feed (pers.comm. Judy 

Smith). The west end of the north wing may have originated as a blacksmith’s shop with the ground 

floor further east including a small dairy. By 1940 the west end was probably the brewhouse and 

bakehouse mentioned in sales particulars. It has been extensively altered in the 20 th century, firstly 

providing a garage, then an office in the west end. The east portion of the wing was converted to a 

dwelling before 1962. 

If an 1860s date is correct, it should be noted that these generously-scaled service facilities were 

being provided for Richard (i) Durant when he was a widower with grown-up children. By 1871 he 

seems to have been living alone at Sharpham with only two live-in servants, although his unmarried 

daughter, Elizabeth, who later claimed to have lived at Sharpham all her life, may have been away on 

a visit. Even so, this seems to have been small household for such extensive facilities. However, as 

Oxley Parker indicates below, Durant had a sense of a future dynasty at Sharpham and was expecting 

his young grandson Richard (iii) Durant to inherit. Having acquired the house in a neglected state, 

perhaps he was especially keen to hand it on in good order. 

Fig.58. The ornamental frames added to Taylor’s late 18th-century decoration in the 

octagonal drawing room. 

47

1.8 – 1878-1962 


Oxley Parker records that after the death of Richard (i) Durant, his son, Richard (ii) showed little 

interest in Sharpham, visiting the place only in the summer with his four daughters, after his own son 

and heir, Richard (iii) Durant died, aged 18. Richard (iii) Durant ‘was the bright spot in the lives of his 

devoted father (his mother died 16 years before) and grandfather, and they both looked forward to 

his future at Sharpham and in the world. His premature death was a crushing blow to his father, and 

would have been to his grandfather had he lived to know it. The result was, his father never got over 

his death and just allowed his sister, Miss Elizabeth Jane Durant, to live on at Sharpham for the eight 

years that he was owner, and then she became the owner and lived on the property for 20 years…’ 

Elizabeth Jane Durant described herself as the head of the household at Sharpham at the 1881 

Ccensus. She was aged 52, with a modest household of three live-in servants: a butler, housekeeper 

and housemaid. The boat house was occupied by a carpenter and his family and a property called 

the ‘Gardens’ by Henry Dunn, gardener, and his family. In 1886 Richard (ii) Durant died and Elizabeth 

Jane bought the 1,328 acre Sharpham estate, valued at £97,000, from his executors. She was clearly 

very attached to the place and stated in family correspondence that she had lived at Sharpham all her 

life. She was anxious that news of the sale should not become public, but her acquisition should be 

seen as a ‘family arrangement’ (presumably meaning a bequest), exactly as Oxley Parker implies in his 

account. In reality she had to stretch her reources to buy Sharpham. 

On November 19 th she wrote to one of the executors of Richard (ii) Durant’s will, Charles Durant: ‘If 

the place is to be advertised here or in London [this had been suggested to establish its true market 

value] and become the gossip of the county and elsewhere that “Sharpham is to be sold” the one 

great object of my buying would be dashed fancy! I who have lived here all my life, known and felt all 

my Father felt, how could I ever under such circumstances even hear the name of Sharpham but with 

pain? How could I come forward?’ Durant, wrote to his co-executor, Oxley Parker on the same day: 

‘Eliz. Wishes to avoid the gossip and vulgarity consequent upon attempting to sell it and therefore 

proposes to buy at the price put upon it by our agent so that beyond the family no one will know that 

Sharpham has been sold at all – she is the only member of the family possessing the means to carry it 

through and she offers to do it – I think she is foolish and quixotic, but as you say, that is her affair’. 18 

Elizabeth Jane died in 1906 and left Sharpham to her nephew, Oxley Durant Parker, the son of her 

sister Louisa. Oxley Durant Parker, like his male predecessors at Sharpham, was a magistrate. He 

researched the house and its previous owners from a large collection of original documents that 

remained in the house and from personal contacts with the Bastard and other families. He wrote 

a summary history of the house which survives in the form of a typescript lecture he gave in Totnes 

in 1921. In 1911 he and his wife hosted a brief visit from the Devonshire Association and this may 

be the event recorded in a photograph of the house held in the West Country Studies Library. The 

house was admired by the Devonshire Association not only for its architecture but also for its 

‘magnificent Dresden china and old furniture’ and various exotic trees and shrubs. 19 Oxley Durant 

Parker remained the owner of Sharpham until his death in 1932, when it passed to his cousin, Major 

Alastair Hope Kirk, although his only child, a daughter, is said to have lived at Sharpham for a period 

after his death. An undated photograph in the Totnes Image Bank probably dates from Oxley Parker’s 

ownership [Fig.59], 

In 1940 Sharpham was put up for auction after Major Kirk died. The sale catalogue lists room uses at 

that date. They were not radically changed since 1841, though the ground floor room to north was 

identified as a ‘billiards room or dining room’ with four French windows (this is the only room with 

French windows mentioned) and the room above on the first floor as the ‘saloon’. The house was 

withdrawn from auction at a price of £1,900, but other parcels of land and buildings on the estate 

were sold. 

From 1940-1943 Sharpham was used to house a convent school evacuated from London. A 

typescript in the Sharpham archives is a record of the period written by one of the nuns. When they 

and their pupils arrived in 1940 they were told that just before ‘some soldiers had squatted in the 

empty house’ but beat a hasty retreat when they heard that nuns and schoolgirls were on their way. 

48

Fig.59. An undated but ptobably 1920s photograph of the house. THis shows the plate glass 2-pane sashes 

presumed to have been installed by Richard (i) Durant. The Totnes Image Bank, JB/0014. This shows a 

stack, now missing, on the N side. Reproduced with permission. 

The nuns noticed barges on the Dart, but did not realize they were being prepared for the invasion of 

France. On Friday 16 th October the house was bombed. Miraculously, no-one was hurt. There was 

a hole in the wall in the hall and the front of the house was damaged with all the windows blown 

out. There were more raids, though no reference to any other damage to the building, and the nuns 

decided to leave and move to Shropshire. 

In 1947 the house, by then in a poor state of repair, was acquired by Major R C B Astley Sparke, who 

put it up for sale in 1951. The particulars state: ‘The house suffered a certain amount of damage 

from cannon shell from enemy aircraft during the late war’… ‘The bulk of this has been made good 

under a cost-of-works payment, but there is a quantity of works on the top floor still to be done 

including the redecoration of the staircase dome and making good the stonework on the exterior. 

This work has been admitted by the War Damage Commission’. The windows were replaced with 

plate glass sashes which were still in place in 1962 and shown on elevations of that date by Clutton 

and Drew. They were later altered to small-pane sashes. 

Very little documentation has been found by Keystone for the period from 1951 to 1962, before 

the estate was bought by Ruth Ash (nee Elmhirst) and her husband, Maurice. In c.1952 Sharpham 

was bought by Major Andrews, who had sporting interests. This was a period of (mostly damaging) 

building activity as documented in plans of the house as it existed 1962. The oval rooms on the 

second floor were knocked into one. By 1962 two of the ground floor windows on the south 

elevation had been divided by internal partitions. Self-contained dwellings had been developed 

in the rear north and south wings, providing, along with the east range of the stable court, three 

cottages on site. 


The east elevation of the house has evidence of careful stonework repair, including to the porch 

pilasters [Fig.60]. 

The ground floor room north of the entrance hall of Taylor’s house now has intrusive boxed-in ceiling 

beams that cut through the cornice [Fig.61]. 

49

50 

Fig.60. Repair to the pilasters of the east 

entrance porch probably dates from putting 

right bomb damage. There was some later 

repair in c.2000 when the capital was releaded 

and there was some repointing. 

Fig.61. Intrusive boxed-in steel beams in the ground floor north room. Reputedly 

these were installed to support a billiard table in the room above. On documentary 

grounds the beams were inserted after 1951 and before 1962.


As the documentation indicates, bomb-damage to the stonework was made good. The windows that 

had been blown out were replaced with plate glass two-pane sash windows, presumably copying 

those that, on photographic evidence, had been installed in the late 19 th century. The roof was partly 

or wholly re-slated. A photograph in the 1951 sales catalogue shows the roof dormers still in place, 

presumably after this work was done and these must have been lost later. A couple of loose slates in 

the cellar, re-used as wine bin labels, might have been salvaged from the roof. If this is the case they 

indicate that, as one would suppose, that the early slating of the roof was pegged slates from the 

South Hams quarries: these would have been laid in diminishing courses. 

The boxed-in ceiling beams that cut through the cornice of the ground floor room north of the 

entrance hall are steel beams thought to have been inserted to strengthen the floor above when the 

billiard table from this room, where it was in 1951, was moved to the floor above before 1962.

1.9 – 1962-2011 


Ruth and Maurice Ash bought Sharpham in early 1962. Ruth Ash was the daughter of Leonard and 

Dorothy Elmhirst of Dartington Hall. Maurice Ash was a farmer, a key figure in the Town and Country 

Planning Association and dedicated to fighting for civic and environmental causes. He became a 

Trustee of Dartington in 1964, its chairman from 1972 to 1984. While making changes at Sharpham 

was also instrumental in developing Dartington Glass in Torrington, the Beaford Arts Centre in North 

Devon, as well as the Dartington Pottery and the Schumacher College at Dartington to promote 

sustainable development. In 1969 he published Regions of Tomorrow and contributed articles to the 

magazine Resurgence. In 1987 he published New Renaissance: essays in search of wholeness, which 

argued that local life needed rebuilding with the aid of appropriate technology. 

Immediately after they bought the estate the Ashes commissioned drawings of the house at 

Sharpham in March 1962 from Clutton and Drewe of Exeter. These plans, sections and elevations 

are a valuable record of the house as acquired [Figs.62-65]. They establish the existence of selfcontained 

cottages: one in the ground and first floor of the old kitchen wing, and another in Durant’s 

north service wing. The west end of this wing was in use as a garage. The sections are also extremely 

helpful in revealing the odd relationship between the Phase Two rear centre block and Taylor’s Phase 

One house [see Fig.47). The Sharpham Archive also holds many later plans form the Ash period 

showing what was done to the house for them and the architects they used. 

Clutton and Drewe appear only to have provided the ‘as existing’ drawings and to have one no other 

work for the Ashes. Between 1963 and 1976 the Ashes used Robert Hening, first as Hening and Chitty 

and later as Hening Associates, as their architect. Hening (1906-1997) had worked for Ruth Ash’s 

parents, Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst, at Dartington Hall from 1930, where he was involved with 

the construction of High Cross House, designed by the Swiss-American modernist, William Lescaze. 

He also became the supervising architect for many of the other Dartington buildings. With Anthony 

Chitty, he ran a successful practice, designing municipal airports before World War II and innovative 

prefabricated buildings afterwards. 

Fig.62. 1962 ground floor plan by Clutton and Drew from the Sharpham archive. 

52

Fig.63. 1962 first floor (top) and second and third floor plans by Clutton and Drew from the Sharpham 

archive.

Fig.64. 1962 east (top) and west elevations by Clutton and Drew from the Sharpham archive. There were 

plate glass 2-pane sashes on the first floor of the east elevation. The west elevation shows the west end 

of the rear north wing as a garage.

Fig.65. 1962 elevations and sections by Clutton and Drew from the Sharpham archive.

The drawings in the Sharpham archive show Hening and Chitty designing a new manager’s house at 

Sharpham, west of the walled garden, in 1962 and undertaking repairs and minor alterations in the 

main house in 1962-4, e.g. dealing with rot, and reinstating small-pane sashes in the show elevations 

of the house. The installation of new central heating meant that a number of fireplaces were blocked 

up and in some cases the chimney-pieces recycled in different parts of the house. In 1963 Hening 

and Chitty designed the utilitarian garage that abuts the north wing of the house. This was an 

adaptation of an existing semi-basement store. In 1966 they provided plans for inserting a new first 

floor in the east range of the stable yard, improving the ‘bungalow’ there. 

In 1967 Marcus Binney published plans of Sharpham in an article on Taylor’s villas in Country Life, 

and went on to write a key two-part article on Taylor’s Sharpham in 1969, without the advantage of 

knowing the Lewis paintings and assuming that the existing kitchen was Phase One. He published a 

second floor plan showing the paired oval rooms reinstated as he thought they had originally been 

designed. He may have seen the original curved doors, which had been kept on the site (pers.comm. 

Chris Nicholls). 

In 1970 Hening, now Hening Associates, installed windows on the south side of the former laundry 

[Fig.66]. 

In 1976, Tom Hancock of Holly Bush Hill, London, designed a scheme to create an entirely detached 

dwelling in the rear centre block. This involved the loss of one flight of the Phase Two staircase, with 

the stairwell ceiled over and an intrusive steel bridge across the courtyard for access [Fig.67]. On the 

plus side, plans were provided for reinstating the exquisite pair of oval rooms and lobby on the 2 nd 

floor. 

The main house at Sharpham housed a Buddhist-orientated community on the top floor with a 

programme of public talks and workshops. The development of agricultural enterprises on the estate 

in the 1980s placed Sharpham in the vanguard of what were then radical ideas about farming, estate 

management, access to land and local food. This had an impact on 

the buildings of the estate. In 1981 a creamery and vineyard were 

established. The creamery was based in the stable yard and produced 

hand-made cheeses from organically-farmed Jersey cattle. Sharpham 

wine and Sharpham cheese are now established as quality local 

products. In 1983, in partnership with Christopher Murray, Maurice 

Ash opened Sharpham Stock Farm to schoolchildren and a nature trial 

was created on the estate. By 2003 the cheese-making enterprise was 

so successful that it moved out of the stable yard to a purpose-built 

creamery on the north slope of the promontory. The south range of the 

stable yard is now used as a store for the successful café adjacent to 

the creamery. 

Fig.66. The Hening and Associates 1970 design for windows in the south wall of the old laundry and a 

photograph in the Sharpham Archives of the work underway.

Fig.67. The Tom Hancock design of 1976 showing the steel bridge across the courtyard. 

In 1982 the Sharpham Trust was founded. Ruth Ash died in 1986, Maurice in 2003. 

In 2008 there were alterations to the house to improve access and circulation, to the designs of 

Harrison Sutton of Totnes, who provided a feasibility study to the Sharpham Trust in advance of the 

work. The corridor between the Phase Two kitchen and the back wall of the Phase One house was 

reinstated (having been blocked with wcs) and the lightwell ingeniously floored over incorporating 

glazed ribbons in the flooring. This provided better access to the upper rooms in the Phase Two rear 

block and bring borrowed light into the ground floor corridor. A lift shaft was built for better access 

(lift not yet installed, 2011) and the missing flight of the Phase Two stair reinstated, the design of the 

replacement flight controversial. 

In 2008 a woodchip heating system was installed with a store adjacent to the Hening and Chitty 

garage 


The proposals by Hening and Chitty for Ruth and Maurice Ash in the 1960s and those by Tom Hancock 

in the 1970s all seem to have been carried out. Unfortunately for the historical record, Maurice Ash 

was not inclined to apply for listed building consent. This makes the Sharpham archive of architects’ 

drawings all the more valuable. The plate-glass windows were replaced by small-pane sashes and the 

oval rooms on the second floor were reinstated. The three separate cottages on site have all been 

updated and re-planned since 1962. 


Ruth and Maurice Ash put right many of the changes unsympathetic to Taylor’s designs that they 

inherited at Sharpham. They also reversed the results of inadequate maintenance (e.g. rot in some 

of the floors) before 1962. They restored the small-pane sashes to the windows of the principal 

elevations. The articles in Country Life by Marcus Binney, which raised the profile and reputation of 

Sir Robert Taylor as a major 18 th -century architect, may have influenced some of the restoration work 

at the house, notably the 1970s reinstatement of the oval rooms on the second floor, using original 

joinery. 

The house was not only a family home, but there was pressure to update and extend the selfcontained 

accommodation at Sharpham for tenants of Ruth and Maurice Ash. The provision, in the 

1970s, of a dwelling in the Phase Two block with independent access was not aesthetically kind to the 

rear of the house and included the loss of fabric (one flight of the Phase Two stair) inside. In 2007 the 

57

steel access bridge was removed and the stair flight reinstated, although the design of the new flight 

has been criticised. At the same time improvements were made to the circulation in the house and 

preliminary work to install a lift to improve access for all undertaken. 

In 2012 the Sharpham Trust wishes to see the Taylor house both well-maintained and also well-used. 

The Trust is keen to leave his remarkable rooms unspoiled by the intrusion of en suite bathrooms. 

Meanwhile the various educational programmes and activities focused on the arts, the environment 

and sustainability provided by the Trust for adults, young people, children and families are being 

developed. These include tours of the house focused on its history and the history of its landscape. 

The Trust’s ethos is to put into practice Maurice Ash’s view that a great house should serve its locality 

and be sustainable and this has prompted a wish to be able to offer more at Sharpham, including 

more accommodation. 

58

1.10 – The Stable Yard 

The stable yard ranges [Figs.68-71] have developed over a long period of time with a long 

structural history, as interpreted below, from c.1770 to the mid/late 19 th -century with 20 th -century 

amendments. 

Fig.67. The location of the stable yard in relation to the house, shown on a plan of the 1960s in the 

Sharpham archives. This also shows uses of some of the stable ranges at that date. 

Fig.68. The south elevation of the north range, consisting of double coach-houses with harness 

rooms flanking the entrance arch. 

59

Fig.69. The west elevation of the east range, now a self-contained dwelling. The survival of 

some of the pitched stone paving in the yard adds to the quality of the buildings. 

Fig.70. The north elevation of the south range, currently used for storage 

for the creamery cafe. 

60

Fig.71. The east elevation of the west range, currently used for storage and a carpenter’s shop. 

1.10.1 – Phase One, c.1770 incorporating some earlier fabric. 


One of the Lewis paintings of 1769 shows a stable yard west of the house, in the same location as the 

present yard [Fig.72]. As far as can be judged from the painting, the stable yard (whether proposed 

or actually built) consisted of a north range with a tower-like entrance , abutting, at its east end, 

Upper Sharpham House. The north range is shown overlooking what appears to be a three-sided 

yard to its south. The east range was gable-ended and projected south from Upper Sharpham House 

(it is unclear in the painting whether it was part of the stable yard, or part of Upper Sharpham) and 

the west range, also gable-ended, abutted the north range at its inner corner. The south side is 

shown obscured by trees on the painting, and appears not to have been enclosed, either by wall or a 

fourth range. However, a wall might have existed, behind the trees. 

Edmund Bastard’s will, made in 1805 and proved in 1816 left his wife the use of his carriages and 

horses at Sharpham. The will of his son, John Bastard, made in 1833 and proved in 1835 left: ‘all his 

carriages carriage and saddle horses and ponies with their harness and equipment’ to his wife. These 

do no more than confirm the obvious, that stabling and carriage houses existed at these dates. By 

1833 the stabling was evidently on a generous scale. 

Map evidence shows that by 1841 there were four ranges round the stable yard with two wings 

projecting east off the east range. These had disappeared by the tithe map of 1843 [see Fig.77]. 


The north range of the stable yard is sandwiched between the north ends of the east and west 

ranges. The plan of the north range is symmetrical with pairs of carriage houses at either end, each 

with full height entrances divided by timber posts. The entrance way through the range is flanked 

by small rooms, probably tack rooms, lit from the south side by one-light casement windows, under 

segmental-headed arches, the east window a replacement. 

The north wall of the north range incorporates a handsome segmental-headed archway with Portland 

ashlar voussoirs and pilasters with reeded capitals, decorated with patterae [Fig.73]. The eaves of 

the roof cut across the upper voussoirs of the arch. The arch voussoirs are proud of the masonry 

wall, indicating that the north face of the wall was intended to be plastered. The pilasters and some 

of the voussoirs are decorated with delicate dragged rustication. The archway on the inner (south)

Fig. 72. Extract from the Sharpham Trust’s copy of the c.1769 John Lewis painting showing the south elevation 

of the house. A presumed stabole blockis shown to the left (west) with a tower-like gabled entrance. 

Fig.73. The stone archway on the north side of the north range and a detail showing the rusticated 

pilasters and decorated capitals. Comparison with Fig.33 shows that the detailing is a match for that in 

the Taylor cellars. Taylor’s use of patterae, decorating the capitals, is shown in Fig.76. 

62

face is plain cut stone and the south wall masonry incorporates more blocks of a yellowish sandstone 

than the north. The walls flanking the entrance are timber-framed, the timbers of light scantling and 

infilled with handmade brick [Fig.74]. 

The roof over the north range is a tie beam with king post design with raking struts, a ridge board and 

one set of trenched purlins, the covering is now artificial slates. 

There is a straight joint in the masonry of the north wall of the north range, towards its east end 

[Fig.75]. This now defines the north end wall of the east range (converted to a dwelling) at first floor 

level and the junction with a store room, a former woodshed with a pitched stone floor below. The 

store has independent access from the east range. The straight joint shows that the north range of 

the stable block was built up to an earlier masonry structure. The west wall of the east range also 

butts up to the east end wall of the east carriage house and post-dates it. 

The interior of the east coach house (which is plastered with a flat ceiling) retains some interesting 

features. Small pulleys high up on the side walls were probably used for lifting parts of carriages for 

repair. 

Fig.74. The timber-framing flanking the entrance through 

the north range.

Fig.75. Location of the straight joint between the north wall of the north range and the north 

end of the east range. The character of the masonry at the joint proves that the north range 

was built up to a pre-existing building. 

Fig.76. See Fig.73. Three patterae 

decorating the front of the London 

town house designed for the Bishop of 

Ely by Taylor.

1.10.3- Discussion 

The quality and character of the arched entrance through the north range of the stable yard makes 

it likely that it is to Taylor’s design. The refined dragged rustication on the capitals and voussoirs is 

similar to the surface treatment of the capitals in the cellar of the house. The intention to render the 

north front of the north range would have linked the show front of the stable to the Taylor kitchen: 

showing that both were lesser in status relative to the ashlar house, as well as saving money by using 

rubble masonry. 

The patterae on the capitals are a conventional form of classical decoration, but were also used 

by Taylor on the front of the 1772 town house he designed for the Bishop of Ely in Dover Street, 

Westminster [Fig.76]. The archway in the north wall of the north range is consistent, as far as can be 

seen from the Lewis paintings, with the ground floor of the tall gabled entrance block he shows. The 

archway voussoirs are partly obscured by the eaves of the existing roof, indicating either that a plan 

for a higher roof was abandoned, or a taller structure was built but later reduced in height. The most 

credible explanation is that a grand entrance of the kind shown in the Lewis painting was intended, 

with the arch built, but the building was finished more modestly without the prominent storied 

entrance porch that had been planned. 

This archway on the north side is interpreted here as the first phase of the stable yard and probably 

begun in Pownoll’s lifetime, although how long it took to complete the north range is not clear. The 

structural evidence: the timber-framing and the roof design, both have a long period of use from the 

late 18 th -century to the late 19 th . However, it is proposed here that the roof and perhaps the rest of 

the north range post-dates the north entrance and are c.1800. 

The area of earlier masonry to east of the straight joint, and the east end wall of the east coach house 

are interpreted as a fragment of upper Sharpham House, not originally planned for demolition and 

pre-dating both the north wall of the north range and the west wall of the east of the east range. 

The date at which Upper Sharpham house was demolished is not known for sure. Although the 

evidence is not certain, it seems is unlikely to have been before 1791, when the Land Tax Assessments 

list a tenant for the landholding. By 1800 the Land Tax Assessments indicate that the landholding had 

been taken in hand by the proprietor, Edmund Bastard, which would have opened the way for him (or 

his successors) to demolish the house.

1.11 – Phase Two 1842-3? 


A lithograph, dated 1840 by the West Country Studies Library, but stated elsewhere to have 

accompanied the sales particulars of 1841, shows, in the background, what appears to be the roof 

of the east range with a clock tower rising from the roof. While this image cannot be assumed to be 

reliable, it supports the structural evidence that the east range of the stable block was substantially 

remodelled or rebuilt after 1841. 

The sales particulars of 1841 describe the stable yard as consisting of an ‘eight-stall stable, and a 

place for four more. Two double coach-houses, two harness rooms, hay and straw depository, two 

rooms over lofts, a carpenter’s shed etc.’ . The ‘place for four more’ might be taken to suggest that 

the stable ranges were in some sense incomplete in 1841. However, the map accompanying the sales 

particulars of 1841shows the stable yard clearly as four ranges round a courtyard. However, there 

are striking differences between the yard shown on this map and the 1843 tithe map, which was 

produced after Richard Durant purchased Sharpham [Fig.77]. In 1841 the east range of the stable 

block is shown with two wings projecting east from it, at each end, the north wing apparently part 

of the north range and perhaps a surviving fragment of Upper Sharpham House. The west range is 

shown on the 1841 map much as it is today, but adjoining the north range only at the inner corner, 

whereas today, it has a north wall flush with the north range. The south range is not shown narrower 

than the others, as it is today and is shown butting up to the east range. The east range is shown 

without any of the existing garden boundary walls. Some of the differences between this map and 

the tithe map of two years later, which show the south range narrower than the other ranges and the 

east range without the east wings or garden walls, may simply mean that the 1841 map is of doubtful 

accuracy, but a more likely explanation is that Durant made swift alterations to the stabling after he 

bought Sharpham in 1841. 

Fig.77. Striking differences between the 1841 and 1843 maps, particularly the projections off the east side of 

the east range of the stable yard.

Fig.78. The masonry change at the north end of the west range, seen from the walled garden. 

Fig.79. The break in the roofline defining the same change on the north side. 

Fig.80. The 1889 OS 1:2500 Ordnance survey map, compared with the 1843 tithe map (see Fig.77), 

shows that the addition to the west range was made between 1843 and 1889. 

67

Fig.81. The south elevation of the south wall of the south block, taken in the c.1990s (pers.comm. 

Chris Nicholls) when it was cleared of vegetation. English Heritage archives. Bristol. Reproduced with 

permission. 

The 1843 tithe map shows the stable yard on plan much as it today, with some notable differences. 

The west range is shorter to the north than it is today and the south range is shown with a shallow 

projection off the south side at the east end, returning round the east end (this was still in place in 

1951), but otherwise, allowing for different standards in mapping, it appears to show the stable yard 

of 2011. 

1.11.2 – Evidence in the Buildings 

Both the east and west ranges of the stable yard are constructed of masonry with fewer yellowish 

sandstone blocks than the south wall of the north range. They each have wide segmental-headed 

arched entrances in the centre with former doorways (later converted to windows) to the north, and 

roofs hipped at the south end. They are clearly intended as a pair and designed to match the south 

elevation of the north range. However, a masonry joint between the west elevation of the east range 

and the north range proves that the east range was built up to the north range and post-dates it. 

Inside the east range, which has two chimney stacks, there is an entrance lobby flanked by 6-panel 

doors of domestic character and stylistically of the early 19 th century. 

Masonry changes and a break in the roofline [Figs.78,79] show that the west range has been 

extended north, infilling the previously empty corner between it and the north range as shown on 

both maps of the 1840s. This is consistent with the difference between the 1843 and 1889 [Fig.80] 

The south range is a relatively narrow building under a monopitch roof off a tall rear wall with a 

deep plinth and what may be brick buttresses at irregular intervals on the south side. There are 

blocked doorways on both return walls and, in the south wall, a blocked segmental-headed opening, 

the jambs and lintel largely brick. The opening is both rather narrow and low to be a conventional 

doorway. The masonry of the south wall, as seen from the garden, is very disturbed. It incorporates 

some courses of hand-made brick as well as courses of larger, later bricks. Brickwork rising through 

the masonry suggests that it may have incorporated stacks. There are two vertical slots in the 

masony with remnant timber in one, which could have contained thin upright joists. English Heritage 

notes made on the south face of the wall, when it was cleared of foliage and before the creation 

68

Figs.82, 83. One of a pair of 19th-century domestic doors in the east range (top) 

and the south boundary wall, both thought to have been installed between 1841 

and 1843. 

69

of the border, identified two flue positions and a duct and speculates that there might have been 

an orangery or greenhouse built off the back (south) face of the wall. A photograph in the English 

Heritage archive [Fig.81] also shows the stub of a brick wall, projecting south, which may represent a 

remanant of the west end of the building which is shown on maps projecting south off the east end 

of the wall [see the 1843 tithe map, Fig.77, and Fig 80]. 

The hipped south end roofs of the east and west ranges abut the narrower south range awkwardly, 

suggesting that the south range is a later addition, apparently built up against a pre-existing south 

wall and narrow because it had to be squeezed into the space between the south wall and the roofs 

of the east and west ranges. 

1.11.3 - Discussion 

The evidence proves that the existing east range is later than east wall of the north range east coach 

house. It seems likely that the west range is too, and that both are earlier than the south range. 

Map evidence could be interpreted to suggest that both east and west ranges were erected for 

Durant shortly after he purchased Sharpham, replacing previous ranges, although the west range was 

later lengthened to the north. If this is correct, the 19 th -century doors in the east range indicate that 

this incorporated some kind of accommodation, presumably for a groom, or grooms, from the outset. 

This is consistent with the provision of a garden to east with boundary walls erected at some time 

between the maps of 1841 and 1843 [Figs.82, 83]. 

It is more difficult to suggest a plausible development and dating sequence for the south range apart 

from noting that its relationship to the east and west ranges and the composition of its rubble walling 

on the south side strongly suggests that it is later than both of them, although perhaps not by a long 

period. Its local slate roof is most likely to be pre-1850, but could be later. Its south wall could be 

as early as the 1770s or as late as the c.1830s. It seems likely to have begun as a freestanding south 

boundary wall to the stable yard, perhaps with entrances to the yard in freestanding return walls. 

The plinth, which incorporates large 19th-century bricks, may have been intended to stabilise the wall 

when the south range was built against it. The 1841 map shows a building the same about the same 

width as the other stable ranges. The 1843 tithe map shows a narrower building on the same site, 

but this may be the result of the relative inaccuracy of the 1841 map. 

The evidence for possible stacks in the south wall is surprising. Their positions do not clearly relate 

to the now-missing shallow projection off the south side at the east end and no maps show any 

structure built on the south side of the wall further west, although of course a building could have 

come and gone between maps. One possibility is that the south wall was part of the unfinished 

‘vinery’ mentioned in the unflattering account of the garden buildings in the Gardeners Magazine 

of 1842: ‘…the walls of the kitchen-garden have not been built, and there are the rafters of a vinery, 

under which vines are trained, but for which, we were informed, the sashes were never made’. 

Garden features mentioned in the 1841 particulars were ‘a beautiful conservatory, hot and succession 

houses and a pinery’. These are not located and are difficult to relate to the plan accompanying the 

sales particulars. 

70

1.12 – Later alterations 


Map evidence shows the northward extension of the west range before 1889, infilling the recessed 

corner between east and north ranges. 

In 1962 the west range was still described as the ‘coach house’ on a plan, although this had been a 

garage for four cars since before 1942, according to the sales particulars of that date. The south range 

was divided between an incubator house (which would have needed heat) and, at the west end, a 

potting shed. The west range is annotated ‘calves’ boxes’. The east range was ‘cottage No 3’. 

The east range was described as a ‘bungalow’ in the sales particulars of 1941. There were plans to 

up-date it in 1966 with a new first floor in its north end [Fig.84]. Existing opening on the north end 

and east elevation were to be modified for new windows. 

On map evidence the projection off the back wall of the south range was demolished between 1951 

and 1962. From 1981 the south range was used as the creamery for Sharpham cheese. When this 

moved to a new site in 2003 it became the storage facility for the creamery café. The west range is 

partly used for storage and is partly a carpenter’s shop in 2011. 

1.12.2 – Evidence in the buildings 

The four ranges have evidence of many late 19 th -century and 20 th -century alterations. 

The north end of the west range is constructed out of slightly different masonry to the rest of the 

range and there is a clear break in the roof. 

The east coach house has a two-tier horizontal brick flue in the interior, built off the ground, against 

the north wall [Fig.85]. This may have connected to a fireplace in the shed off the east side of 

the east range, where there is now the remains of a copper. The flues outlet into a brick stack in 

the north-west corner of the coach-house, but there is no chimney shaft rising through the roof: 

presumably it has been truncated. The flue bricks are large and probably late 19 th -century. The same 

coach-house has a small late 20 th -century room created in it. 

The east range has been converted to accommodation. At the north end there is an upper floor rising 

above what is now a storage shed. There is a top-tilting small-pane window in the north end wall 

and another on the east return, lighting the upper floor and rooflights. The garden elevation has two 

doorways and three more windows. All the openings appear to have been cut into earlier masonry. 

Two of the windows have rubbed brick segmental-headed arches and are late 19 th -century/early 20 th - 

century. The other openings are late 20 th -century. The west front, facing into the yard has a late 20 th - 

century half-glazed door flanked by sidelights with a porch hood on brackets, all in the blocking of the 

central entrance. The window to left (north) of the front door is under a segmental arch of lightercoloured 

cut stone than those to right (south) of the front door. 

The south range has a 20 th -century doorway and window cut into earlier masonry on the east end, 

both now blocked. The west end of the range has a large small-pane fixed window. This is in a 

blocked opening facing an entrance into the walled garden. 


By 1889 the west range had been extended to north, providing what was probably additional 

livestock accommodation, perhaps a bull-house. This could be accessed either from inside the west 

range or from outside the stable yard, through a doorway in the north end wall. 

The horizontal flue added to the east coach house is probably late 19 th century, judging from its 

brickwork. It may have been connected to a copper in the shed off the east wall of the east range. 

The purpose of the flues is not known for certain but they may have functioned to keep the east 

coach-house warm and leather tack supple. 

In 1966 the east range was enlarged with a new upper floor at its north end, to the plans of Hening 

and Chitty. This provided more domestic space including and new windows in existing and modified 

71

Fig.84. Extract from 1966 plans by Hening and Chitty in the Sharpham 

archive for inserting a new first floor in the north end of the east 

range. 

Fig.85. The puzzling horizontal double flue and truncated 

stack in the east coach house, the north range. 

72

openings on both the east front and the north end. The existing front door and porch hood, are later 

still, along with all but two of the openings on the east elevation, overlooking the garden. 

The window and doorway on the east end wall of the south range probably post-date 1951 and may 

relate to the demolition of the structure shown on maps projecting off the south wall and returning 

on the east side. They could date from the creamery use from the early 1980s and have been 

blocked since. 

73

1.13 - The Setting 

1.13.1 - The Formal Garden 

The compartment known as the formal garden extends from the east front of the house round the 

south side and south west, rear of the stable yard. It is c.1770 in origin, replacing the farm buildings 

that sood east of the old house and, to the south, replacing with lawns the dense orchards, trees and 

crops that lay in front of the knot garden south of the old house. The changes made in c.1770 were 

part of the integrated design of house and landscape for Pownoll. To the east of the new house a 

carriage turn was created with greensward and a ha ha beyond, providing the memorable short view 

from the east of the house, that then drops dramatically down to the river. A carriage drive was taken 

round the south side of the house (one of the Lewis paintings shows a carriage), past the stable block, 

screened with trees and shrubs and on into the parkland, with long views from the south side of the 

house across Great Run, rising up on the other side of the valley to south, 

The west end of the formal garden adjacent to the walled garden was remodelled in by Percy Cane 

in 1962 for Ruth and Maurice Ash as a terraced design with a strong west east axis defined by a path 

bordered with planting and with flights of steps from terrace to terrace. This was glimpsed from 

the drive down to the house, a view now largely obscured by tree and shrub growth Cane’s design 

(drawings held in the Sharpham archive) was ever executed in full. Most of the planting shown on his 

design is now lawn, losing the compartments at right angles off the main axis [Figs.86, 87]. 

Figs.86,87. Percy Cane’s 

1962 design (top) and his 

part of the formal garden 

in 2012, looking west. 

74

1.13.2 - The walled garden 

The walled garden lying west of the stable block has a complicated evolution. The sales particulars of 

1841 describe fruit and kitchen gardens ‘extensive and beyond measure’ and the references to a conservatory, 

hot and succession houses and a pinery are noted above in 1.6.1. The Gardeners’ Magazine 

of 1842 states that the walls of the kitchen garden ‘have not been built’. There are multiple phases of 

construction visible in the kitchen garden walls and it is assumed here that the garden as it exists today 

is probably work for Richard Durant. The walls are unusually tall with a 20th-century glasshouse built 

across the north wall. Other features from the Ash period are the swimming pool and a c.1990s arched 

entrance in the south wall that now links the walled and formal gardens [Figs.88, 89]. Evidence of 

19th-century features includes a melon pit, old steam boiler for heating hot-houses and a water tank. 

Figs.88, 89. The walled garden looking north (top) and the archway in the south 

wall created for Maurice Ash. This links the walled and formal gardens. 

75

1.13.3 - The woodland garden 

The woodland garden lies south-west of the house and flanks the south side of the formal garden. It 

was the pleasure grounds first created for Philemon Pownoll, but probably continued by the Bastards 

and developed by Durant. It is separated from the fields to south east by a c.1770 ha ha. As Phibbs 

notes in his 1998 report on the landscape, features from the 18th century layout may include the 

Orangery (now a roofless structure) overlooking a route thought to be a continuation of the carriage 

drive, ‘The Ladies Walk’ [Figs.90, 91]. There is also an amphitheatre and a rocky knoll above a quarry 

providing viewpoints for the enjoyment of the parkland. The woodland garden is overlaid with later 

phases of development, including 19th-century exotic conifers and rhododendrons, at least one 

group of trees (Walnut, Ash and Beech), planted by Maurice Ash and self-sown woodland. 

Figs.90,91. A section of the Ladies Walk (top) and the remains of the putative orangery in the woodland garden. 

76

1.13.4 – The Shrubbery 

The Shrubbery lies north of the building line of the walled garden, stable block and house [Figs.92, 

93]. It is divided into two by a path that leads down from the stable block to the drive to the house. 

It was created in c.1770, replacing small, densely planted fields and a court at the rear (north) of the 

old house. Phibbs notes that the shrubbery (now overgrown and dominated by evergreens) would 

have served to keep out the weather on the north side of the building group. He also notes that, a 

result of topography, the north-west view to Totnes is not available from the house. He considers 

that the north view would have been framed by planting, but this is now screened by tree and shrub 

growth. 

Figs.92, 93. The shrubbery looking north west (top) and north east from the area 

north of the walled garden and stable block. 

77

2 - Significance 

The significance of Sharpham is assessed below on the basis of recommendations in English 

Heritage’s Conservation Principles Policies and Guidance (April 2008). Significance is assessed 

broadly and divided into categories: evidential (what can actually be seen in the building); historical; 

aesthetic, and community. Degrees of significance are identified. These are: highly significant; 

significant; some significance; neutral significance, and detrimental to significance. This assessment 

does not include the landscape except as the context for the house. 

2.1 - The House 

Evidential Significance 

The house at Sharpham is highly significant: 

• as a surviving example of a high quality 18 th -century villa in a contemporary designed 

landscape with each designed to enhance the other. 

• for the completeness of the plan of the principal rooms, as well as the attic rooms and cellars, 

as designed by Sir Robert Taylor. The principal rooms together illustrate a wide range of 

ingenious shapes and sizes and, individually, include good examples of high status features: 

e.g. chimney-pieces of the period with sculptural detail, some perhaps by Sir Henry Cheere; 

joinery including cleverly curved doors and a wide range of superior neo-classical decorative 

detail including medallions, some attributed to Angelica Kauffmann. 

• for the architectural brio of its spectacular stairhall and staircase, which has been described 

as one of the best in England. 

The house is significant: 

• for the visible care with which Phase Two copied Phase One for the exterior of the principal 

elevations. 

• for the survival of early 19 th -century joinery and features in the Phase Two building campaign. 

Historical Significance 

The house is highly significant: 

• for its place in the development of neo-classicism: the plain-ness of Taylor’s exterior design in 

particular looking forward from Palladianism. 

• as the most complete surviving villa designed by Sir Robert Taylor and arguably, his most 

complete surviving building. 

• in the context of his other surviving villas, one illustration of his range flexibility as a designer. 

• for illustrating changes in 18 th -century architectural patronage and social life as a building 

commissioned by a newly-wealthy naval captain. 

• as the hub of 20 th -century radical but enduring ideas about land-use, access, culture, the 

environment and sustainability. Some of these relate to the ethos at Dartington Hall, which 

has had a major impact on the character and economies of the area and Totnes in particular. 

• for the intimate and longstanding relationship between its owners and Ashprington parish 

and village, which were part of the estate, and Ashprington parish church. 

78

Aesthetic Significance 

The house is highly significant: 

• for the beauty of its relationship with a visually spectacular landscape. 

• for Taylor’s aesthetic of variety and architectural geometry in the design of the principal 

rooms. 

• for the unique form and daring of Taylor’s stairhall. 

• for the refined quality of the external Portland masonry. 

• for the craftsmanship and quality of the joinery and sculpture in the house. 

Detrimental to aesthetic significance: 

The inserted beams in the ground floor room to north and the unsatisfactory design of the 

reinstated section of the back stair. 

Community significance 

The house has high community significance: 

• because activities, provided by the Sharpham Trust for adults, children and families give 

access to the house and its landscape. 

• for including facilities which are a key part of community activities at Sharpham. These 

include the administrative office of the Sharpham Trust, the office of Sharpham Outdoors and 

rooms which are used as part of those activities, e.g. the old laundry which functions as a 

workshop. 

• for the tours specifically on the history of the house and its landscape provided by the 

Sharpham Trust which provide both physical access and explain the development of the 

place. 

• for the relaxed and unstuffy way in which the Taylor rooms are presented as furnished spaces 

that are used and usable, and definitely not a museum or conventional visitor attraction. This 

keeps the house alive and useful in 2011. 

Detrimental to community significance: 

There is limited disabled access. A lift shaft has been installed to extend access, but 

the work has not yet been completed. 

Conclusion 

On all counts the house at Sharpham to Taylor’s designs is highly-significant. It is a top quality 18 th - 

century villa to the designs of a major 18 th -century architect, with much of its landscape, combining 

natural beauty and man-made elements, intact. The impressive form and décor of Taylor’s principal 

rooms and his lovely and dizzying stairhall have survived largely intact (the 2 nd floor oval rooms 

carefully reinstated in the 1970s), with minor 19 th -century and later amendments. There is a good 

measure of existing access to the house through the activities of the Sharpham Trust. This is both 

physical, but is also enriched by tours dedicated to explaining the history of the architecture of the 

house and its landscape. A distinctive aspect of access is the informal presentation of the house, 

which is quite the opposite of ‘heritage set apart’. The rooms are well-furnished, combining antiques 

with modern art, but are visibly used and shared. 

While the later phases of the house cannot sensibly be separated from the Taylor phase, historically 

and aesthetically they have less evidential, historic and aesthetic significance than the Phase One 

building. 

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Fig.94. Relative significance of parts of the house. This is necessarily crude and focussed on evidential 

significance. 

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2.1 - The Stable Yard 

Evidential 

The stable yard has some significance: 

• as an example of legible, largely early 19 th -century country house stables, associated with an 

important house to east and walled garden to west. 

• for an unusually grand entrance arch through the north range 

• for a range surviving historic materials and details. The south range has a traditional South 

Hams slate roof and some of the pitched stone paving of the yard survives. The north range 

has timber-framing flanking the entrance and original doors to the harness rooms. The north 

range retains small pulleys presumably for the repair of carriages and a late 19 th -century 

system of horizontal flues. 

• for evidence of a complex evolution, interpreted as including a fragment of Upper Sharpham 

House, part of a grander design for the north range and evidence of what appears to have 

been a former heated garden building in the south wall of the south range. 

Detrimental to evidential significance 

Alterations have removed all original fittings in the south, west and most of the east ranges. 

Historical 

The stable yard is significant: 

• for incorporating on the north entrance what is interpreted as a c.1770 archway designed by 

Sir Robert Taylor and part of his designs for Sharpham house. 

It has some significance: 

• as interpreted, as part of works carried out at Sharpham for Richard Durant, linking it to the 

service wings rebuilt for Durant at the rear of the house. 

• For incorporating, in the development of the north end of the north range, work to the 

designs of Robert Hening which links it to a phase of 1960s work elsewhere on site by a good 

architect designing in a simple utilitarian style. 

Aesthetic 

The stable yard is significant: 

• for the quality of the design of the stone archway to the north entrance 

The stable yard has some significance 

• for consistency and balance of the design of the ranges, each with segmental arched principal 

openings, as seen from inside the yard. 

Detrimental to aesthetic significance. 

The standard c.1980s doors to the east and south range are out of character with the rest of 

the building. 

The loss of natural slates on the roofs of the north, west and east ranges is detrimental to the 

appearance of the buildings. 

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Community 

The stable yard has some community significance 

• for access to the exterior of the ranges (except the east face of the east range which 

overlooks a private garden. 

• as the location of activities that contribute to the wider estate, e.g. carpentry and a dwelling 

and storage connected with the Sharpham creamery. 

Conclusion 

The stable yard at Sharpham is a good, though not exceptional example of country house stables. 

Three of the ranges are very altered and have lost all their fittings. The north range is more 

important, both for retaining a legible coach-house plan and for incorporating what is interpreted 

here as a north wall archway to the designs of Sir Robert Taylor. 

Fig.95. Relative significance of parts of the stable block. This is necessarily crude and focussed on 

evidential significance. 

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3 - Defining Issues 

The defining issues in this section are based on the general guidelines recommended in James Semple 

Kerr’s The Conservation Plan (1996); the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Conservation Plans for Historic 

Places (March 1998) and English Heritage’s Conservation Plans in Action (1999). As recommended, 

risks to significance are the main focus of this part of the plan. Other, more positive defining issues 

have also been included so that policies arising from this section can include reference to improving 

the significance of the site as well as protecting what might be at risk. 

3.1 – Statutory and other external controls (see Policy Group 1) 

The following is a summary of statutory and other external controls that exist in 2012. These may 

change in the future. 

The government guidance on designated heritage assets (this includes listed buildings and registered 

parks and gardens) is clear about the need to protect them and their importance: 

When considering the impact of a proposed development on the significance of a designated heritage 

asset, great weight should be given to the asset’s conservation. The more important the asset, the 

greater the weight should be. Significance can be harmed or lost through alteration or destruction of 

the heritage asset or development within its setting. As heritage assets are irreplaceable, any harm 

or loss should require clear and convincing justification. Substantial harm or loss of a grade II listed 

building, park or garden should be exceptional. Substantial harm or loss of designated heritage assets 

of the highest significance, notably…grade I and II* buildings, grade I and II* parks and gardens... 

should be wholly exceptional’. (National Planning Policy Framework, March 2012, 132) 

3.1.1 – Listing 

Sharpham House has been listed since 1952 at Grade I, the highest listing grade (the others are 

Grade II* and Grade II in descending order of importance). Grade I buildings make up less than 6% 

of all listed buildings and are of great importance to the nation’s built heritage. The coach house and 

stable block; the kitchen garden walls and the ha ha immediately to east of the house are all listed 

Grade II and lie in the core area of this Conservation Management Plan. In the wider landscape of 

Sharpham, the summer house is listed Grade II*; the dam to the lake SE of the house and the quay on 

the west bank of the river Dart are listed Grade II. 

Impact on the setting of a listed building is a material consideration in determining planning 

applications and this is covered under planning legislation. 

There was a period, after 1962, when alterations were undertaken at Sharpham without either 

preliminary discussions with the statutory authorities or Listed Building Consent. While some of the 

work was reinstatement which would probably have received consent, some was damaging to the 

aesthetics of the building. Current practice is very different and advice on proposals is sought from 

English Heritage and the South Hams District Council at an early stage. 

3.1.2 – Park and Gardens Registration 

The park and gardens at Sharpham are registered Grade II*. Being on the national register does not 

make a park or garden immune from any kind of development, but it does mean that local authorities 

have to take into account the effect that any proposed changes would have on the registered 

landscape. 

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3.1.3 – The South Hams Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty 

The house and estate lie in the South Hams Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, designated in 1960. 

3.1.4 – The Local Development Framework 

The house and its setting are subject to the policies in the South Hams Local Development 

Framework. 

3.2 – The purposes of the Trust (see Policy Group 2) 

The Sharpham Trust was registered 29 th November, 1982, (number 285767). Its aims, identified on the 

Charity Commissioners website are: 

To maintain, conserve and enhance the land, buildings, resources and bio-diversity of its estate 

for the public benefit. To provide opportunities for physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual 

learning; through activity, reflection, creativity and enquiry. 

What 

• General charitable purposes 

• Education/training 

• Arts/culture/heritage/science 

• Environment/conservation/heritage 

Who 

• Children/young people 

• Other charities or voluntary bodies 

• The general public/mankind 

How 

• Provides buildings/facilities/open spaces 

• Acts as an umbrella or resource body 

3.3 – The aspirations of the Trust (All Policy Groups relevant but see particularly Groups 2 

and 5) 

The Trust has a wide-ranging five-year strategic plan, to run from 2011 to 2015. This sets out purpose 

and values: 

‘Our Purpose and Values 

The Sharpham Trust offers access to an inspiring, nourishing environment in order that 

people have the opportunity to participate and explore that which brings meaning to their 

lives through interaction with the natural world. 

The principles guiding the Trust’s activities are 

• an understanding of the interconnectedness of all life, 

• a deep respect for the natural world, 

• a belief in learning through experience, creative engagement and enquiry, 

• an acknowledgement of the values of stillness and awareness 

The Trust aspires to be a living demonstration of these principles in all its activities. 

Key Aims for 2011 

The key aims are developed in the document as four objectives. 

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1. We will develop a range of innovative educational activities based on a sense of 

Sharpham as a special place. 

2. We will demonstrate sustainable approaches to managing the land and buildings. 

3. We will promote greater access to the Sharpham Estate (both physically and 

intellectually). 

4. We will operate a balanced budget with a secure income base. 

The document shows how the Trust will measure success in achieving these objectives. This includes 

measuring the increase of numbers of participants and visitors and seeking feedback from them so 

the Trust can be responsive to their perceptions. 

3.4 – Uses of the buildings (see Policy Group 5) 

The House 

At the time of writing the house includes four rooms office rooms and two flats. The Sharpham Trust 

manager’s office occupies the fine ground floor Taylor room. This has a blocked doorway to smaller 

adjacent room. One flat, in the south wing at the rear, is a short-term tenancy and the other is 

occupied by staff (housekeeping and maintenance). As well as providing accommodation, occupation 

of the house provides a useful element of security (e.g. smoke alarms are connected throughout the 

house and flats). 

The remainder of the house is available for activities, including visits and for hire for residential and 

non-residential courses. The main house, with 16 bedrooms, can accommodate up to 30 people for 

residential courses, including some shared rooms, some en suite. 

There is a single staircase to the attic, formerly used as servants’ rooms. The attic is boarded out and 

divided into small rooms with a circulation passage around the dome. This passage once provided 

borrowed light into the rooms via gabled dormers (these are visible on historic photographs) which 

have been removed. The attic is partly disused, partly used for storage. Obstacles to redeveloping it 

are access/fire security (there is a single flight of stairs), and the poor natural lighting for the rooms, 

even were the dormers to be reinstated. 

The main house is used by a range of organisations including Lifeline Resources, a Plymouth-based 

charity offering retreats for cancer patients and their partners; the National Health Service, Exeter 

University and the Schumacher College at Dartington for team-building, mindfulness and sixthform 

leadership courses. Smaller, non residential groups can hire a hall in the south wing which can 

accommodate 30 comfortably. Most of the residential courses take place over weekends and there 

are periods when the main house is under-used. 

The house is licensed for weddings and a small number of low impact weddings are held every year. 

This is a way in which the house can give pleasure and generate income, but the priority for the 

Trust is to use the house for its core purposes. To date the house has not been used extensively for 

corporate gatherings/small conferences, but given that it is often under-used in the working week, 

the Trust would like to explore this possibility in balance with more extensive use for its charitable 

work. 

There are pending changes to the office accommodation. Sharpham Outdoors currently occupies 

offices in the rear north wing but is relocating to Lower Sharpham Barton Farm, where the Robert 

Owen Community is based as a tenant of the Sharpham Trust. As the current Manager notes, his 

office occupies a fine ground floor room that is therefore inaccessible to visitors, although it richly 

deserves to be seen. With access to a small adjacent room, also used as an office, it could operate 

as a bedroom with access to a lavatory and shower and would be particularly suitable for a disabled 

85

guest. The Manager’s office could be re-sited in the rear north wing. 

The current uses are appropriate, although the house could accommodate more use, including 

developing the house tours along with volunteer training to lead them. 

The Stable Yard 

The four ranges round the stable yard are used for: 

• A residence (east range) 

• Storage for the off-site vineyard cafe (south range) 

• Storage and a sub-let workshop for a carpenter (west range) 

• Part storage for tools etc for maintenance, part disused (north range) 

Better use could be made of the stable ranges and attractive courtyard as part of drawing more and a 

wider range of people to Sharpham. 

The Setting 

The walled garden 

The walled garden is used as a vegetable garden which provides home-grown organic food to the 

house (meals can be provided for groups and events) and to the vineyard cafe. It is managed by 

volunteers working under the supervision of the head gardener. It is also used for education. There 

is currently a one-year apprenticeship for a horticultural student from Bicton College in east Devon. 

Gardening visits are also made by bi-polar groups and youngsters from the Pupil Referral Unit in a 

partnership with Axcis. Pupils from the Exeter Royal Academy for Deaf Education also visit and help 

in the garden. 

The garden incorporates a surprisingly discreet small swimming pool on a terrace, with an arched 

access of the 1990s from the formal garden. The pool is used by volunteers and tenants of the 

Trust. For a period it was also used by people living at Ashprington until Health and Safety concerns 

required supervision by a qualified attendant. The pool is kept filled year round on the advice of the 

fire service as a reservoir for fire fighting. 

The formal garden 

The formal garden is regarded as the setting of the house and a place from which to enjoy views of 

the wider landscape and is managed and used accordingly. It is available for use by groups hiring 

either the house or south wing and for visitors touring the house and for events. 

The woodland garden 

Like the formal garden, the woodland garden is regarded as an integral part of the house and the 

walks are available for use by groups, events and visitors who are hiring either the house or the south 

wing. Its principal use is by Sharpham Outdoors as a place for connecting people to the natural world 

including camping, lighting fires and exploring the landscape. 

Tours of the walled, formal and woodland gardens could be added to the existing house tours, 

provided there was no clash with other activities taking place. 

With a whole estate to manage, including four tenancies, as well as the core buildings and their 

setting (the subject of this Conservation Management Plan) all with overlapping uses and impact 

on one another in different ways (e.g. access issues) and staffing structure that includes numerous 

volunteers, there is a risk of management fragmentation. An estate management plan, which would 

join up guidance for the management of the tenanted land with those parts of the estate, including 

86

the walled, formal and woodland gardens, that are directly managed by the Sharpham Trust, would 

be useful. This could include guidance on how management should best respect the Capability 

Brown landscape, the Percy Cane garden, and manage the layers of planting in the woodland garden 

in the medium and long term. It could also cover how the Trust could best foster increased access 

and biodiversity and develop the various charitable uses of the landscape. 

3.5 – Access (see Policy Group 6) 

To and from the site 

The major constraint on developing and extending the Trust’s activities and fulfilling their wish 

to bring more and a wider range people to the house and grounds is physical access to and from 

the site. This is acknowledged to be a problem. The Trust is dedicated to minimising the impact 

of private cars on the place as part of their sustainability. However, Sharpham is a cul de sac and 

not on a bus route. All private cars coming to the house, the vineyard (which offers tours) and to 

the successful vineyard cafe beyond the house to north east have to pass through the village of 

Ashprington after turning off the A281 Totnes to Kingsbridge road. The road from the A381 is, in 

some parts, single track with passing places. Through the village it is part single track and it is single 

track with passing places inside the Sharpham estate. The largest impact is on the village, which, in 

the summer season, can be busy with traffic to and from Sharpham. This is a sore point in what is 

otherwise a good relationship with people living in Ashprington (see communities, below). The Trust 

occasionally makes use of a bio-fuelled minibus, part of an independent business that filters cooking 

oil on the site, for visitor transport to and from Totnes. 

Visitors to Sharpham from Totnes can use a different route, the former carriage route from the town, 

that pre-dates the Taylor work and runs along the south side of the Dart Valley with spectacular 

views across some of the best of the rolling South Hams landscape. The old carriage drive is about 

3 km (1.9 miles) long from Totnes to Sharpham and is entered from a steep minor road in the town, 

Totnes Down Hill, where a mid 19 th -century Italianate, two-storey former lodge to Sharpham stands 

to the west of a gateway to the estate. Parts of the roadway (which is metalled) are the width of 

a single track vehicular lane, but parts are no wider than a footpath. The whole route has been 

upgraded as a cycle track to Sharpham House in the recent past. It is also a valued walking route for 

pedestrians. There are about half a dozen houses built inside the gates of the estate, and residents 

were concerned when the cycle track was developed. The drawbacks of re-making the old carriage 

route as a vehicular access to Sharpham overwhelm the advantages of creating a route to the core 

of the estate avoiding Ashprington. It would require extensive work to widen the route, bring a 

stream of private cars into a valley which must rank as one of the loveliest in the South Hams Area of 

Outstanding Natural Beauty and impact on the residences built inside the historic gates of the estate 

in Totnes. 

Depending on the tide there is a water route to Sharpham, either by small privately-owned boats and 

canoes or by a privately-operated water taxi based in Totnes. The River Rat water taxis can take 1-22 

people anywhere on the River Dart with 24 hours notice, using two small boats. The two boats can 

also be hailed from the Steamer Quay in Totnes. The River Rat water taxis can pick up passengers 

from Totnes Station from a point about four minutes walk away from the trains. Charges for the 

15-minute boat journey to Sharpham’s north quay are modest, about £7 single and £10-£12 return, 

with reductions for booked parties. Booked parties to the Sharpham vineyard make up about half 

of the River Rat’s business, but the trip by water is only possible three hours either side of high tide. 

In effect this means that there are weeks when the water taxis can get to Sharpham, and weeks 

when they cannot. The River Rat reports that many of his passengers like to walk one way on the 

old carriage drive and use the taxi for only one of their journeys. Landing at Sharpham’s north quay 

at high tide is straightforward. At lower tides passengers need either to climb a ladder up the quay, 

or be helped out onto a slipway, which gets covered in mud. There is then a sharpish uphill walk 

of about ten minutes for passengers before they join the drive from Ashprington which includes a 

87

dogleg to arrive at the east front of the house. 

For visitors from further afield, the nearest station is Totnes, which is a 15-minute taxi ride away from 

Sharpham in a conventional taxi. The Totnes rickshaws consist of two vehicles that run on recycled 

cooking oil, but can only carry a limited number of passengers: this is in exchange for donations 

rather than conventional fares. They mostly work in Totnes town. 

The Trust is already considering the use of electric bicycles to encourage visitors staying at the house 

and who may have a limited range on foot, to explore the estate using the cycle track and visit Totnes. 

The Sharpham website already runs a section for people offering or asking for lifts for Sharpham 

courses. 

Parking 

There are about 25 parking spaces for private cars sited alongside the access route to the back of 

the house, located outside the walled garden and stable yard. This is a relatively discreet location, 

screened from views from the north by trees and not seen from the house. When these spaces are 

full, the Trust very reluctantly permits parking (maximum 12 cars) in the turning circle in front of (east 

of) the Taylor house, while acknowledging that this is a very ugly blot on the beauty of the building 

and its dizzying landscape setting to the east. For larger events the Trust allows parking in a field off 

the lane down to the house. This can cause compaction and damage to the fields and in extremely 

wet weather cars can get stuck. The Trust would dearly like to ban parked cars from the east front 

of the house. It would be possible to convert a field off the drive from Ashprington to a car park 

screened from the house. 

Access around the house and buildings 

The nature of the site, with the house on a promontory on ground that slopes up to west, is reflected 

in the semi-basement kitchen, a flight of steps up to back door and external steps up into back 

courtyard. The site is therefore not ideal for disabled access. However, the finest rooms in the east 

front of the house and access from the east is largely on the flat. A 2007/8 project to improve the 

circulation of the house included the installation of a lift to improve access to the first floor, but 

lack of funds meant that it was not completed and while the shaft is in place a lift has not yet been 

installed. 

Access from the front of the house to the stable yard, a route which avoids the steps through the 

back door and back courtyard, is via one of two relatively steep slopes. 

Distant Access 

Remote access to Sharpham is via a good quality website. This includes an ambitious interactive map, 

with historic layers. This is currently difficult to access from home computers and needs to be made 

more user-friendly. 

Given the architectural quality of the house and the tours that are available, the architectural (and 

garden) heritage of Sharpham is something of a well-kept secret. 

3.6 – Constraints and opportunities (see Policy Group 5) 

As indicated above, the house is under-used and the constraints and opportunities below mostly 

reflect where the possibilities for developing use lie. 

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Constraints 

Significance 

The significance of the buildings at Sharpham is variable, as indicated in section 4 above. There are 

opportunities for only modest change in the highly significant Taylor part of the main house, e.g. reopening 

blocked doors, the potential for reinstating the roof dormers (subject to justification, which 

seems unlikely at present) and dealing with problems that are detrimental to significance: notably the 

reinforcing beams in the north ground floor room and the inauthentic re-design of the back staircase. 

Topography 

The topography of the site of the core buildings restricts opportunities for new build, unless they 

are sited close to the existing buildings. Any new build should be sensitive to views of and from 

the house, particularly key views of the landscape. Views, from the house, from other structures, 

from rocks and from drives are analysed in detail in John Phibbs’ ‘Sharpham House: Study of the 

Landscape’, 1998, section 3, including a plan of sightlines and views. 

The size of the rooms in the house 

While there are individual rooms in the house that are large by domestic standards, none of them 

allow for comfortable static meetings of more than about 50. The size of the rooms is also a limiting 

factor on activities that need space, for example popular Tai Chi weekends. Organisations arranging 

larger events, e.g. World Poetry Day, would like to be able to hold them at Sharpham, but there is no 

suitable single space for this. 

Load-bearing on the staircase 

There has been an assessment of the maximum load on the staircase (60 people), which has been 

strengthened in the past. While this number is unlikely, except for photographs, a discreet notice 

should indicate a limit of numbers on the stairs. 

Access to and from the site and parking 

This is a key constraining factor on development, as described in 5.5 above. 

Opportunities 

More intensive use of the house 

The house is currently under-used, especially during the week, and could take more use without 

harm to the fabric, if this were well-managed. There is an opportunity for making better use of it, not 

only as a venue, but also to draw on the historic architecture as a resource for the Trust’s educational 

aims. The house is ideally suited as a place to talk about and see: 

• Architecture and sustainability 

• Building materials and refined craftsmanship and a tactile approach to these 

• Energy use including embodied energy and concepts of ‘design life’’ 

• The wow factor 

It is also an especially inspiring place to think about architecture as 3D shapes; enclosing spaces; 

buildings archaeology; building plans, and the relationship of buildings and landscapes. 

The Trust could consider extending its existing links with the Georgian Group by looking at links with 

other societies focuses on historic buildings e.g. the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings 

which provides courses for the owners of historic buildings, for architects and engineers and bursaries 

for students. 

89

New development 

Parts of the core of the site are less significant than others (see Figs 94 and 95]. Preliminary 

discussions with the Local Planning Authority and English Heritage have been encouraging regarding 

the possibility of a new building, sited north of the stable block, to accommodate larger gatherings. 

Residential accommodation additional to the 16 bedrooms available in the house could be designed 

as ecopods sited in the wooded areas of the landscape, with opportunities for using these either 

separately on in conjunction with hire of the house. The ranges of the stable block could be 

better-used to serve the Trust’s purposes and better linked, in terms of use, to the house. Given 

the importance of the house and its setting any new building on the site would be subject to strict 

scrutiny by English Heritage and the Local Planning Authority for quality of design. 

Access to and from the site: the car problem 

The Trust has explored solutions to this in the past and while there is no simple solution, there are 

ways in which additional traffic to the site could be mitigated (see 5.8 above) 

3.7 – Financial constraints (see Policies 3.6, 5.3) 

The income of the Trust, like that of any other charity, limits what can be done. Income from grants 

and donations has fallen in recent years although income from properties and investments has risen. 

There is pressure both to generate income from the buildings and to direct it wisely. 

The Trustees take a thrifty approach to expenditure on governance, including the maintenance of 

the house and grounds to allow for maximum expenditure on charitable activities. Forward planning 

on the costs of buildings maintenance and renewing infrastructure is not well-established. This can 

mean that focus of limited budgets has to be switched at short notice as urgency demands. The 

Trust recognises that in the recent past it has been difficult to keep pace with the need to renew 

infrastructure: particularly resurfacing roads through the estate; repairing leaks in water pipes and 

replacing old overhead wiring. 

3.8 – Maintenance and housekeeping (see Policies 3.1; 3.5-3.7 & 4.1-4.3) 

At Sharpham good quality maintenance is understood to be the key to conserving the historic 

buildings. This is reflected in the employment of a rarity, a full-time member of staff dedicated to 

maintenance, one of only two full-time staff posts (the other is the Sharpham Trust Manager). This is 

a huge benefit to the buildings and helps to deal with minor problems in a timely fashion. However 

there is no written maintenance plan, no formal arrangements for cyclical inspection or predicted 

cyclical costs for e.g. painting of external woodwork. 

The house at Sharpham includes delicate timber mouldings, chimney-pieces in a variety of materials 

and contents, including textiles, that are potentially fragile, not only from wear and tear but also from 

well-meaning but inappropriate cleaning. 

3.9 – Sustainability and green energy (see Polices 2.1, 5.4 & 6.3-4) 

Sustainability: social, environmental and economic, is a key element in the activities at Sharpham and 

the Trust aims to be exemplary. On the social side the Trust fosters activities that reconnect people 

with the natural world and uses the estate as a means to better mental and physical health. The 

Trust is particularly strong in its dedication to environmental sustainability. A biomass boiler was 

installed to heat the main house in 2008. Some of the timber used comes from the estate. On the 

wider estate the Barn Retreat is now heated by a biomass boiler. In 2012 photo voltaic panels were 

90

used on the roof of a new agricultural building at Upper Sharpham Barton Farm. This project will 

produce about one fifth of the power used on the whole estate and will be used as part of the Trust’s 

educational work to encourage the sustainable use of resources. Economic sustainability is one of 

the charity’s aims and enterprises in the estate have proved that enterprises can be environmentally 

sustainable and economically viable. 

3.10 – The Presentation and Interpretation of the House and its Setting (see 

Policy 2.1 and Policy Group 8) 

The furnishing of the main house at Sharpham reflects the inheritance of the period when it was 

Maurice and Ruth Ash’s family home. The character is welcoming, comfortable and ‘lived-in’. The 

rooms are not decorated or furnished in museum-fashion but reflect a respect for the good designs of 

the distant and recent past, and the present. There is a striking collection of paintings by Polish-born 

Zdzislaw Ruszkowski, 1907–1991, collected by Maurice Ash. Several examples of his work are held in 

national collections. Some Ruszkowski paintings are hung in the house and some kept in store. The 

Trust also owns some pieces of modern sculpture and pottery and, of major interest to visitors, the 

copies of the large paintings of the house in the 1760s by John Lewis. 

The Sharpham Trust wishes to retain the welcoming feel of the house and does not consider the 

furniture and art as a fixed ‘collection’, but a part of the character of the house and subject to change 

over time. 

Small notices in the house, placed on items of furniture, draw attention to particular features, e.g. 

the subject of decorative roundels, or the copy portraits of previous owners. Otherwise there is no 

interpretation available covering the house or the grounds. Access to the interactive map on the 

website will be improved soon (2012): this includes overlays of historic with contemporary images 

and written information. Until access to the map is improved, there are only a few paragraphs about 

the history of the house on the Sharpham website that are easily available and nothing about the 

history of the landscape. While the absence of on-site interpretation contributes to the domestic 

character of the house and a sense that visitors are welcome to respond to the place without being 

steered, much that is known to be of great interest about the building and landscape is not passed on 

to visitors and cannot be grasped without some help. 

The Trust would like to explore interpretation of the building which would includes a tactile and 

emotional as well as a visual and spatial appreciation of the architecture. 

3.11 – Understanding (see Policy Group 7) 

Work commissioned by the Sharpham Trust: the John Phibbs study of the landscape in 1998 and 

the first section of this Conservation Management Plan on the house and stable yard (2011) are 

key analytical documents for understanding the place. Neither of the reports could be claimed 

as comprehensive and the first section of this plan acknowledges that puzzles remain about the 

interpretation of the standing buildings. However, both documents have established a good base 

from which a better understanding can develop. Understanding Sharpham is very much a live 

enterprise, with research into its owners, occupiers, landscape and buildings on-going, undertaken 

by interested individuals and, particularly, by the Sharpham Heritage Group. It is important that 

the results of these investigations are deposited in the Sharpham archive. This should also include 

records made of any observations made when previously hidden fabric is revealed, e.g. during 

repairs. 

91

3.12 – What can be learned from past management regimes? (see Policies 3.3, 

3.4) 

The house suffered from aesthetically-damaging alterations in the period 1951-1962 (it was first listed 

in 1952). Removal of partitions in the suite of Taylor oval rooms on the second floor lost a particularly 

beguiling element of Taylor’s design. Intrusive boxed-in beams in the ground floor north room are 

thought to have been introduced to support a billiard table in the room above. Division of the house 

into separate components to designs of 1976 uglified the rear elevation with a steel walkway across 

the back courtyard and lost a section of the back staircase. All these works disfigured the house in 

order to make it fit particular uses, rather than expecting to make uses work sympathetically with the 

historic architecture. The Ash family reinstated Taylor’s oval rooms and the Sharpham Trust reversed 

the 1976 division of the house, removed the steel walkway and reinstated the back stair in a 2007- 

8 project. However, the boxed-in beams continue to spoil the proportions and elegance of Taylor’s 

ground floor north room. 

After the Trust was established in November 1982 there was a transitional period when the 

distinction between Ash family interests and the purposes of the Trust was uncertain. Ruth and 

Maurice Ash continued to live in the house at Sharpham: she died in 1986 and he in 2003. While the 

family occupied the house, both estate and house retained a ‘private’ character, accessible to the 

few. As the Trust has grown and developed the estate has been managed to offer increasing public 

accessibility. A network of permissive foot and cycle paths has been created with carefully-designed 

car spaces, rather than car parks, for visitors to the house. 

The Capability Brown landscape was not well-understood prior to the John Phibbs report of 1998. 

Before then, over-planting with deciduous trees immediately to north and east of the house, with 

conifers between the house and river and dense laurel planting reflected personal taste at the 

expense of the open parkland character of the late 18 th century. Conifers and laurel have gradually 

been thinned or removed to revive the historic landscape and encourage bio-diversity. 

Work to reinstate the back staircase in 2008 resulted in a design that is now regarded both by the 

Trust and English Heritage to have failed to respect the correct form and proportions of the original. 

The work was signed off without being fully-inspected by the statutory authorities before the 

problem was fully-understood. 

Reversing unsympathetic past works in the light of a developing appreciation of the historic integrity 

of the house and landscape has been costly. It is also a reminder of the importance of assessing new 

work against the significance of the buildings and setting to avoid or minimise any harm that changes 

might bring. 

3.13 – Fire Safety Precautions, Emergency Planning and Security (see Policy 

Group 9) 

There is a smoke alarm system in the house which is checked once a week and alarms connect the 

parts of the house that may be unoccupied to those that are. Chimneys are regularly swept. On the 

recommendation of the fire service, the swimming pool in the walled garden is kept filled all year 

round as a reservoir for fire-fighting. There is no emergency plan. 

There is a considerable flow of people through the house on most days, including volunteers coming 

in to use the kitchen. The back door is sometimes kept unlocked, and the front door, used by groups 

of visitors, is sometimes unlocked too, and French windows are often open in the summer. This 

contributes enormously to the relaxed atmosphere of the building but does represent a risk, mostly 

to the contents of the house. The Trustees and Manager may consider that this is a risk worth taking. 

92

3.14 – Archives and Record-Keeping (see Policy Groups 7 and 10) 

The Sharpham Trust holds good quality 1960s plans and elevations of the house and some of the 

other buildings, photographs and other material, much of it copies, gathered from elsewhere. The 

archive is stored in the Director’s office. Generosity in making loans of material does mean that there 

are periods when unique items are temporarily lost from view. A key and very remarkable resource 

for the understanding both house and setting are copies, commissioned by the Trust, of a set of 

paintings (the originals are in private ownership) by John Lewis, showing the house and its context 

before and after (and apparently showing options for the Taylor design) Taylor’s work, extracts of 

which are illustrated in the ‘Understanding’ section of this document. 

3.15 – Community expectations and the public profile of Sharpham (See Policy 

Group 11) 

Communities in the Locality 

As explained in the Understanding section above, Sharpham has strong historical links with 

Dartington Hall, about 6.5 miles to NE of Sharpham, the other side of Totnes where, in the 1920s, 

Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst put into practice radical ideas of rural regeneration in association with 

the liberal arts and progressive education. Dartington and its various enterprises, and Sharpham 

from the early 1960s, have had an influence on the character of Totnes. In the 1960s this South Hams 

market town became attractive to incomers who were interested, to different degrees, in countercultural 

or alternative ways of living and this remains a lively aspect of Totnes life in 2012. In 2005 

Transition Town Totnes was launched, making it the first British town with a community-led charity 

dedicated to strengthening the local economy, reducing the cost of living and preparing for a future 

with less oil and a changing climate. There is therefore an unusually high level of local support and 

interest in sustainability and the core purposes of the Sharpham Trust. Sharpham has strong local 

links with and is active in the locality, drawing many of its volunteers and visitors from Totnes. 

Sharpham and the village of Ashprington have been intertwined historically and economically in the 

past as well as the present. Richard Durant undertook extensive improvements to the village before 

1850, rebuilding many of the houses, building a school and erecting a new inn, still called the Durant 

Arms. He also widened and altered roads to the village from Totnes. Maurice Ash gifted the land for 

Ashprington’s village hall and rented a field for recreation to the village for 50 years for a peppercorn 

rent. 

93

4 – Policies 

The purpose of the conservation policies in this section is to provide an agreed framework for the 

future care of the core buildings at Sharpham so as to retain and develop significance and avoid risks 

to it. 

Some of the policies are general. Where specific risks to significance have been identified in the 

previous section, policies have been developed, where possible, to answer those risks. The policies 

are arranged in clusters. In some cases they are amplified by statements in italics. 

Guiding principles 

• Understand the place 

• Significance should guide decisions 

• Do only as much as is necessary to the fabric, as little as possible 

• Make and keep thorough records 

• Do everything in a logical order 

Policy Group 1: The adoption of the Conservation Management Plan and 

statutory and other designations 

POLICY 1.1 

Trustees will formally adopt the policies in this plan as one of the bases of future planning at 

Sharpham; the others being the statutory controls in place at the time. 

POLICY 1.2 

The Trust will abide by whatever statutory controls are in place at the time and seek informal advice 

from the statutory authorities at an early stage when considering projects that require consent. 

Policy Group 2: Purposes and aspirations of the Trust (and see Policy Group 5) 

POLICY 2.1 

The Trust will increase physical and remote access to the house and its setting by: 

• providing more tours 

• more extensive use of the house for hire, the priority being uses consistent with the Trust’s 

charitable purposes 

• providing more information about the house on the web 

• exploring different ways of presenting and interpreting the house and its immediate setting 

to visitors (see Policy 8.1 below for suggestions) 

POLICY 2.2 

The Trust will continue to seek and make use of feedback from visitors in developing its activities. 

The Trust’s website would be an obvious forum for this, seeking both feedback and suggestions. 

POLICY 2.3 

The Sharpham Trust could consider commissioning an updated landscape management plan, to 

partner this Conservation Management Plan and minimise conflicts of interest in the light of their 

aspirations for future use of the landscape and possible impacts on its historic design, on access and 

biodiversity. 

94

Policy Group 3: The fabric and its maintenance 

POLICY 3.1 

The Trust will always use properly-qualified and/or experienced professionals for work on the house. 

POLICY 3.2 

In principle, the Taylor rooms and spaces should remain unaltered apart from re-decoration, 

reinstatement work, or work to remove detrimental elements. 

POLICY 3.3 

New uses or developments must work with the existing historic architecture and setting and not the 

other way round. 

POLICY 3.4 

The Sharpham Trust will prioritise the removal or amendment of elements that are detrimental to 

significance: notably the removal of the boxed-in beams on the ground floor north room (prefaced by 

a structural engineering analysis), to reinstate the quality of that room and correcting the problem of 

the design of the back stair. 

Maintenance 

POLICY 3.5 

The Trust will develop an inspection and maintenance plan with help of an architect or surveyor and 

implement it. This should include a system for recording maintenance works and significant repairs 

to refine the inspection and maintenance cycle and identify persistent problems. 

POLICY 3.6 

Setting aside adequate funds for annual building maintenance and repairs will be a priority. 

Keeping a simple running record of maintenance and repairs should help to refine the funding 

requirement and identify persistent problems. 

POLICY 3.7 

The Trust will develop a cleaning manual, alerting cleaners to risks to the finishes of the house and to 

objects if they not cleaned with care and the correct products. This should include a list of suppliers 

of the correct products and be supplied to all existing and new cleaners. 

Policy Group 4: Maintenance of the contents 

POLICY 4.1 

Paintings or objects that are kept in store should be kept where they are safe from damage or 

deterioration that would devalue them. 

POLICY 4.2 

Where practical, good quality items of furniture should be kept out of direct sunlight. 

POLICY 4.3 

The Trust will regularly review the insurance on any valuable items in the house or grounds and keep 

insurance up to date with changing values. 

Policy Group 5: Uses of the buildings and opportunities and constraints 

POLICY 5.1 

The Trust will develop the existing house tours. 

95

POLICY 5.2 

Explore architectural heritage partnerships and use of the house as a possible venue for conferences/ 

seminars about sustainable building and conservation. 

POLICY 5.3 

The Trust to continue to seek opportunities for providing a larger single space for larger gatherings, 

subject to justification. 

• Any proposals for new developments/adaptations should be assessed in advance against 

the significance section of this document and anything that might harm significance to be 

thoroughly justified. 

• Any proposals for new developments/adaptations should be assessed in advance for the 

maintenance burden they are likely to bring and the impact of their use on staffing levels. 

• Any new development should reflect the Trust’s commitment to social sustainability: 

encouraging social and cultural well-being; to environmental sustainability: dedicated to low 

energy consumption, a small carbon footprint, and recycling, and to economic sustainability 

in paying for itself over time. 

• Subject to practicalities, justification, consents and design, in principle the stable block could 

be redeveloped to bring it into more intensive use. 

• Subject to practicalities, justification, consents and design, in principle new build to provide 

a larger space for gatherings could be accommodated on the ground north-east of the stable 

block. 

This would be controversial: the justification would need to be robust, the management of 

transport to the site sensitive and the design sensitive to views of the house and from the 

house. 

• Subject to practicalities, justification, consents and design, in principle the attic could be 

brought into use. 

This seems impractical at present as it would require the major intervention of a second stair. 

Policy Group 6: Access 

POLICY 6.1 

The lift project will be completed as a priority. 

POLICY 6.2 

Any project to bring more people to the site must take account of the problems of transport to and 

from the site and parking on the site. 

The simplest solution to the parking problem would be the construction of a car park off the route 

down to the house. Careful screening and an appropriate, preferably green surface should be 

investigated. 

POLICY 6.3 

The Trust will always seek to keep parked cars away from the house, particularly from the east front. 

POLICY 6.4 

The Sharpham Trust will continue to explore means of access, other than private cars, to the site, and 

the use of vehicles that minimise pollution and are energy-efficient. 

The use of the bio-fuelled minibus could be intensified, collecting visitors from Totnes station. To date 

the Trust has been in the forefront of transport based on renewable energy. As electric cars develop 

and become more commonplace, the Trust should consider a battery top-up point at Sharpham, to 

encourage their use. 

96

POLICY 6.5 

The Sharpham Trust will investigate whether access to and from the site by water taxi could be better 

developed and advertised, especially for house tours. 

With proper planning, there are periods when relatively small numbers of visitors (about 20) could 

travel from Totnes and return by water taxi. This could be ideal for booked parties on house tours but 

would have to be arranged according to the tide table. Water taxi transport would only be suitable 

for individuals fit enough to disembark at the North Quay and manage the walk up to the house. 

POLICY 6.6 

The Sharpham Trust will continue to develop electronic means of communicating the place to a wider 

audience. 

The interactive map on the website could be improved and developed. The website could be include a 

forum for feedback and suggestions comment from visitors and users 

Policy group 7: Understanding 

POLICY 7.1 

The Trust will continue to encourage investigation of the house, landscape and its owners, and ensure 

that results are archived at Sharpham so they can be easily available.[and see archiving below] and 

will make relevant information available on the web. 

POLICY 7.2 

The Trust will always take opportunities to record when they arise (e.g. excavation and or any 

interventions that expose previously concealed building fabric) and will archive the records. 

Policy Group 8: Presentation and interpretation 

POLICY 8.1 

The Trust will develop the interpretation of Sharpham to visitors, avoiding cluttering either the house 

or landscape with signage and will train more volunteers to lead tours. 

It is well-known that few people read guidebooks or text information while on site and an electronic 

approach might be preferred: e.g. a guide on the website which could be downloaded before a visit 

(providing opportunities for cheap and regular updating). An application for mobile phone users 

could be considered. 

Different tours for different audiences could be developed. These might include: 

• Conventional ‘house and setting’ tours 

• Garden tours 

• Tours concentrating on the relationship of the house to its landscape 

• Tours concentrating on the sequence of owners 

Visitors on tours could be provided with some simple-to-print information drawn from this 

Conservation Management Plan. Sharpham can offer a particular interest in the contrast between the 

images of the pre-Taylor locally-traditional house and Taylor’s classically-inspired design. 

The buildings might be used as an educational resource tailored to the purposes of the Trust and could 

include: 

• Using the house as the focus for debating sustainability (including reference to the biomass 

boiler) and analysing the embodied energy in its building materials. 

• Developing a ‘tactile tour’ of the building materials 

• Engaging visitors in the design and craftsmanship of the house by establishing ‘hands on’ 

workshops with masons, architects and engineers. 

97

Policy Group 9: Fire risk and security 

POLICY 9.1 

The Trust will undertake a review of fire safety with a risk assessment and strategy designed to 

protect life, the contents and buildings and the buildings. This could include a review of security. 

Up-to-date advice from the local fire service would be useful. Their recommendation that the 

swimming is kept full year-round is already followed. 

POLICY 9.2 

The smoke alarm system will continue to be checked on a weekly basis. 

POLICY 9.3 

The fire safety strategy should be regularly reviewed and updated. 

Any proposed relocation of activities on site, or the addition of new buildings should generate a 

review of the fire safety strategy. 

POLICY 9.4 

The Trust could consider security-marking particularly valuable items of sculpture or art. 

Policy Group 10: Archives and record-keeping (and see Policy Group 7) 

POLICY 10.1 

The Trust will consider a project to digitise the existing archive and organise it into sections, with a 

security copy kept in a different place. 

This could be a good volunteer project. 

Consideration could be given to loaning the large architectural drawings to the Devon Record Office 

where they would be kept in archival conditions. The Trust could require that anyone wishing to make 

use of them would need the prior approval of the Trust. 

POLICY 10.2 

A simple electronic ‘observations’ file could be developed allowing the Trust Manager (and any other 

contributors) to simply note down small but significant information about the building in simple 

diary form (e.g. the lead ribbon work to one of the plaques in the first floor north room and the 

information from a paint scrape), to avoid its being lost. 

Policy Group 11: The local community 

POLICY 11.1 

Sharpham will continue to develop links with the local communities in Totnes and Ashprington. 

Consideration could be given to: 

• a dedicated walk for the villagers of Ashprington 

• arrangements to use the swimming pool for swimming lessons (subject to resolving properly 

qualified supervision) 

98

Sources 

Berthoud, Roger, ‘Maurice Ash’ Obituary in the Independent on Sunday, 28:01:2003 

Binney, Marcus, ‘The Villas of Sir Robert Taylor’, Country Life, 6 July 1967, 17-21; 13 July 

1967, 78-82 

Binney, Marcus, ‘Sharpham House, Devon’, Country Life, 17 April 1969, 952-955; 24 April 

1969, 1014-1017 

Binney, Marcus, Sir Robert Taylor: From Rococo to Neo-Classicism (1984) Genius of 

Architecture Series 4 

Britton, John and Bailey Devon and Cornwall Illustrated (1832), illustration before 

p.99 

Burke’s Visitation of Seats (1852)cited by Binney 

Debois Landscape Survey Group, ‘Sharpham House: A Study of the Landscape’ (1998) 

Kellys Directory (1857) 

Jarrold, Elizabeth, 3 Great Houses 54 Families 800 Years, 2010 

Kelly’s Directory, 1935 

Polwhele, Richard, History of Devonshire 1793-1806, Vol.3, 482-483 

‘Notices of some Gardens and Country Seats’, The Gardener’s Magazine, November 1842, 

537-539 

Powers, Alan, ‘Robert Hening’ Obituary in the Independent on Sunday, 26:08:1997 

Totnes Times 27:09:1940 

Whites Directory (1850) 

Sharpham Archive 

Copies at Sharpham House of a series of 1760s paintings by John Lewis. 

Plans, elevations and sections of the house on all floors by Clutton and Drew (1962) 

Plans by Hening and Chitty annotated to show work proposed (1962) 

Plans and elevations of Courtyard Cottage by Hening and Chitty (27 June 1966) 

Plans and elevations of rear south wing by Robert Hening Associates (1970) 

Photographs. 

Devon and Exeter Institution 

1841, Sale catalogue, Stockdale Papers 

1951 Sale Catalogue, Stockdale Papers 

Devon Record Office 

Land Tax Assessments for Ashprington 

Particulars of the lands and estates of Gilbert Yard of Sharpham for sale on 13 June 1748 

(90M/E4) 

1749 Plan of Sharpham estate for Philip Cockey with inset elevation of the house (90M/E1) 

1754 Printed survey of the Manor of Ashprington (90M-0/E/5) 

Philemon Pownoll made his will 10 March 1779 (90M-0/T 1-26) 

1826, ‘A Rough Plan of Hollabear Marsh. Sharpham Lands, Devon RO 90M/E2 (irrelevant) 

1843 Ashprington Tithe Map 

1844 Ashprington Tithe Apportionment 

Essex Record Office 

Durant family correspondence, D/DOp B123/1309-1328. 

Totnes Museum Archive 

Sharpham file 

Totnes Image Bank 

Undated photograph, c.1920s?, JB/0014 

Durant family photograph, DRA/0073/AP1 

99

West Country Studies Library 

Census Returns 

Wills typescript (1722), O.M.8/36 

1803-1804 Ordnance Survey drawings 

Lithograph, c.1826, Prints and Drawings, Somers Cocks 18. 

Lithograph, c.1840, Prints and Drawings, Somers Cocks 21. 

Lithograph by and after GE Madeley. A note by the WCSL states that it and another (Somers 

Cox 22) appear in 1841 sale advert with the title ‘Two views of Sharpham, Devon’. 

Annotated ‘Sketched on the spot and lithographed by G E Madeley 3 Wellington Street, 

Strand’. 

‘The Sharpham Estate for Sale’, Exeter Flying Post (15 th June 1841) 1c 

First edition OS map 1:2500 (1889) 

Second edition OS map 1:500 (1906) 

Photograph c.1910, Prints and Drawings, P&D 47656 6/B/8560 

Websites 

‘Pownoll, Philemon’, http://www.oxforddnb.com, citing BL, Add.MS29914, fols.140-143. 

http://www.parksandgardens.ac.uk 

The peerage.com 

Thanks to: 

George Batterham 

Peter Child 

Lynette Gribble 

Francis Kelly 

Chris Nicholls 

Denise Scribbins 

Judy Smith 

Nils White 

Staff at: 

The Devon Record Office 

The Devon and Exeter Institution 

English Heritage, Bristol office 

The Essex Record Office 

South Hams District Council Offices 

Totnes Museum Archives 

Totnes Image Bank 

Acknowledgements 

100

Appendix One 

Sharpham Time Line 

This time line comprises selected primary and secondary sources used by Keystone in 2011 when 

preparing a draft of the first two sections of a conservation management plan for the house and 

stable yard at Sharpham. 

The time line can easily be updated when new information comes to light, or to record works 

undertaken to the buildings. It is recommended that the conventions established below are used in 

any updates, identifying the location and, where relevant, reference number, of any documents, or 

sources. If the time line it is updated, this should be done on only one version to avoid confusion and 

the time line should be re-dated to indicate that it has been changed and when. 

th th and centuries, Watkin, Hugh, The History of Totnes Priory and Medieval Town, Devonshire, 

1914-1917 

Sharpham is a very old manor in the parish of Ashprington. H R Watkin points out that men called 

Sharpham (spelled Scherpham, Schearpeham etc) are recorded at least since Clement Sharpham, son 

of Thomas, in the Totnes Guild Roll of 1260. 

1426, Burnet Morris Index, West Country Studies Library and Watkin, Dartmouth, 1935, 290 

Robert Frensch of Sharpham , one of the county’s commissioners of subsidies in 1417 was licensed 

for a private chapel – this is an indication of the high status of the house in the early 15 th century. 

Thomas Carew of Poole, Dorset, sold Sharpham to John Gyles now of Totnes and William, his son and 

heir apparent. 

1598 Devon RO 90M/T75, 76, 77 

th June. Purchase deed Sharpham, Thomas Drew of Killerton sold it to Sir Edward Giles of Bowden. 

1630 Totnes Museum Archive, typescript of Allan Lyde’s will 

18 Feb. Bequeaths to his son, Thomas, ‘the estate I bought of Sir Edward Gylesd in Sheirpham for a 

certain number of years…’ 

1674 Devon RO 90M/T97, 98 

16 March. Lease and release of Barton of Sharpham from Henry Blackaller of Sharpham to Edward 

Yard and John Brooking. 

1699 Devon RO T101, 102 

11 April Gilbert Yarde Esq., settlement of lands after marriage to Joan Blackaller. 

1726 Devon RO 

18 October. Gilbert Yarde, son and heir of Gilbert Yarde of Bradley, Devon and Joan, deceased, deed 

to suffer a recovery of his mother’s lands and uses thereof. 

1728 Devon RO 90M/T104 

10 January. Gilbert Yarde mortage of capital barton of Sharpham to Dr Edmund Walrond of Exeter. 

1732 Devon RO, 90M/T105, 106 

Sharpham leased for a year to Mrs Frances Quicke and Mrs Elizabeth Hawker, both widows. 

c.1735 Monument in Ashprington church and ’Pownoll, Philemon’ Oxford Dictionary of National 

Biography, http://www.oxforddnb.com 

Philemon Pownoll born. He was the son of Isreal Pownoll (d.1779), master shipwright of Plymouth 

yard in 1762-5) and Chatham (1775-79). 

101

1742 Devon RO, Land Tax Assessments 

Gilbert Yard Esq, shown paying £16 11s 2d for an unnamed parcel of land and also shown as 

proprietor of Higher Sharpham . 

1748 Particulars of the lands and estates of Gilbert Yard of Sharpham for sale on 13 June 1748, 

Devon RO 90M/E4 

Printed sale particulars show the estate divided into three principal landholdings for which field 

names and acreages are given: the 67 acre Barton of Lower Sharpham , valued at £100 15s per 

annum, which included The Mansion House, & several Wall d Gardens ; the 51 acre tenement of 

Higher Sharpham, valued at £51 and the 90 acre Barton of Hollybeare , valued at £96. These were 

the demesne lands of the estate (traditionally those owned and occupied by the Lord of the Manor) 

which also included £500 worth of timber fit to be cut and a great quantity of young trees and 

saplings. There were also other tenements, not demesne land, which were leased out and of lesser 

value, mostly in the parish of Ashprington, but also in Paignton and Bridgetown Pomeroy near 

Totnes. 

1749 Plan of Sharpham estate for Philip Cockey with inset elevation of the house, Devon RO 90M/E1 

Drawn survey of the estate by William Doidge includes inset elevation of house and walled knot 

gardens to the front, which faced south. Roof of house shown slated in contrast to presumed 

outbuilding to west (with a blind south elevation) which is shown thatched. 

1751 Devon RO Land Tax Assessments 

Mr Philip Cockey paying £12 8s 5d for an unnamed property (presume Lower Sharpham) and also 

shown as the proprietor of Higher Sharpham. 

1754 Printed survey of the Manor of Ashprington, 90M/E/5 

States at the bottom, The Advowson worth £250 a Year, belongs to this Manor, and also very fine 

Fishing in the River Dart, where great Quantities of Salmon, Sea-trout, and other Fish, are taken 

every season. The said Manor lies in a very good Country, pleasantly situated upon the said River 

Dart, and consists of very good Land, Orchards that make the best Cyder, very near to Lime and other 

Dressing, the Houses in tolerable good repair, about two Miles from Totnes, eight from Newton- 

Abbott, 7 from Dartmouth, and about the same Distance from Paignton and Torbay 

1755. Polwhele, Richard, History of Devonshire 1793-1806, Vol.3, 482-483 

Footnote in Polwhele states the manor and lordship contained about 48 tenements (besides cottages) 

and was worth £1,700 per annum’. 

1762 ’Pownoll, Philemon’ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, http://www.oxforddnb.com 

15 May. Philemon Pownoll, as commander of the sloop, Favourite, was involved, with the frigate 

Active, commanded by Captain Herbert Sawyer, in the capture of a Spanish prize ship, Hermione, off 

Cape St Mary, in the Seven Years War. She had sailed from Peru before the outbreak of war and was 

carrying bags of dollars, gold coin, ingots of gold and silver, cocoa and blocks of tin. Pownoll s share 

of the prize, worth £519,705, was £64,872, one of the largest individual sums from the capture of a 

prize ship in the period. Pownoll and Sawyer subsequently married two sisters, daughters of a Lisbon 

merchant. [n.b. this last contradicts Oxley Durant Parker’s account of Pownoll’s marriage] 

c.1763 Devon RO 90M/E6 

A single page. Does not name tenants, includes various fields, fishery, profits of the manor pound 

[this was where stray animals could be recovered on payment of a fine]. The main items are: 

Higher and Lower Sharpham, set to lease at rack rent £120 

The Barton of Hollabeare, set to lease at rack rent £120 

‘The Mansion House, Gardens, Outhouses, being all in very good 

repair and extream well watered £30 

[This survey is probably in connection with the sale to Pownoll] 

c.1763 Polwhele, R., History of Devonshire 1793-1806, Vol.3, 483. 

Cockey sold the estate to Philemon Pownoll. [But see below, sale seems to be 1765] 

102

1764 Transactions of the Devonshire Association, Vol.76, p.99 

Dated receipt from Joshua Reynolds, the first half payment, for portraits of Captain Pownoll and his 

wife, shown to the DA by Colonel Bastard when they visited Kitley. 

1764 Devon RO 90M/T28 

Jane Pownoll, daughter of Philemon and Jane, his wife, [nee Mejendie, according to Oxley Durant 

Parker] born and baptized 29 May in Paddington. 

1765 Devon RO 90M/T 60, 62, 90M/T61, T28 

18 th March. Philip Cockey Esq of Sharpham leases Sharpham for a year to Philemon Pownoll Esq. of 

Great George Street, parish of St Margaret, Westminster. Property includes the manor of Ashprington 

and the capital messuage of Sharpham. 

19 th March William Cockey, brazier, plumber of Totnes and others, assignment of Sharpham to Mr 

Israel Pownoll in trust for Philemon Pownoll Esq., for £7,574. 

1765 Painting, copy in Sharpham House 

Of the 16 th /17 th -century house on site. Undated but said to be 1765 and presumably commissioned 

by Pownoll as part of a ‘before’ and ‘after’ series. 

1766 Devon RO 90M/T109 

1 March. Mr Thomas Edwards to P Pownoll, articles of covenants and agreements. 

1768 Devon RO 90M/T 110 

Mr Thomas Edwards and Philemon Pownoll articles of agreement on Captain Pownoll taking Higher 

and Lower Sharpham farms into hand, with reference to recent purchase from Philip Cockey. 

1769 Copies at Sharpham House 

Series of paintings by John Lewis shows what appears to be two variants of Taylor’s design for 

Pownoll and the surrounding landscape. 

1775-6 ’Pownoll, Philemon’ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, http://www.oxforddnb.com 

Pownoll recorded as being on active service, appointed to the frigate Blonde in December 1775. His 

prompt action saved her when she was nearly swept from her moorings at Chatham in Feb 1776. In 

April Blonde sailed to St Helens to collect transports carrying troops bound for America. In 1776 he 

was appointed to command the frigate Appollo. 

1778 Monument in Ashprington church 

16 October Mrs Pownoll died, aged 33. 

1779 ’Pownoll, Philemon’ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, http://www.oxforddnb.com 

January. Still commanding Appollo, Philemon Pownoll took a musket ball in the chest (which 

remained there for the rest of his life) in an altercation with a French frigate off the coast at Ostend. 

1779 Devon RO 90M-0/T 1-26 

10 March. Philemon Pownoll made his will. He left annuities to servants; manors and lands to 

Trustees (Charles Proby, Herbert Sawyer and Jacob Ackworth Pownoll, all naval men) for the benefit 

of his daughter, Jane, until 21 or married and the heirs of her body. Charles Proby was the guardian 

entrusted with her maintenance and, if he should die, Sarah Proby, Pownoll’s sister. 

1780 ’Pownoll, Philemon’ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, http://www.oxforddnb.com citing 

BL, Add.MS29914, fols.140-143, and monument in Ashprington church 

15 June. Captain Pownoll, commanding Appollo was killed in action while engaging the French 

privateer, Stanisluas, off Ostend. Sharpham was left to his daughter, Jane. Admiral John Jervis judged 

him ‘the best officer, and most excellent, kind hearted man in the Profession’, and claimed he had 

‘lost the best Partizan, if not the best officer under every line of description in the Service’. According 

to the monument in Ashprington church, he was 45 years old. 

1783 Devon RO 90M/T28 

17 th May and 18 th July. On 17 th May an arrangement made for an intended marriage between 

103

Edmund Bastard of Bond Street, Esq., second son of William Bastard of Kitley, and Jane Pownall, 

spinster, aged 19. Her trustees were George Waldren of Sharpham and Captain Edward Pellew 

RN, later Lord Exmouth. This was to assure to Jane her inherited money and personal estate. The 

marriage took place at St George’s Hanover Square. [Oxley Durant Parker claims this marriage was 

preceded by an elopement to Gretna Green and marriage there on May 26 th 1783, the blacksmith’s 

document recording this was in the archives of thee Bastard family in his day. Keystone has been 

unable to corroborate the Gretna Green marriage]. 


This is the first year of the LTA for Ashprington which show both proprietor and occupier. Edmund 

Bastard owned and occupied Lower Sharpham and ‘the great wood’. Higher Sharpham was owned by 

Bastard but occupied Nicholas Colston, who also occupied most of the rest of the land. 

1791 Inscription in churchyard 

11 January. Richard Durant born. 


This is the first year the assessments show Edmund Bastard occupying both Lower and Upper 

Sahrpham. 

1803-1804 Ordnance Survey drawings, West Country Studies Library 

1816 Devon RO, 90M/T28 

10 June Edmund Bastard dies leaving Sharpham to his second son, John Bastard (the eldest son 

inherited Kitley). Edmund s will was made in 1805. He provided £500 a year for his wife for life and 

use of the plate, jewels, books furniture, ornamental pictures, garden tools, carriages and horses. He 

asked for an inventory to be deposited with his brother, John Pollexfen Bastard and after her decease 

to become part of the residue of the estate. He provided £21,000 for each younger child, knowing 

that he only had one. By a codicil he increased with amount to £24,000. 


10 June, Edmund Bastard, son-in law of Philemon Pownoll, died. 


7 March, Jane Bastard, daughter of Philemon and widow of Edmund Bastard, died. 

c.1826. Lithograph, West Country Studies Library, Prints and Drawings, Somers Cocks 18. 

Lithograph by and after G Rowe, published T Wallis Sidmouth. Dedicated to ‘John Bastard Esqr. 

M.P. This view of his admired villa, upon the River Dart, is most respectfully inscribed by His obliged 

servant, John Willis’. 

1826, ‘A Rough Plan of Hollabear Marsh. Sharpham Lands, Devon RO 90M/E2 

Does not include house. Irrelevant 

c.1832 Britton, John and Bailey, Devon and Cornwall Illustrated (1832), illustration before p.99 

Print by Allom, engraved by Joseph Clayton Bentley, inscribed ‘Sharpham on the River Dart’ 

House not shown in enough detail to be helpful. 

1833 Devon RO, 90M/T32 

15 June. Codicil to will. John Bastard providing for his wife, Frances and setting up a trust for his 

surviving eldest son. He owned the manor and lordship of Ashprington ‘with the capital messuage or 

tenement called Sharpham House’ and other properties in: Ashprington; Totnes; Diptford, Manaton 

and Blackawton ‘commonly called the Sharpham Estate’. His eldest son was John Pollexfen Pownoll 

Wade Bastard; his 2 nd son, Edmund Pollexfen Bastard had died ‘an infant under 21 years of age’; 

his third son was William Benjamin Bastard. He also had a daughter, Frances. In addition to the 

Sharpham Estate John Bastard held the Washbourne Estate in Harberton, Halwell and Ashprington as 

well as land in Tandridge in Surry. 

His ‘dear wife Frances’ was to have, for her lifetime, ‘the sd capital messuage or tenement called 

Sharpham House with all the buildings, out offices, gardens, lodges, roads, approaches and 

appurtenances thereunto belonging’ and ‘the fields or closes of land and orchard thereunto adjoining 

104

and usually held therewith and known as: 

Slade - 8 acre meadow 

The orchard near the house – 3 acres 

Bailey Park – 4 acres 

‘and such part of the lawn to the extent of 10 acres as should be selected by Frances and which 

would amount to 30 acres or thereabouts’. Also ‘his household furniture plate linen china books 

pictures utensils and effects in and about his house and premises at Sharpham at the time of his 

decease’. He also bequeathed to Frances ‘all her jewels, trinkets and ornaments of the person.. .that 

came from her mother, Mrs Arabella Rowley’ and 

‘all his carriages carriage and saddle horses and ponies with their harness and equipment cows and 

other livestock wines and liquors’ 

If his eldest son died before his wife, the estate was to go to his third son and, if the male line failed, 

to go to his brother, The Revd. Philemon Pownoll Bastard of Hanworth, Middx. 

Trustees and executors were his elder brother, Edmund Pollexfen Bastard of Kitley and William 

George Lawyer. 


11 January, John Bastard died. 

1840 Lithograph, West Country Studies Library, Prints and Drawings, Somers Cocks 21. 

Lithograph by and after GE Madeley. A note by the WCSL states that it and another (Somers Cox 22) 

appear in 1841 sale advert with the title ‘Two views of Sharpham, Devon’. Annotated ‘Sketched on 

the spot and lithographed by G E Madeley 3 Wellington Street, Strand’. 

1841 Devon RO, 90M/T32 

August 20 th . Agreement between William George Lawyer of Old Dalby Hall, Derbyshire, clerk (a 

trustee of John Bastard s property) and John Bastard s son, John Pollexfen Pownoll Wade Bastard, 

who had reached the age of his majority, for the household goods and properties noted in 1833 

above (with a couple of exceptions), for £14,450. 

1841, census returns, West Country Studies Library 

Occupants of Sharpham House on Census Day are two women servants, an agricultural labourer and 

a 45 year old man, whose occupation is not given. The bathing house was occupied by an agricultural 

labourer and his family and ‘Sharpham Cottages’ occupied by a gardener and his family. 

1841, Sale catalogue, Stockdale Papers, Devon and Exeter Institution 

Sharpham estate to be auctioned 26 th August, vendor John Bastard, in three lots. 1,300 acres, 

estate will soon approach £3,000 per annum’. Lot including house comprised 1020 acres. Fullsome 

description of setting and landscape. House described as follows: 

THE MANSION 

Is of the Doric order; it is erected of Portland Stone, and great taste must have presided at the council 

which fixed on the lovely spot whereon it is planned. The approach to the house is by two lodges, 

progressing nearly two miles through the undulating grounds. It is a most imposing structure, and 

yet not too large to be inconvenient ; and the Grand Entrée by the Doric porch would puzzle even 

Mr Barry, or renowned architect, to make a substitution that would be accounted an improvement, 

The ground is necessarily elevated, but the park in front and across the valley is placed on still more 

lofty hills, and form a perpetual screen from the cold, while the splendid Dart below (which good 

naturedly encircles this park) in every direction is seen in all its varied forms in its progress; while 

the view of Totness, through the unceasing peeps in the park, with the Castle in the distance, is 

too powerful to be overlooked or resisted: these are harmonious effects that seem perpetually to 

strive to the ascendancy. In parenthesis, it may not be amiss to intimate to those who intend to 

compete for Sharpham, that a great battle has just been fought and won; no longer will this delightful 

neighbourhood be annoyed by the perpetual turmoil of Politics; dissension is forever buried in utter 

105

oblivion in the tomb of the Capulets , and 

ONE SEAT SECURED FOR EVER FOR A GOOD CONSERVATIVE, 

And another for a Liberal. The accommodation within the Domicile of Comfort is most abundant, the 

principal rooms are all of the best proportions, and most of them partake of the interminable beauty 

of the park; the bed chamber department is excellent, and the basement so perfect as to leave 

nothing to desire, with such a cuisine as is nowhere else to be found. Monsieur le Chef is all that will 

be required to gratify the most fastidious of the Totness constituency; albeit the cellars are perfect. 

Connected with the abode are offices of every description, well and perfectly secluded in a court 

yard; the stabling is very superior; the gardens and grounds are adorned by 

A BEAUTIFUL CONSERVATORY, HOT AND SUCCESSION HOUSES, AND A PINERY 

There is a French garden laid out in good taste, and the fruit and kitchen gardens are extensive and 

prolific beyond measure. But to recur to the situation: around the mansion (and effected at an 

incalculable expense during many a long and tedious year) are now seen the fruits of labour, anxiety, 

and expense, at length in their zenith; full-grown luxuriant plantations, disposed in walks apparently 

without end, varied at every turn; and 

A RHODODENDRON WALK 

WHICH ALONE EXTENDS A QUARTER OF A MILE THROUGH THE FIELDS OF ELYSIUM 

The scene from this repast of unspeakable delight is one that puts competition anywhere out of 

the question; the redeeming virtue which is felt by the honoured individual who has composed this 

imperfect sketch arises out of his knowledge that there is hardly to be found a living poet who would 

not be at fault in endeavoring to condense into so limited a space the catalogue of beauties that 

are everywhere presenting themselves, increased at every turn by the vistas in the woods, thereby 

claiming Totness and its famed tower to diversify and augment the splendid scene. It is permitted 

to speak of enchantment, it will be found amid this splendid amphitheatre, while the more distant 

views in fairness claim also a favourable mention, inasmuch as they harmonise and tend to fill up and 

complete the picture, a few only must suffice: - Haldon Hill, Haytor granite rocks on Dartmoor, the 

Awswell Rocks, and Buckland Beacon beyond Ashburton, 

TORQUAY, the pet of the cluster of watering places in the South, 

With Babbacome and Torbay, to which must be added Dartmouth, now rendered more important 

than ever by being the West India Packet Station. The amphitheatre presented on the heights is 

really one that should be seen to be felt and appreciated, it can only be imagined by a comparison 

with fairy land; in fact all that nature and art combined could achieve by dint of an immense outlay, 

and judgement never questioned, has been accomplished here. In days of yore it would have been 

useful to propound some excuse for the distance of this property from the great Metropolis; it is a 

singular and gratifying fact, that at this moment all that early and anxious expectation had formed 

has really arrived by way of consummation to the fondest hopes. The railway presents itself as a 

godsend, and brings London within the short distance of nine hours. The Lucombe Oak and forest of 

evergreens banish winter and its discomforts, and longevity is proverbial here. It has been omitted to 

notice 

THE CONFLUENCE OF THE DART AND HARBOURNE RIVERS, 

Which is one of the beauteous features of this admired vicinity. These rivers are beside full of fish. The 

salmon, salmon peel and trout, are all in the greatest abundance; but this is not all; these waters form 

a boundary to the estate. Each is an estuary, the sea paying its accustomed tributes daily, and 

RENEWING THE FISHERY AT EVERY TIDE. 

A MEMBER OF THE YACHT CLUB, 

106

If his ways and means are buoyant, will find in the Dart perpetual delight. Dartmouth, with its large 

and beautiful harbor, is within half an hour’s sail. Game is in great abundance, and woodcocks and 

wild fowl never fail to congregate here in winter. There is a heronry in Langham (alias Laskey’s) 

Wood; indeed the only difficulty now felt is to imagine WHAT THERE IS NOT. It is now indispensable 

to recur to the profitable means of employment for capital connected with this important sale. 

THE SHARPHAM ESTATE 

Exclusive of the two other farms comprised in Lots Two and Three, but inclusive of the unenclosed 

land adjoining the rivers Dart and Harbourne, numbers more than 

1020 ACRES OF LAND, 

Of the highest quality, divided into fair proportions of orchard, meadow, pasture, arable, marsh 

and wood lands. Already 50 acres is secured from the sea, and an additional 80 acres in view; and 

if it be in the contemplation of the possessor of Sharpham to add to the demesne, there is at this 

a most important property, divided only by the river Harbourne, which may be purchased, and 

other extensive properties in the vicinity may be acquired. The baths and the bath-house are both 

auxiliaries not to be despised, and considerable influence is added to the estates by the houses and 

property in 

THE VILLAGE OF ASHPRINGTON, 

With the water grist mill, called Bow Mill, and the lime kiln and quay. The mill has great command of 

water. The present rental and value of the estate will very soon approach 

£3000 a YEAR 

A steam-boat on the Dart every day, from Dartmouth to Totness and back. There is great latitude for 

extending this review of one of the most admired properties in Devonshire, but Mr ROBINS trusts he 

has said quite enough to enlist the early attention of those who prefer to judge for themselves; and 

he is quite satisfied that it will be conceded to him, that this short narrative is a faithful, rather than a 

vivid description. 

‘The mansion comprehends the following very superior accommodation: - 

Six attic rooms for twelve beds; seven best bed chambers, four dressing rooms, etc., commodite; four 

bachelors’ chambers and a water closet, distinctly placed; three bedrooms for the female part of the 

establishment, for six beds, distinct from the rest, with separate staircases. 

On the grand suite 

The dining parlour 29 feet by 19, and 16 feet high, with a tasteful statuary marble chimney piece; the 

octagon drawing room, 28 feet square; fitted up in the most elegant manner with gold ornaments, 

and a magnificent statuary chimney piece, morning room, 19 feet by 19; boudoir, also the state bed 

chamber and dressing room, three nurseries, a bath room, and place for a second commodite on this 

floor. 

GROUND FLOOR. – The entrance is of octagon form, it is adorned by eight Doric pillars on a stone 

base, with solid oak doors, leading to the second hall and staircase; these are well worthy of 

imitation, nothing in good taste can exceed it; there is a splendid dome top with galleries around. A 

billiard room, 29 feet by 19; library 19 feet by 18 feet; and magistrate’s room. 

THE BASEMENT includes housekeeper’s room, 18 feet by 17; a kitchen, suited to a nabob, 20 feet by 

20; scullery and two larders, butler’s pantry, and bed room, and servants; hall, 23 feet by 18. 

The Cellars 

Of excellent temperature and very dry, including a very large cellar with catacomb bins, to hold 

107

enough to indulge the Totness constituency to their heart’s content; the room for tenants; show and 

knife places, wash-house and very large laundry. 

OUTSIDE – A drying ground, bakinghouse and dairy, with Dutch tiles; brewhouse, woodhouse, 

slaughterhouse, and cyder cellar, with loft over. 

The Court Yard 

Includes eight-stall stable, and a place for four more. Two double coach-houses, two harness rooms, 

hay and straw depository, two rooms over lofts, a carpenter’s shed etc.’ 

The Farm Buildings 

Are well secluded, with a carpenter’s shop, piggeries etc. 

1841, Exeter Flying Post, West Country Studies Library15 th June, 1c 

The Sharpham Estate for sale. The advertisement is a contracted version of the sale catalogue above. 

1842 ‘Notices of some Gardens and Country Seats’, The Gardener’s Magazine, November 1842, 537- 

539 

Sharpham; - Durant, Esq. The road from Totnes to Sharpham is a crooked narrow lane between high 

banks, in which two carriages can with difficulty pass. If widened and carried along an improved line, 

which might be almost on a perfect level, it would be one of the loveliest drives in the world, from 

the abundance of wood and the great beauty of the valley of the Dart, the water of which expands 

so as to resemble a winding lake. The narrow lane alluded to is two or three miles in length; and the 

approach road, after leaving the lodge, extends upwards of a mile. We passed many fine old trees, 

and among others the most magnificent Cornish elm that we ever beheld. By a rude measurement, 

we found the trunk to be 15 ft. in diameter; the diameter of the space covered by the branches to 

be 136 ft.; and the height 80 ft. The house is very well placed on a projecting platform, which forms, 

as it were, the corner between the valley of the Dart and another valley, which may be called that 

of Sharpham. Here the “sufficient reason” for choosing the situation is obvious at a glance. There is 

much natural beauty at this place, and many fine woods and trees; but it is in a state of sad neglect, 

nothing having been done to it for several years. It appears, indeed, never to have been completed; 

for the walls of the kitchen-garden have not been built, and there are the rafters of a vinery, under 

which vines are trained, but for which, we were informed, the sashes were never made. The feeling 

of melancholy which such a place as this produces is so mixed up with misery, that it affords no 

pleasure; whereas, an old neglected place, where there is no evidence of the neglect being the result 

of want of means, fills the mind with a feeling of veneration and respect, as well as sadness….One of 

the finest things at Sharpham is a broad walk from the house, along the side of a steep valley, to the 

head of that valley, where it crosses over by the gardener’s cottage to a similar walk on the opposite 

side; the walk all the while winding much in direction, but being always nearly on a level. We were 

informed that it is continued through the woods towards the sea, exhibiting many fine views of the 

Dart and its opposite banks. 

Notwithstanding the wretched state in which this place was, we noticed in a flower-garden near 

the house very large plants of Cliánthus puníceus and fuchsias; Bouvárdia triphylla, 4 ft. high, and 

forming a large bush; rosemary, 6 ft. and 8 ft. high, forming most beautiful bushes; large magnolias 

of different kinds; and a bed of broad-leaved myrtles pegged down, so as to cover the entire bed 

with their white flowers. Among the trees and shrubs, along the walk before mentioned, were, 

a straight erect arbour-vitæ, upwards of 30 ft. high, with a clear trunk 1 ft. in diameter; immense 

rhododendrons, azaleas, and laurustinus; and a black spruce, 50 ft. high, feathered to the ground, its 

lowest branches rooted in the soil, and their points forming a circle of young trees ranged round their 

parent. 

1842 Devon RO 90M/E36 

Richard Durant, who bought the Sharpham Estate in 1842 was a silk broker of Durant and Co,. 

Copthall Court, London. 

108

1843 Ashprington Tithe Map 

1844 Ashprinton Tithe Apportionment and Oxley Parker, ‘Sharpham’, typescript of lecture, c.1920, 

English Heritage Archives 

This gives Richard Durant, Esq. as owner and occupier. The house and its park amounted to just over 

354 acres. Oxley Parker records that Durant’s wife was Elizabeth nee Savage. 

1844 Parker, Oxley, ‘Sharpham’, typescript of lecture, c.1921, Totnes Museum Archives 

Richard (i) Durant planted the double avenue of Cornish elms in the middle and Turkey oaks on the 

outside, leading to the church. 

1845 Kelly’s Directory, 1883 

Durant contributed to the restoration of Ashprington church in 1845. 

1847 Parker, Oxley, ‘Sharpham’, typescript of lecture, c.1921, Totnes Museum Archives 

Richard Durant was bequeathed the estate and house of High Canons, Hertfordshire. 

1850 Whites Directory 

States that Richard Durant, Lord of the Manor ‘has a large and handsome freestone mansion…’. 

Durant had ‘lately much improved the village by erecting a new inn and rebuilding many of the 

cottages’. 

1851 Census Returns, West Country Studies Library 

Harriott Finch, housekeeper, describes herself as ‘head of household’, so was evidently living in a 

separate dwelling with two daughter and a lodger. There is no entry for the big house, which must 

have been empty. 

Richard and Elizabeth Durant were in 24 Park Crescent Marleybone with three children (all aged over 

20), a woman visitor, aged 43, and five servants. 

1852 https://eric.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10036/29393/pugsley.pdf?sequence=2 

compiled from The London Gazette. 

Richard Durant was High Sheriff of Devon 

1852 Burke’s Visitation of Seats 

This seems to be the earliest documentary source for attribution to Taylor: ‘Said to have been 

commenced in circa 1770 by Captain Philemon Pownell from designs by Sir Robert Taylor but was 

completed in 1824 by his grandson John Bastard’. 

1855 Inscription in churchyard 

19 March. Richard’s wife, Elizabeth Durant, died. 

1856 Thepeerage.com/p3328.htm 

Richard (ii) Durant married Charlotte Still Dashwood 

1857 Kellys Directory 

Richard (i) Durant, still at Sharpham, described as County Magistrate. 

1861 Census Returns 

Under ‘Sharpham Mansion’ 

Louisa Ward, a housemaid aged 29; Marina Pring, a kitchen maid, aged 52 and Charles Button, an 

under gardener, aged 17. No member of the Durant family was at home on Census day. Richard 

Durant was staying as a guest in a Brighton hotel. 

1863 Thepeerage.com/p3328.htm 

109

23 April. Charlotte Still Durant, nee Dashwood, Richard (ii) Durant’s wife, died. 

1865 Kelly’s Directory, 1935 

In 1865 the almshouse, given by Sir Edward Giles in 1622 and the church house, also an almshouse, 

were pulled down and the materials of the latter used for building a school house. 


Richard Durant, head of household, landowner, aged 80 

Eleanor Snell, housekeeper, aged 45 

Jane Sandford, kitchenmaid, aged 26. 

The ‘bathing house’ was occupied by a carpenter and his family. 

There is a reference to a gardener’s cottage – this is listed before the main house and it is not clear 

whether it relates to Ashprington Court or the Sharpham. 

1878 

Richard Durant (i) died. His elder son was also called Richard (1812-1886) and presumably inherited 

Sharpham in 1878. He had been given the High Canons estate by his father when he married 

Charlotte Still Dashwood in 1856. 

1878-79 White’s Directory 

Refers to ‘R Durant Esq., JP, at Sharpham 

1879 ‘Sharpham’ typescript of a lecture by Oxley Durant Parker, Totnes Museum Archives, 1921 

Richard (ii) Durant’s only son, also called Richard (iii) Durant died, aged 18, shortly after his father 

inherited. Oxley Parker records that Richard (ii) Durant scarcely ever visited Sharpham afterwards, 

and allowed his sister, Miss Elizabeth Jane Durant, his sister, to live at Sharpham for the eight years 

that he owned it. 


Elizabeth Durant, head of household, aged 52 

Thomas French, butler, aged 47 

Emily Case, housekeeper, aged 33 

Mary Adams, housemaid, aged 24. 

The boat house was occupied by a carpenter and his family. 

The ‘Gardens’ by Henry Dunn, gardener, and his family. 

1882 

Oxley Parker married Ethel Geraldine Gambier Parry. They later had one daughter, Ethelinda 

Katharine. 

1883 Kelly’s Directory 

No Durant at Sharpham but a gardener and bailiff shown at this address. 

1886 and 1887 Correspondence of the Durant family following Richard (ii) Durant’s death, Essex 

Record Office, D/DOp B123/1309-1328. 

Richard Durant (ii) died. Elizabeth Jane, Richard (ii) Durant s aunt, who had lived at Sharpham all her 

life, bought the 1,328 acre Sharpham estate, valued at £97,000, from the executors. 


Sharpham described as ‘the magnificent seat of Miss Durant. Reference to its rookery; heronry and a 

Wych Elm covering 400 square feet. 

1889 First edition OS map 1:2500 


Lists the following at the house: 

Elizabeth Durant, spinster, head of household, living on own means, aged 60. Born Epping Forest 

Thomas P French, butler, aged 56 

110

Ann Leake, housemaid, aged 49 

Lena Parsons, kitchen maid, aged 17 

The boathouse was occupied by the under gardener and his family. 

A third unit was listed under Sharpham House, occupied by Henry Dunn, head gardener, aged 49 and 

his family 

c.1900 Totnes Image Bank, DRA/0073/AP1 

Photo labelled as ‘Durant family and servants’ including Albert Henry Butland, carpenter, who had 

12 children. Tentatively dated c.1900. Is Elizabeth Jane seated at the front? The only visible east 

elevation window is a plate glass 2-pane sash. 

1906 Second edition OS map 1:500 

1906 Kelly’s Directory and http://www.johnrogers.com.au/Pocklington/familytree1/gp2950.html. 

Elizabeth Durant died. Kelly’s shows Oxley Durant Parker (1845-1932) installed. He was Elizabeth 

Durant’s sister Louisa’s son. He was married to Ethel Geraldine Gambier Parry and had one daughter, 

Ethelinda Katharine Parker. 

c.1910. Photograph. West Country Studies Library, Prints and Drawings, WCSL P&D 47656 6/B/8560. 

South side view of the house from the west. Two flat-roofed dormers are shown in the roof of the 

main south range, lighting the servants’ rooms in the attic. [Photograph dated ‘1900?’ on the back, 

but perhaps records the visit of the Devonshire Association to the house in 1911] 

1921 ‘Sharpham’ typescript of a lecture by Oxley Durant Parker, Totnes Museum Archives 

This lecture was read at the monthly meeting of the Totnes Antiquarian Society and was published in 

the Totnes Times 22.01.1921 

1920s? Totnes Image Bank, JB/0014 

Photograph showing east front and part of north side. Top tilting window shown on 2 nd floor, north 

side. 

1932 

Oxley Durant Parker died. Sharpham passed to his cousin, son of Richard Durant (i)’s third sister, 

Emily, who had married Colonel James Buchanan Kirk. The son’s name was Alastair Hope Kirk. 


Refers to the ‘late Mr Durant and states that the lord of the manor and principal landowner is Major 

Alastair Hope Kirk T.D.’ 

1940 Devon RO, 547B/P3448 

Sale catalogue of the Sharpham Estate. Due to be auctioned September 1940. Accompanying plan 

missing from this copy. Lot 10 

‘The Important Residence known as Sharpham House, dating from 1770 and built by Sir Robert Taylor, 

President of the Royal Institute of British Architects, in the Adams Period, with beautiful original 

decorations 

The House occupies a picked position on a spur of the hill overlooking the valley of the River Dart 

with delightful, magnificently-timbered grounds, altogether extending to about 

20a. 1r. 32p. 

The Georgian House 

is approached by Two Carriage Drives, one from Totnes with Two Lodges, Lots 19 and 55 and the 

other from Ashprington Village, which wind through the Park, which has been divided into several 

lots, so as to give a purchaser an opportunity of purchasing as much additional land as desired 

if it has not already been disposed of. The interesting house was built of Portland Stone with a

slated roof for Captain Pownall, a great seaman of the 18 th century. It was commenced about 1770 

and finished about 1826 and has the choice decorative features of the period. It is entered by a 

pedimented porch and contains 

Circular Entrance Hall 

with a diameter of 26-ft. 6-in. with eight circular pillars and a stone floor marked like a compass. 

Georgian doors with pediments give access to adjoining rooms. 

One of the great features of the House is the 

Elliptical Inner Hall 

Measuring about 45-ft. to the top of the Dome light. The staircase winds round it unsupported on the 

inner side and has decorative iron work and mahogany handrail. 

Nearby is a Vestibule with W.C. 

The Library 

19-ft. 6-in. by 18-ft. 6-in. (South), has beautiful original decorations throughout, with a charming 

white statuary marble mantel inlaid with Sienna marble. The walls, bookcases, shutters and doors are 

all decorated with acanthus leaf, egg and tongue and floral designs of this period. On the walls are 

four medallion paintings attributed to Angela Kauffman. 

The Billiards Room or Dining Room 

29-ft. by 19-ft. 6-in., is also decorated in the Adam style. It has four French windows and marble 

mantel. 

There is a SMALL SITTING ROOM or PRIVATE DINING ROOM convenient for the kitchen. 

On the First Floor is 

The Saloon 

30-ft. by 20-ft. with beautiful views over the Dart Valley to Totnes and Dartmoor, with Haytor plainly 

visible in the distance. The room is completely decorated in the Adam style with a statuary white 

marble mantel with central plaque and a steel Adam style grate. 

Octagon Drawing Room 

26-ft. 6-in. in diameter, richly decorated with gilt mouldings, but altered from the original Adam style. 

White and Sienna marble mantel. Beautiful views are obtained to the North-east and South-west 

over the valley of the Dart, both towards the Estuary and to Totnes. 

A Small Drawing Room 

South, 19-ft. 6-in. square with marble mantel with circular columns and coved ceiling. 

SMALL BOUDOIR. 

The Bed Rooms 

are conveniently arranged and comprise:- 

DOUBLE BED ROOM (South), 22-ft. 6-in. by 17-ft. 10-in. 

DRESSING ROOM, BED ROOM (South), 19-ft. 6-in. by 15-ft., and a Small 

BEDROOM, BATH ROOM with Bath (h. and c.) and lavatory basin (h. and c.) and W.C. 

BEDROOM (West), 18-ft. by 13-ft. 

On the Second Floor are the following:- 

“A” BED ROOM (North), 20-ft. by 20-ft. 

“A” DRESSING ROOM. 

An ANTE ROOM leads to 

TWO OVAL BED ROOMS “B” and “C.” 

“D” BED ROOM (South), 20-ft. by 20-ft. 

DRESSING ROOM. 

“E” BED ROOM (South), 18-ft. by 16-ft. 3-in. 

DRESSING ROOM. 

112

“H” BED ROOM (South), 13-ft. 6-in. by 15-ft. 

“K” BED ROOM, 13-ft. 6-in. by 19-ft. 6-in. 

On the Second Floor of the West Wing are:- 

FOUR SERVANTS’ BED ROOMS and Housemaid’s Closet, also at a different level are THREE STAFF BED 

ROOMS and BATH ROOM, DRYING ROOM and STORE ROOM. 

On the Top Floor are FOUR ATTICS. 

The Domestic Offices 

are well shut off from the Reception Rooms and convenient for the Small Dining Room and could also 

be made to serve the Large Dining Room. 

They comprise Servants’ Hall, Butler’s Pantry and Bed Room, Manservant’s Bed Room, Housekeeper’s 

Room, Kitchen with large and small ranges and “Ideal” Boiler for heating service water, Scullery with 

sink, Dairy, Pantry and Larder. Store Rooms. Underground Beer, Cider and Wine Cellars. 

Outside, surrounding a Courtyard, is a Laundry with Wash-house and Ironing Room and “Ideal” Boiler, 

Brew House, Bakehouse, Wood Shed, Underground Coal Cellar and W.C. 

The Principal Rooms are all lofty with large windows and command beautiful views in all directions. 

Water is from a strong spring by gravitation. 

Drainage is piped to the Orchard. 

A “Beeston” boiler heats hot pipes on the landings and “Ideal” boiler heats the service water. 

Telephone is laid on – Harbertonford 213 – now temporarily disconnected. 

The Stabling, Garages and Cottage 

are built of stone with slated roofs round a large graveled yard and comprise Garage for 4 cars, Stable 

for 6 and Two Loose Boxes, Harness Room, Two Bothys, Bungalow containing Sitting Room, Kitchen, 

Two Bed Rooms and Coal Shed. 

The Estate Yard and Farmery 

is situated near the Stable Yard and comprises Carpenter’s Shop, Saw Mill Shed with 8 h.p. “Lister” 

Engine, Timber Shed, Cart Horse Stable for 3 and Gear Place, Two-Bay Cart Shed, Eight Bay Waggon 

and Ladder Shed, Wood Shed, Two store Places and Water Trough. 

1940 http://parksandgardens.ac.uk 

Avenue Cottage divided from remainder of the estate and both sold by Durant’s descendents. 

1940 Totnes Times 27:09:1940 

Sharpham House was withdrawn from the auction above at £1,900. 

1940-1943 ‘Memories of Sharpham’ typescript in the Sharpham Archive 

Records the use of the house for a convent school during World War II. When the school arrived 

they were told that ‘some soldiers had squatted in the empty house’ but beat a hasty retreat when 

they heard that nuns and schoolgirls were on their way. The nuns noticed barges on the Dart, which, 

unknown to them at the time, were being prepared for the invasion of France. The drawing room 

was used as a chapel. 

1942 Memories of Sharpham’ typescript in the Sharpham Archive 

Friday 16 October. The house was bombed, the description refers to the ‘billiard room’ evidently 

ground floor north at the front. There was a hole in the wall in the hall and the front of the house 

was damaged with all the windows blown out. There were more raids, though no reference to any 

other damage to the building and the nuns decided to leave and move to Shropshire. The windows 

were replaced with plate glass sashes which were still in place in 1962 (see below), shown on 

elevations of that date by Clutton and Drew.

Bomb damage. Sale catalogue of 1951 (see below) states: 

‘The house suffered a certain amount of damage from cannon shell from enemy aircraft during the 

late war’. The catalogue continues ‘The bulk of this has been made good under a cost-of-works 

payment, but there is a quantity of works on the top floor still to be done including the redecoration 

of the staircase dome and making good the stonework on the exterior. This work has been admitted 

by the War Damage Commission’. 

1951 Sale Catalogue, Stockdale Papers, Devon and Exeter Institution 

Sharpham Estate to be sold 17 th August at Rougemont Hotel, Exeter, vendor Major R.C.B.Astley- 

Sparke. 

Lot 1 

(Coloured Pink on Plan) 

THAT WELL-KNOWN AND VERY LOVELY FREEHOLD RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY 

with 2,500 yards frontage to the River Dart 

known as 

SHARPHAM HOUSE 

ASHPRINGTON, Near TOTNES 

Comprising: 

A beautiful specimen of the architecture of the Adam Period, the House being designed by Sir Robert 

Taylor, President of the Royal Institute of British Architects, for Captain Pownoll, a noted seaman of 

the Napoleonic Wars. It was commenced in 1780 but was not fully completed until 1826. 

It occupies a position of entrancing beauty, standing on a spur of high land round which winds the 

River Dart, with views on all sides across the Valley to the rolling country beyond, whilst to the North- 

West it commands a superb panorama along the river to Totnes, with Dartmoor, Haytor and the 

Saddle Rock beyond. 

It is approached by a well-made Drive through undulating well-timbered Parkland, and is surrounded 

by some beautiful Gardens with most known varieties of flowering shrubs, laid out by “Capability” 

Brown. 

The House is massively constructed of Portland stone, the walls, including many of the interior walls, 

being about 3ft. in thickness. The roof, of slate and lead, has recently been renewed. The rooms are 

all well proportioned and lofty and there is a wealth of architectural features for which this period is 

noted. 

The Drive terminates in a wide sweep on the East side. Entrance is gained under a Porch supported by 

twin Doric columns, and the accommodation comprises: 

ON THE GROUND FLOOR 

AN OCTAGONAL ENTRANCE HALL 

diameter 26ft. 6in., the ceiling being supported by a circle of eight Doric columns. The stone floor 

is inlaid with a representation of a ship’s compass. French casements open to the Gardens. Passing 

across the Hall, an opening flanked by classical pilasters gives access to a unique Rotunda, or 

ELLIPTICAL INNER HALL 

round which winds the beautiful Staircase. This is of stone corbelled into the walls, with decorative 

wrought iron panels, square iron balusters and shaped mahogany handrail. This Hall is surmounted by 

a domed light 45ft. above ground level. Close by is a gentlemen’s lavatory with wash-basin (h. and c.) 

and separate W.C. From the Entrance Hall double doors on the left open to the 

LIBRARY 

measuring 19ft. 6in. by 18ft. 6in., facing South, with French casements to Gardens. This room still 

retains the original decoration and fitments, with bookcases and cupboards of pure Adam style 

embellished with festoons of husks and oval shell paterae between Corinthian pilasters with acanthus 

leaf cornice. The fireplace is surmounted by a white marble mantel carved and inlaid with a carved 

panel representing the Arts in bas relief. Over the doors are four original oval paintings attributed to 

Angelica Kauffman. On the right of the Entrance Hall, and also reached from the Inner Hall, is

THE DINING ROOM 

measuring 29ft. by 19ft. 6in., with Adam decoration, fireplace with Adam mantel in marble, now 

fitted with “Esse Dura” slow combustion stove. Three sets of casement doors to Garden. Service 

door to Serving Room and Pantry. On the left of the Inner Hall a swing door opens to a stone-flagged 

Service Passage, where are Servants’ Sitting Room, with fireplace ftited with “Esse Dura” stove, Two 

Store Rooms, large light Kitchen with “Aga” cooker (Model E), with tiled surround, range of six deep 

cupboards in wall recesses, deep sink (h. and c.), and vegetable sink with cold supply and cupboards 

under. Large Larder, with white-tiled walls, slate benches and cement floor recess for refrigerator. 

Pantry, fitted sink (h. and c.), glass- and china-cupboards, and two large built-in silver-safes. Sewing 

Room. 

Boiler Room, with “Britannia” five-section boiler and calorifier with automatic oil firing. (The oil 

burner is a Tenant’s Fixture.) “Permutit” water-softener. Fuel Store with outside chute to hold 10 

tons. Game Larder. Wash-house with large sink (h. and c.) and stone-flagged floor. Larder, with slate 

shelves opening to Court Yard. 

ON THE FIRST FLOOR: 

THE SALOON 

Measuring 30ft. by 20ft., with Adam decoration in relief on the walls. Marble mantel and steel firegrate. 

This room faces North-West and commands beautiful views. 

THE OCTAGON DRAWING ROOM 

26ft. 6in. in diameter, richly decorated with gilt mouldings and having carved overdoors, oval domed 

recess and a beautiful sculptured mantel of various marbles with Ionic columns and centre panel 

depicting a pastoral scene in relief. 

THE PRINCIPAL BEDROOM SUITE 

Comprising Bedroom, 19ft. 6in. square, with a fine carved ceiling and marble mantel supported by 

Doric columns. The walls and ceiling are hand-painted in the Italian style. Adjoining is a small Dressing 

Room (formerly Powdering Room) fitted with pedestal lavatory basin (h. and c.) and fireplace. 

Modern Bathroom with bath and pedestal lavatory basin (h. and c.). Separate W.C. Bedroom, 22ft. 

6in. by 17ft. 10in. 

THE NURSERY SUITE 

Comprising Day and Night Nurseries, well-fitted Bathroom. Separate W.C., with low-level suite. Range 

of heated linen cupboards in passage, with small Bedroom beyond. 

ON THE TOP FLOOR: 

Large Bedroom, 20ft. square. Dressing or Bedroom adjoining. Bathroom, with bath, lavatory basin (h. 

and c.) and separate W.C. Three other Bedrooms, measuring respectively 18ft. by 16ft., 13ft. 6in. by 

15ft., and 19ft. 6in. by 13ft. 6in. Beyond are 

TWO UNIQUE OVAL BEDROOMS 

Each with fireplace. There are also on this floor a large Bedroom and a Dressing Room, and 

A STAFF FLAT 

Comprising Three Bedrooms, Sitting Room, 20ft. square, Kitchen with point for electric cooker and 

sink (h. and c.) and W.C. Reached also by the Secondary Staircase are, on the First Floor: Sewing Room 

and Linen Room, Four Staff Bedrooms, Bathroom and W.C. On each floor is a housemaid’s Closet with 

sink and hold and cold services. Ample box and storage space. 

OUTSIDE the Domestic Offices is a Courtyard, where are well-equipped cool Dairy, with slate benches 

and cement floors, half-tiled walls, and cold water laid on; Sterilising Room, with cement floor, sink 

with cold water service and tiled splash, stone sink with water service and tile-topped draining bench 

for pails; Old Brew House and ample Shed accommodation.

At a convenient distance from the House is an enclosed Yard surrounded by 

A RANGE OF STONE-BUILT AND SLATED BUILDINGS 

Entered under an archway and comprising: Two double Garages to take four cars; Two small Tool 

Houses; large Store or Barn; Loose Boxes. The remaining side is occupied by 

AN EXCELLENT COTTAGE 

Containing: small Hall; Two Bedrooms with fireplaces; Bathroom with bath, lavatory basin (h. and c.) 

and W.C. Sitting Room; Scullery with sink (h. and c.); good-sized Kitchen with “Ideal” boiler; cupboard, 

with copper hot water storage tank and point for electric cooker. Outside: Wash-house, Wood Shed 

and Garden. Electric Light and Power throughout. 

1962 Chris Nicholls pers comm. and Dubois report 

Sharpham House sold to Mr and Mrs Maurice Ash, for whom formal gardens were laid out by Percy 

Cane (1881-1976). 

1962 Plans, elevations and sections of the house on all floors by Clutton and Drew, Sharpham 

Archive. 

14 March. These appear to show the house as purchased by the Mr and Mrs Ash, before they 

undertook any works. They show ‘cottage 1’ in rear south wing with ‘store’ beyond and ‘cottage 2’ in 

rear north wing with ‘garage’ beyond. On the first floor of the house the south-facing oval rooms had 

been converted into a single large room. Many other useful details shown. 

1962 Plans by Hening and Chitty annotated to show work proposed 

30 March. Plans on all floors. Robert Hening (1906-1997) was a distinguished architect who worked 

at Dartington where he assisted William Lescaze with the design and construction of High Cross 

House and was responsible for other new buildings on the site. He went into partnership with Chitty 

in 1937. 

1962 Plan for the formal garden by Percy Cane. This was a present to Ruth and Maurice Ash from 

Dorothy Elmhirst. 

1966 Plans and elevations of Courtyard Cottage (east range of stable yard) by Hening and Chitty, 

Sharpham archive 

27 June. Labelled ‘proposed new first floor’. 

1967 Binney, Marcus ‘The Villas of Sir Robert Taylor’, Country Life, 6 July 1967, 17-21 and 13 July 

1967, 78-82. 

Includes photographs and plans of Sharpham ground and first floors. 

1969 Binney, Marcus ‘Sharpham House, Devon’, Country Life, 17 April 1969, 952-955, 24 April 1969, 

1014-1017. 

Includes photographs and second floor plan with a suggested reconstruction of the oval bedrooms. 

1970 Plans and elevations of rear south wing by Robert Hening Associates, Sharpham Archive 

Shows workshop and proposed metal windows in S elevation. 

c.1976 Plans, Sharpham archive 

November. Plans by Tom Hancock, architects, Holly Bush Hill, London show proposals for restoration 

of the oval rooms on the second floor east front, which had previously (before 1962) been altered 

into a single room. Chris Nicholls reports that the original doors were found in store on the site 

(pers.comm.) Also plans for adaptations for self-contained flat in rear block including steel bridge for 

access across the lower courtyard. 

1982 http://parksandgardens.ac.uk 

Sharpham Trust founded

1987 

12 August, Garden first registered 

1999-2000 

Garden registration description written. 

2000 Planning Application for a creamery building 01/1013/00/F, English Heritage Archive 

This application meant that the creamery could be removed from the south range of the stable block. 

2006 Harrison Sutton Partnership, ‘Feasibility Study of Sharpham House for the Sharpham Trust’, 

Sharpham Archive 

Includes ground floor phased plan and plans of house on all floors. 

2008 Listed Building Consent application for woodchip store, English Heritage Archive 

This store is a new building, the Hening and Chitty garage that abuts the north side of the house now 

contains the boiler. 

117

Sharpham House, Ashprington, Devon 

Entry Number: 1108385 

Grade: I 

Date first listed: 11 November 1952 

SX 82701 57870 

Appendix Two 

List Descriptions of the Sharpham Buildings 

Country House. Circa 1770 by Sir Robert Taylor for Captain Philemon Pownall, continued by Pownall’s 

daughter Jane after 1780s and completed in 1824 by his grandson John Bastard. Remains of an earlier 

house are said to exist incorporated at the back. Ashlar with rusticated ground floor slate hipped roof 

with lead rolls to ridge and hips. Rendered central axial stack. 

Plan and development: In 1770 Taylor built a Palladian villa onto an earlier house, depicted in a 

survey illustration of 1749. The old house was presumably used as the rear (west) service wing for 

the new house since the new addition has no piano nobile over flanking wings to accommodate 

the services. It is entered on the ground floor through a canted bay at the front into an octagonal 

entrance hall which leads to a wide oval stairwell being flanked by a dining room on the right 

and library on the left all contained in a shallow rectangular plan. Pownall died in 1780 but work 

continued and it might have been then that the plan was deepened by 3 bays on the south side and 

2 bays on the north side absorbing more of the earlier house at the back, the remaining evidence of 

which is only the thick walls of the irregular plan and a reused Tudor doorframe and mullion window. 

The 3-storey 2-bay range to the west of the south front right incorporate earlier work as it could be 

entirely early C19 as building continued until about 1824. The lower wings to left and right at the 

back are late C19 additions and contained a laundry and other services including a coach house but 

were converted into two separate dwellings in the late C20. 

Exterior: 3 storeys, attic and cellar under part. Rusticated ground floor, string at first floor level 

and stone modillion eaves cornice. Astylar elevations. The east front of 1:3:1 bays, the centre a 

wide full-height canted bay with a Roman Doric portico with paved columns and a balustrade to 

the balcony alcove. Tall first floor windows all have apron balustrades and alternately are with and 

without triangular pediments. The small square second floor windows have moulded architraves. The 

rusticated ground floor also has small square windows but most now have lower sills. The north and 

south returns are similar but without the canted bay, both originally 3 bays, the north increased by 2 

and the south by 3 more bays. 12-pane sashes on the first floor, 6-pane on second floor and ground 

floor windows are now mostly garden casements. 

Rear elevation has 3-window centre with 12-pane sashes, set back on left with modillion cornice 

and wing on sight with porch in the angle which has a roll-moulded Tudor arch stone doorway with 

mouchettes in the spandrels, moulded stone 2-light window with hoodmould and a round-headed 

sash above. Low service wings to right and left of rear courtyard, the left hand with wooden cupola 

over roof. 

Interior: Very fine interior retains most of its C18 features. The octagonal entrance hall which fits into 

and is entered through the canted bay at the front has a colonnade of 8 Roman Doric columns inside 

and a compass design in the floor. Behind the entrance hall is the oval stair-well with niches in the 

walls, rising the full height of the house to a coffered dome and lantern and with an exceptionally fine 

cantilevered staircase with a plain stick balustrade incorporating monoframes on the landings. On the 

ground floor the library has small panels attributed to Angelica Kauffman and classically decorated 

bookcases. On the first floor the drawing room has figurative medallions, plaques and garlands and 

a marble chimneypiece. The octagonal saloon also has a fine marble chimneypiece with a carved 

plaque said to be reminiscent of Henry Cheere, but Regency panels have been superimposed on 

the walls. The principal bedchamber has a coved ceiling with Regency decoration and an early C19 

118

white marble chimneypiece. On the second floor 2 groin-vaulted lobbies off the landing and a pair of 

oval rooms over the octagonal saloon with oval vestibules in the spaces between. Most of the C18 

joinery, plasterwork and chimneypieces are intact, including the original servants staircase but there 

are some early C19 chimneypieces and reeded ceiling borders. At the back the former laundry and 

service wings have late C19 arch-braced timber roofs. 

Historical Note: Sharpham was once the property of the Yarde family of Bradley. It was bought by 

Philip Cockey in 1748 as a speculation for the timber on the estate rather than for the old house. In 

1765 Captain Philemon Pownall bought the estate and in circa 1770 employed Sir Robert Taylor to 

rebuild the house with a fortune of £64,963 acquired from the capture in 1762 of the Spanish galleon 

Ermiona in the Seven Years War. 

Sources: Marcus Binney, Country Life, 17 th and 24 th April, 1969. 

Stable and Coach House range immediately west of Sharpham 


Grade: II 

Date first listed: 26 April 1993 

SX 82632 57875 

Stable and coach house range; partly converted into a dwelling. Circa late C18 and early C19 with 

later C19 and C20 alterations. Local slate rubble. Slate and scantle slate gable-ended and hipped 

roofs, some replaced by later asbestos tiles. 

Plan: Roughly square on plan, built around 4 sides of a courtyard, with stables on 3 sides and coach 

houses on the fourth north side flanking the central carriageway. Either side of the carriageway is a 

small tack room. Probably built in phases starting from about 1770 when Sharpham House (qv) was 

begun. The east range has been converted into a dwelling in C20 and the south range is now dairies. 

Exterior: 1 storey and lofts. At the centre of the north elevation a limestone ashlar elliptical arch 

carriageway with alternating large and small voussoirs and tooled pilasters with fluted capitals with 

small roundels and with plank double doors. Inside the carriageway stand partition side walls with 

brick noggin and flush-panel doors to tack rooms. 

Inside the courtyard the elevations have central elliptical arches to the stables and 16-panel sashes, 

most of which are original. To left and right of carriageway 2 pairs of plank double doors to coach 

houses, the left hand replaced by corrugated asbestos sheets. 

Interior: Circa late C19 soft-wood king-post roof structure and none of the stable stalls survive. 

It is doubtful whether Sir Robert Taylor, the architect of Sharpham House (qv), personally had a hand 

in designing the stables. 

Ha-Ha immediately east and south of Sharpham House 


Grade: II 


SX 82778 57909 

Ha-Ha. Circa late C18 or early C19. Pitched slate rubble revetment about 1 metre high with small plain 

gateway cut through later opposite the east front of the house. Curved on plan with farm track below 

and lawn up to house above. 

The Ha-Ha is part of the picturesque landscaping of the grounds at Sharpham House (qv) carried out 

during the late C18 and C19. 

119

Dam to lake about 260 metres south east of Sharpham House at grid reference 829577 


Grade: II 


SX 82926 57722 

Dam with causeway above. Probably C19. Pitched and horizontally coursed slate revetment to a low 

earth dam. The dam forms a fresh water lake made from what was originally a small tidal creek on 

the River Dart. 

The lake is part of the picturesque landscaping of the grounds of Sharpham House (qv), carried out 

during the late C18 and C19. 

Quay about 420 metres east south east of Sharpham House grid reference 831579 


Grade: II 


SX 83111 57812 

Quay. Circa late C18 or early C19. Horizontally coursed dry slate rubble, the lower courses might be 

of pitched slate. The top of the quay is not paved but is covered in turf. Irregular rectangular plan 

projecting into the River Dart and slightly narrower at the outer end. 

The quay is situated on the west bank of the River Dart near a small disused slate quarry in the park 

of Sharpham House (qv). 

Kitchen Garden Walls east of Sharpham 


Grade: II 


SX 82572 57855 

Kitchen Garden Walls. Circa late C18 and early C19. Local stone rubble with slate capping. Tall walls 

with pilaster buttresses at intervals enclosing almost square plan garden on a slope. Taller wall on 

north side against which is a C20 conservatory inside and a C19 linhay with rectangular piers outside. 

The east side has a wide opening at the centre and on outbuilding in the south east corner. The east 

side is the back wall of one of the stable ranges (stable and coach house range (qv)). 

Summer House about 290 metres south east of Sharpham 


Grade: II* 


SX 82904 57674 

Summerhouse. Circa 1770-80, probably contemporary with Sharpham House (qv) and designed 

by its architect Sir Robert Taylor; extended in late C19. Rendered, probably stone rubble. Flat roof 

concealed behind parapet. Late C19 extension has gable-ended slate roof with deep eaves. Stack at 

side with brick shaft. 

Plan: Octagonal single cell plan with doorway at front and stack on left side. Another doorway at back 

120

towards river now leads into a late C19 2-storey rectangular extension at lower level with a balcony 

on its gable end overlooking the River Dart. 

Exterior: The original building is a single storey octagon with a parapet and moulded wooden 

modillion cornice. Doorway on north west front has moulded wooden doorcase with pulvinated 

frieze and dentilled cornice and with C18 6-panel door; approached by stone steps. The south and 

east sides of the octagon overlooking the river have sash windows, the east with vertical glazing has 

only?????, the south a later replacement. Below is the circa late C19 2-storey extension which is at 

lower ground level and its gable end facing the river has deeply projecting verges on timber braces, 

finial and a balcony with a wooden balustrade on timber cantilevers. 

Interior of original part is an octagonal room, virtually unaltered. It has a moulded cornice, covered 

above with a moulded plaster acanthus centrepiece to ceiling. The walls have moulded dado rail. C18 

wooden chimneypiece with moulded architrave and cornice. Opposite fireplace is a cupboard with 

C18 fielded panel double doors. Moulded wooden architrave to entrance on north west side and on 

opposite side are steps down to panelled double doors, originally external doorway, but now giving 

into late C19 extension. 

121

Sharpham House, Ashprington, Devon 

Register of Historic Parks and Gardens 


Grade: II* 

Date first listed: 12 August 1987 

SX 82701 57870 

Appendix Three 

Garden Registration Description 

Details 

Mid C20 formal terraced gardens by Percy Cane and C19 pleasure grounds surrounding a villa by Sir 

Robert Taylor, set in late C18 parkland attributed to Lancelot Brown. 

Historic Development 

In the late C14 Sharpham belonged to Robert Winard, and subsequently passed by marriage and 

inheritance to the French, Prideaux and Drewe families. Edward Drewe, Sergeant at Law to Queen 

Elizabeth sold Sharpham ‘which had large demesnes belonging to it’ to John Giles of Bowden in 

Ashprington in the late C16 (Polwhele). In 1748 the estate was sold by Gilbert Yard to Philip Cockey. 

The sale particulars noted extensive woodlands on the estate, and a ‘Mansion House & several Wall’d 

Gardens’ which are also shown on a survey of 1749 (CL 1969; Debois 1993). In 1755 Cockey offered 

a lease on the estate, and in 1765 sold it to Captain Philemon Pownoll, a Naval officer who in 1762 

captured the Spanish treasure ship Ermiona, the richest prize of the Seven Years War (CL 1969). 

Pownoll built a new villa to designs by Sir Robert Taylor between 1765 and 1769, and recorded this 

and alterations to the surrounding landscape in a series of paintings by John Lewis (1769) (Debois 

1993). Mrs Pownoll died in 1778, and Captain Pownoll was killed in action in 1780, leaving Sharpham 

to his young daughter, Jane. In 1783 Jane Pownoll eloped with Edmund Bastard of Kitley, Devon; 

subsequently dividing their time between Kitley and Sharpham, Edmund and Jane Bastard continued 

with the construction of the house and improvement of the landscape, which appears to have been 

completed c.1800 (OS Drawing 1804; Debois 1993). Edmund Bastard died in 1822 leaving Sharpham 

to his second son, Captain John Bastard, who is reputed to have gambled away his fortune (Debois 

1993). The estate was sold in 1841 to Richard Durant, with whose descendants it remained until 

1940 when Avenue Cottage was divided from the remainder of the estate, and both were sold. 

Passing through several hands, Sharpham House was sold c.1960 to Mr and Mrs Maurice Ash, for 

whom formal gardens were laid out by Percy Cane. Today (1999) Sharpham House is vested in 

the Sharpham Trust, while Avenue Cottage and other areas of the site remain in separate private 

ownership. 

Description 

Location, Area, Boundaries, Landform, Setting 

Sharpham House stands on the west bank of the River Dart, c.1km north-east of the village of 

Ashprington, and c.3km south-east of Totnes. The c.120ha site comprises some 16ha of gardens and 

pleasure grounds, and c.104ha of parkland and plantations. The site is bounded to the north, northeast 

and east by the River Dart, and to the south and west by agricultural land. To the south-west 

adjacent to Avenue Cottage the site is bounded by a minor road which leads from Ashprington to the 

entrance to Sharpham House. The site occupies a naturally fine position overlooking the River Dart, 

with the ground generally sloping from the west towards the river on the east. A ridge of high ground 

on which the House stands extends east towards Sharpham Point c.500m east of the House, causing 

the river to flow in a wide curve. Avenue Cottage c.520m south-west of the House stands in a deep 

valley running from high ground to the south-west towards the River Dart. The site enjoys long views 

north up the River Dart towards Totnes, and east across the Dart valley towards high ground southwest 

of Paignton. Woodland on the east bank of the River Dart is important for the immediate setting 

of the site. 

122

Entrances and Approaches 

The site is today (1999) approached from a minor road which leads north-east from the centre of 

the village of Ashprington. Some 550m north-east of the village, the road reaches the entrance 

gates to Sharpham House, which comprise a pair of rendered brick piers, one of which is now (1999) 

surmounted by an urn finial, flanked by pedestrian gateways. This arrangement was formed c.1960 

when the line of the south drive was diverted from its original course c.30m north (R. Soans pers. 

comm. 1999). The tarmac drive extends c.240m north-east through former parkland which falls 

gently to the north, revealing views up the river Dart towards Totnes. Turning east and descending 

for c.130m, the drive is flanked to the south by trees, evergreen shrubs and exposed rocks. As the 

drive turns sharply north-west for c.100m, a vista east down the mid C20 terraces in the gardens 

is revealed. The drive turns sharply east-north-east for c.190m and passes through evergreen 

shrubbery, before emerging onto lawns to the north of Sharpham House and sweeping south-east 

round the House to reach a simple carriage turning area on the east side. A spur leads south from 

the drive at a point c.50m west of the House to reach the late C18 or early C19 stables and coach 

house (listed grade II) which are arranged around a courtyard entered by an elliptical arch in the 

north façade. The present south drive represents a late C18 or early C19 remodelling of an existing 

approach from Ashprington which is shown on the survey of 1749. It is shown in its present form on 

the st edition 1” OS map (1809). 

The principal approach to the House from the late C18 was from Totnes to the north. The Totnes drive 

is entered from a minor road. Totnes Downhill, some 3km north-north-west of the House, where an 

early C19 Italianate, two-storey lodge stands to the west of an entrance comprising a pair of massive 

late C18 or early C19 fluted granite piers with rounded caps, flanked by smaller pedestrian entrances 

with similar granite piers to east and west. The north end of the drive now (1999) serves as access to 

mid and late C20 houses which adjoin it to the west. 

For some 950m the drive has the character of a lane running between stone walls and hedges, 

with views east towards the river. The drive reaches a further gateway on the northern edge of a 

plantation, with the site of a late C18 or early C19 lodge (demolished c.1950) to the north. Entering 

the park, the drive continues as a contoured, grassy track, following the east- and north-east facing 

slopes above the River Dart. A series of picturesque views of the river, woodland, surrounding 

country and the House are contrived, with the drive passing through plantations and a small cutting 

c.1.5km north-west of the House. The Totnes drive joins the south drive c.190m west of the House. 

Principal Building 

Sharpham House (listed grade I) was constructed in 1765-9 for Captain Philomen Pownoll, to designs 

by Sir Robert Taylor. The present mansion stands on the site of an earlier house, possibly dating from 

the C16, which was shown on a survey of 1749, and in a painting of 1765 by John Lewis. Elements 

of this earlier house survive in the service quarters on the west side of the House. The construction 

of the House continued over an extended period, and it was probably only completed in its present 

form c.1820 when Taylor s original villa was extended westwards, incorporating more of the earlier 

house. Taylor s villa is a restrained Palladian stone structure with a rusticated ground floor lit by small 

square windows, tall first-floor windows with apron balustrades and alternate pediments, and square 

second-floor windows. The east façade has a full-height canted bay window with a ground-floor porch 

supported by Doric columns, surmounted by a first-floor balcony. The fine late C18 interior includes a 

first-floor octagonal saloon over the entrance. Three windows in the canted bay serve to frame vistas 

north-east, east and south-east over the River Dart and surrounding landscape. Two low wings, one 

surmounted by a cupola, project to the south-west and north-west of the House enclosing a service 

court. 

Gardens and Pleasure Grounds 

Lying to the north, east, south and south-west of the House, the gardens and pleasure grounds are 

separated from the park by a late C18 or early C19 slate rubble ha-ha (listed grade II), below which 

runs a farm track. The pleasure grounds extend south-west to include C18, C19 and C20 gardens 

in the valley around Avenue Cottage c.530m south-west of the House. The gardens east of Avenue 

Cottage were connected to the gardens around the House by an ornamental carriage drive on the 

123

north side of the valley, the Ladies’ Walk, which extended along the south side of the valley to 

enter the park c.290m south-south-west of Sharpham House. To the north and north-east of the 

House lawns are planted with groups of trees including Turkey and Lucombe oaks, and evergreen 

shrubbery framing views across the River Dart. To the north-east a large revolving bronze sculpture 

by Henry Moore stands on the lawn. Lawns below the east front are planted with further specimen 

trees, and continue in an unbroken sweep to the south side of the House, allowing further extensive 

views across the parkland and River Dart. The south lawn is enclosed to the south by grounds of 

rhododendrons, while to the south-west stands a mature cork oak. Some 50m west of the House a 

circular pool with a lead figure fountain survives from a C19 flower garden, in which segmental beds 

radiated from the pool (R. Pitts pers. comm. 1999). Loudon noted a flower garden near the House in 

1842 (Gardener’s Mag). 

To the north, the south-facing rubble-stone wall of the south range of the stables (listed grade II) 

incorporates a brick-covered horizontal heating flue c.1m above ground level. Some 55m west-southwest 

of the House two semicircular stone-flagged steps ascend to a series of three terraces laid out 

c.1960 by Percy Cane as a gift from Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst, Cane’s patrons at Dartington 

Hall, Devon (qv). The lowest terrace comprises a level tennis lawn. To the west, axially placed stone 

steps flanked by columnar conifers ascend a grass bank to the second terrace which is laid out 

with herbaceous borders, and which is ornamented with a Byzantine well-head. Further axial steps 

flanked by similar conifers ascend to the third terrace which comprises a sloping grass walk flanked 

by herbaceous and shrub borders, which ascends to a simple stone bench seat flanked by further 

conifers. 

Beyond the seat the axis of the terraces is continued through an area of informal woodland garden 

to the south drive. Grass walks lead south-west to an area of informal woodland garden partly 

developed in a former quarry by the late Mrs Ash from c.1960. A terrace walk south of the west 

terraces was developed by Percy Cane, and leads into the late C18 Ladies’ Walk. Some 160m southwest 

of the House, three stone and brick walls survive from a conservatory or summerhouse to the 

north of the Ladies’ Walk. The age of this feature is uncertain, but it existed by 1889 (OS 1 st edition 

26”). The south-facing slope below the Ladies’ Walk was planted in the early and mid C19 as a 

pinetum or American garden, and in 1842 Loudon commented on conifers growing on the Ladies’ 

Walk (Gardener’s Mag). Extending c.400m along the north side of a valley, the Ladies’ Walk was 

formed before 1769 (Debois 1993) as an ornamental terrace walk or carriage drive linking Sharpham 

House to pleasure grounds in the valley to the south-west, with trees underplanted with ornamental 

shrubs on the slope to the north separated from parkland by a ha-ha, with a further ha-ha to the 

south allowing generally open views across the valley. The south ha-ha is carried west of a pond 

c.80m north-east of the House, originally allowing cattle grazing the valley to approach the boundary 

of the pleasure grounds. The ha-ha continues along the south side of the valley, where the carriage 

drive enters a rhododendron tunnel c.100m long, before passing through a pair of circular stone gate 

piers to emerge into the park. 

Avenue Cottage was built as a cottage orne c.1800, possibly replacing an earlier cottage (ibid). As 

constructed the thatched structure comprised a pair of cottages facing west, with a circular verandah 

facing east down the valley. The Cottage stands on a terrace above a grass slope which rises from the 

former carriage drive where it turns to pass east along the south side of the valley. Avenue Cottage 

was destroyed by fire in 1953, and rebuilt without the verandah and other C19 features. 

East of the Cottage pleasure grounds were developed from the late C18, with mid C19 ornamental 

planting including a group of Rhododendron arboretum by the carriage drive north-east of the 

cottage (ibid). West of the Cottage a ranked avenue of Turkey oak and Cornish elm was planted 

in 1844 as a walk to Ashprington church. This now serves as the drive to Avenue Cottage, but the 

original inner planting of Cornish elm has largely been lost through disease. The gardens around 

Avenue Cottage continued to be developed with ornamental planting throughout the C19, with 

further development taking place after the sale of the property by the estate in 1940. An elliptical 

pool with an island c.30m north-east of the Cottage existed by 1889 (OS) and formed part of the 

C19 pleasure grounds. Today (1999) the Ladies’ Walk and carriage drive survive within the garden, 

together with a network of walks restored partly to the pattern shown on the late C19 OS. 

124

There has been extensive clearance of overgrown laurel shrubberies in the late C20, and further 

ornamental planting reinforcing the pleasure ground character of the valley. A mid C20 reconstituted 

stone and wrought-iron classical tempietto stands c.50m south-east of the House above the carriage 

drive, commemorating an earlier phase of restoration. 

Park 

The parkland at Sharpham has been attributed to Lancelot Brown (1716-83) (Stroud 1975), who 

worked with Sir Robert Taylor elsewhere, and whose son served as MP for Totnes, and is believed to 

be contemporary with Captain Pownoll’s remodelling of the House c.1765-9. There is no surviving 

documentary evidence for the attribution, but field evidence is said to support Brown’s involvement 

(N. Owen pers. comm. 1999). To the north and north-west of the House, the Totnes drive passed 

through parkland on the east-facing hillside above the River Dart. This area is now (1999) pasture 

enclosures, with scattered groups of trees, and plantations on high ground c.700m west and c.1.2km 

north-west of the House. Trees c.270m north-west of the House sheltered a seat affording views 

north along the River Dart to Totnes (N. Owen pers. comm. 1999). 

To the east of the House parkland sloping down to the river has been developed in the late C20 as 

vineyards, while the steep slope south of the pleasure ground was cultivated as an orchard in the 

C19, and is today (1999) an area of scrub and woodland. The north-facing hillside known as the 

Great Run c.200m south of the House was developed as parkland in the late C18 (Debois 1993) with 

scattered groups of trees contrasting with larger areas of woodland to the west (Cottage Plantation) 

and south-east (Sharpham Wood). The Great Run remains pasture with scattered trees, and is 

significant in views from the House; woodland to the south-east has encroached into the parkland 

since the mid C19. The carriage drive, now (1999) a grass track, crosses the Great Run from the 

grounds of Avenue Cottage to the west, to enter Sharpham Wood to the south-east, some 260m 

south of Sharpham House. It continues south-east and east for c.800m through Sharpham Wood 

before descending the slope and returning north-west along the river bank, passing a stone singlestorey 

fishing pavilion c.540m south-east of the House. Ruins of the fishing pavilion including the 

west wall and fireplace survive on the river bank (1999). The carriage drive re-emerges into the park 

c.400m south-east of the House. 

Some 270m south-east of the House a rendered, single-storey octagonal Bathing House (listed grade 

II*) stands on the river bank east of the carriage drive. This structure is attributed to Sir Robert Taylor 

and was constructed c.1769 with a single octagonal room overlooking the river. It was extended to 

the north and east in the late C19 and served as a boathouse, but was converted to domestic use 

in the mid C20. Immediately north of the Bathing House and c.240m south-east of the House, the 

carriage drive crosses an early C19 dam (listed grade II) which retains a lake formed by enclosing a 

tidal creek on the river. The lake is today (1999) ornamented by a group of late C20 totemic granite 

sculptures which emerge from the water. The carriage drive continues on the river bank round 

Sharpham Point, passing a mid or late C18 stone quay (listed grade II) c.400m east-south-east of 

Sharpham House, and a former quarry and lime kiln. 

Some 370m east-north-east of the House the drive reaches a picturesquely arranged group of rocks 

on the river bank. Partly covered by trees, the rocks sheltered a seat which afforded views north-west 

up the River Dart to Sharpham Barton, a farmhouse c.1.75km west-north-west. The carriage drive 

returned to the House, joining the main drive c.130m north-west of the House. Today (1999) late C20 

farm buildings partly obscure the course of the final section of the carriage drive. 

Kitchen Garden 

Enclosed by rubble-stone walls c.3m high with slate coping (listed grade II), the kitchen garden lies 

c.50m west of Sharpham House, immediately adjoining the west range of the stable court which 

forms the east wall of the garden. The kitchen garden is almost square on plan, and largely remains 

in cultivation as a fruit and vegetable garden, with a mid C20 swimming pool constructed axially to a 

wide ramped opening cut in the centre of the south wall. A mid C20 conservatory is built against the 

inner face of the north wall, while a stone linhay is built against the outer face. Loudon noted in 1842 

that the walls, which are supported by pilaster buttresses, had not then been completed (Gardener’s 

Mag). 

125

References 

R. Polwhele, The History of Devonshire III (1793-1806) 482-3 

D. and S. Lysons, Magna Britannia: Devon II (1822) 15-16 

T. Allom, Devonshire Illustrated (1829-32) 

Gardener’s Magazine 18 (1842) 337-9 

J.B. Burke, Visitation of Seats I (1852) 38 

O.D. Parker, ‘Sharpham’ (unpublished lecture c.1920) [copy on EH file] 

Country Life, 142 (13 July 1967) 78-82; 145 (17 April 1969) 952-4; (24 April 1969) 1014-17 

D. Stroud, Capability Brown (1975) 238 

B. Cherry and N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Devon (1989) 722-3 

Avenue Cottage, Sharpham: A survey of the landscape, management plan (Debois Landscape Survey 

Group 1993) 

T. Gray, The Garden History of Devon: An Illustrated Guide to Sources (1995) 201-2 

Maps 

William Doidge, Map of Sharpham and Hollabeare, 1749 (90M E1), (Devon Record Office) 

Map of Hollabeare and Sharpham Lands, 1826 (90M E2), (Devon Record Office) 

Tithe map for Ashprington parish, 1844 (Devon Record Office) 

OS Surveyor’s drawing, 1803-4 

OS 6” to 1 mile: 1 st edition surveyed 1887, published 1891 

OS 25” to 1 mile: 1 st edition surveyed 1887, published 1889 

2 nd edition revised 1904, published 1906 

Illustrations 

View of Old Sharpham on Map of Sharpham and Hollabeare, 1749 (90M E1), (Devon Record Office) 

J. Lewis, Old Sharpham from the south, 1765 (private collection) 

J. Lewis, Four views of Sharpham, 1769 (private collection) 

Archival Items 

Durant Estate papers, deeds, surveys and legal papers (90M), (Devon Record Office) 

Photographs of Avenue Cottage and gardens c.1900-20 (private collection) 

Postcards of Avenue Cottage, c.1915 (private collection) 

Sale particulars, 1940 (547B/3448ii), (Devon Record Office) 

Sale particulars, 1952 (867B/S60), (Devon Record Office) 

Photographs of Avenue Cottage and gardens c.1950-90 (private collection) 

Description written: June 1999 

Amended: July 1999 

Register Inspector: JML 

Edited: July 2000 

126

Appendix Four 

Text of a lecture on Sharpham given by Oxley Durant Parker to the Totnes Antiquarian Society in 1921 

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

I have been asked to read a paper on Sharpham this evening, by which I conclude you wish to know 

of Sharpham House, its Owners and the property generally, for it covers a lot of ground, and is 

therefore a rather formidable undertaking. My interest, and that of my wife, Mrs Parker, dates back 

just under 160 years, from the time of Capt. Pownall, or Pownoll, and his wife who was our relation. 

However, I am sure that I shall have your kind indulgence in the matter, and though I am in the 

presence of Antiquaries, I will endeavour to give you such details as I have been able to collect, and 

which, I hope, may be of some interest to you. 

There is no doubt that Sharpham has been a Country seat for about 800 years, in fact some say that 

the property was assumed by the Norman Conqueror himself, and that the Manor of Sharpham is 

probably the Sepisberie of Domesday? This is by no means improbable, inasmuch as William the 

Conqueror was down in these parts in 1067, when he besieged Exeter. 

Probably as time went on the surroundings of the place were made more important. In earlier days, 

too, people were contented with smaller houses for the most part, just as some of us today would 

be glad if big houses were smaller! Now, for instance, the fascinating and delightful Drives, the one 

from Totnes, say about 2 miles, and the other to the village of Ashprington, would hardly have been 

what they are today, running through a magnificently timbered Park of 385 acres with Lodges and the 

picturesque Boathouse on the River Dart, all somewhat in keeping with the style of the Mansion of 

the day? The cottage by the Boathouse has an octagon room, as if to be in keeping with an octagon 

room in the Mansion. It would be interesting to discover in what way Sharpham and this ancient 

Borough of Totnes were actually connected, when the Priory of Totnes existed in 1088-9, and who 

in the th century, was Clemens de Scharpehamme, the son of Thomas de Scharpeham? And what 

part Clemet de Scarpeham played in those days? You will find them mentioned in those extremely 

interesting Volumes of Mr. Hugh Watkin’s History of the Priory of Totnes, and in the same book there 

is Johannes, son of Robertus de Schearpeham, mentioned as “entering by ordinary purchase” in some 

property “on Tuesday before the festival of St. Thomas the Apostle in 1318”. One wonders what 

purchase and what property? 

But this brings me more to the date of known Owners of Sharpham, in the time of Henry IV (1380), 

or perhaps earlier, and to the large collection of Deeds, which are contained in a number of tin 

boxes in the Muniment room of the house – deeds which are a mass of parchment, with sealing 

wax, tapes and labels, and which I wish that I had not only the time but the knowledge to dive into, 

and extract much more antiquarian matter. Perhaps if I am given more years to live, and am unable 

to move about so much as I do at the present moment, I may be able to occupy myself at home in 

more serious research. But before speaking of the Owners, I should like to draw your attention to the 

Grant of Henry VIII, under which I and my predecessors hold the Manor of Ashprington, and which I 

am pleased to have found in one of the tin boxes. One is tempted to display it in the house, but I am 

always afraid to do so, lest it should be lost and become separated from the Deeds, once it ceases to 

be under lock and key. Amongst the Deeds is a List of all the Fines or Heriots due to the Lord of the 

Manor in 1754, and much earlier still. 

N.B. The Advowson worth £240 a year belongs to the Manor and also very fine Fishing in the 

River Dart, where great Quantities of Salmon, Sea Trout and other Fish are taken every season. The 

said Manor lies in a very good country, pleasantly situated upon the said River Dart, consists of very 

good Land, Orchards that make the best Cyder, very near to Lime and other Dressing, the Houses in 

tolerable good Repair, about 2½ miles from Totnes, 8 from Newton Abbot, 7 from Dartmouth, and 

about the same distance from Paignton and Torbay . 

Official extract of Fines, etc., of the Manor of Ashprington. 

127

Now it may be interesting to those of you who have a knowledge of Heraldry that you can at any time 

go into the Church of the Village of Ashprington, about a mile from the house, and decipher the Arms 

of the Owners of Sharpham on the pew bench-ends, from their heraldic “Coats of Arms” – they begin 

at the entrance to the Chancel and are in order, in alternate sides, as you walk down the nave to the 

West end. 

This method of perpetuating their names for all time came about by chance to me and my sisters, 

after I succeeded my Aunt, Miss Elizabeth Jane Durant, in 1906. We wished to re-seat the Church 

in her memory, as it had only rush-bottom chairs, which were gradually being devoured by weevil, 

though I can well remember, when a boy, the high box pews, with doors, which in many cases were 

lined with blue baize! There were two, if not four, large square box family pews, and I remember we, 

as a family from Sharpham, sat in one. Our present Rector, Rev. R. M. Carwithen, asked me if I would 

have the “Coats” of the Sharpham Squires carved on the bench-ends at any rate as far as I knew 

them. 

Had I done it on my own initiative, I should have been probably dubbed as one who was going in for 

a sort of vain-glorying of one’s self in a certain measure! My sisters and I were delighted to do it, for 

there is no question that my predecessors must have done a great deal for this Church, and for all 

that have worshipped there during a period of 800 years, and now for all time anyone can decipher 

their names who has a knowledge of Heraldry, and can find out who they were and more, besides, 

from the mural tablets or monuments in the Church. 

From an antiquarian point of view, I think we ought to pause a moment to speak of the Church. 

The present one is ancient, dating back to the 14 th century, and stands in a beautiful position, but 

undoubtedly on the site of a much older Church, corresponding with the Font of the earliest Norman 

or latest Saxon time. It appears to be made of the red sand stone of the county, and possibly from 

one of the neighbouring quarries. 

Another most interesting and ancient possession of the Church is the pre-reformation Chalice, which 

is said to be 13 th century (say 1250-1275). The only other existing of the same date is that of Berwick 

St. James, in Wiltshire. The Ashprington Chalice has an Elizabethan cover. 

We are fortunate in knowing, at any rate, the names of the Rectors dating back to 1260, when John 

De Blakedone was Rector, and the Patron was the Priory and Convent of Totnes. The Bishop at that 

time was Bishop Bronescombe. Since 1260 there have been 41 Rectors, amongst them was the Rev. 

John Lethbridge, who, about 1653, when Cromwell’s followers were playing such havoc with Churches 

and Church property fled, and is said to have taken refuge in the big Sharpham Wood, overhanging 

the Dart, for some weeks, and finally he escaped with his life into Cornwall. However, he returned 

later on. Might we venture to consider the Chalice was presented to the Rev. John de Blakedone, the 

Rector? No doubt it was about 1653 that the high Preaching Cross in the Churchyard was broken by 

Cromwell’s men, and all that remains today is the base, with a short portion of the shaft. The Rev. 

John Lethbridge held the living from 1639. 

It is sad to think that nothing remains of a beautiful wood carved screen, except the two doors of the 

same, which however, have been carefully preserved and hung up in the Porch. A sketch has been 

carefully preserved, made by Mr. Herbert Read, of Exeter, which shows what he considers the original 

Screen was like, and it is always hoped some day someone will be moved to replace the old screen. 

The sketch is hung up in the Church. 

At what date the Sharpham Mansion, which existed before the present one, built in 1770, was 

erected, far down the slope of the hill, and not far from the present Sharpham Boathouse, no record 

tells us. There is an engraving of the house which shows, as you will see, formal pleasure gardens 

attached, with a sundial in the middle of a number of paths and flower beds. That garden, etc., is 

now the apple orchard of the present Mansion. 

The House which I am showing you, like many houses in earlier days, was comparatively small, and 

appears not to have many windows, but it was situated lower down near the river and well sheltered 

128

in its position from the S.W. winds and tucked under the hills which rise in some cases 400 feet above 

the river; it was near beautiful springs of water, and at the head of a small creek in the River Dart, and 

stone steps ran down from the pleasure gardens to the tidal waters which came up the creek. This 

small creek no longer exists, for my Grandfather, Mr. Durant, built a barrage and made a withy bed. 

However, the willows have always refused to grow there, but it is covered with clumps of pampas 

grass and round the banks of the old creek are all sorts of English forest trees and a few conifers, 

rhodos, shrubs and bamboos, etc. 

Lord Waldegrave’s brother, Rev. Noel Waldegrave when he came to see us, did not recognise 

Sharpham House from the picture which he owns, but that was due to the fact that the picture was 

painted before the creek was enclosed and trees planted. Lord Waldegrave and his brother are the 

sons of the late Lady Chewton, who was the only daughter of Capt. John Bastard, R.N., of Sharpham. 

Her husband, Viscount Chewton was killed in the Crimea. 

I have often asked them if they have anything of interest belonging to the place in pictures or 

anything else, but nothing remains beyond the picture above mentioned. 

The first Owner I know of is Mr. Robert Wynard, in the early days of Henry IV, or perhaps Richard II, 

and one wonders whether he lived in any portion of that old House. But probably there was another 

house before that one. I know nothing, I am sorry to say, about him, but I fancy one William Wynard 

was Recorder of Exeter in 1404; he was the son of John and Isabella Wynard and put up a memorial 

window to his family in the Church at Clyst St. George. 

Mr. Robert Wynard had an only child, a daughter Anne, and so the Sharpham Estates passed to her 

husband, Robert French, who is probably one and the same as he who sat for Totnes in Parliament 

in 1384-5-6. I am inclined to think, too, that he and his wife are “Robertus Frensch and his wife”, 

who were licensed by Bishop Lacy on September 20 th 1426, to celebrate in a suitable place in their 

dwelling house of Sharpham, in the parish of Aysshpreynton”. (See Mr. Hugh Watkin’s History of the 

Totnes Priory, page 356, Vol. 1. there is also Robertus Frensshe mentioned in the book in 1403 and 

1409.) 

The Frenches had an only child, a daughter Amy, and she, being an heiress, brought the Sharpham 

Estates to her husband John Prideaux, of Adistin, near Modbury when she became his second wife, 

and, as they only had a daughter, Joan, the property passed again through the female line to her 

husband, who was William Drewe – of the well-known family of the Drewes, of the Grange, near 

Honiton. 

Their descendant, Edward Drewe, is believed to have been born at Sharpham. He was Recorder 

of Exeter in the 34 th year of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, 1592 and surrendered this office upon 

becoming Recorder of London. In 1596 he became Sergeant-at-law to the Queen. He received 

Queen Elizabeth during his lifetime at the Grange and she sent him her portrait which, I believe, is still 

to be seen there. 

Now, some years ago, a descendant of the Drewes wrote to me, and was kind enough to give me 

some details of the family, and also told me how many owned Sharpham. It appears that there were 

13 Drewe Owners altogether, and finally it is said to have been gambled away. He is a well-known 

man, as you will realise, when I give you his nom-de-plume, “John Ayscough”, the author and novelist. 

No doubt you all know that he is really the Rev. Mgr. Bickerstaffe-Drewe, Senior Chaplain of the 

Forces (R.C.), who was commended for distinguished conduct in the field in the late European War. 

He sent me a beautiful bookplate of his family, which shows all the Drewe quarterings (48 in all) down 

to his grandfather’s time. French is the second coat in the second line; the third coat in the same line 

is Wynard, whose names and families I have already mentioned. 

Now the following were the Drewe Owners of Sharpham, and Sharpham was the Senior Seat of the 

Senior Branch of the Drewes of Devon, though the Grange was a fine place and from 1598 their usual 

residence. 

129

(1) William Drewe married Joan, daughter and heiress of John Prideaux, of Orcharton, Lord of the 

Manor of Drewecliffe and Hayne, and co-heir of his mother, Amy, eldest daughter and co-heir 

of Robert French, by Amy, daughter and heiress of Robert Wynard. 

(2) William Drewe, their son, married Joan, daughter and child of Matthew Worsford. 

(3) Henry Drewe, of Sharpham, their son. 

(4) William Drewe, of Sharpham, his son. 

(5) Thomas Drewe, of Sharpham, his son, married Elenora, daughter and heiress of William 

Buckmore, of Bokeyt. 

(6) Edward Drewe, of Sharpham and Killerton, near Exeter (already mentioned), their son, 

Sergeant-at-law to Queen Elizabeth, married Bridget Fitzwilliams. 

(7) Sir Thomas Drewe, of Grange and Sharpham, married Elizabeth daughter of Sir Edward Moore, 

of Odiham. 

(8) William Drewe, of Sharpham and Grange, married five times without issue. 

(9) Francis Drewe, of Sharpham and Grange, his brother married Mary, daughter of Richard 

Walrond, of Illrewen (?) 

(10) Thomas Drewe, of Grange and Sharpham, their son married Margaret, daughter of Sir Peter 

Prideaux, Bart., of Netherton, but left a daughter only. 

(11) Francis Drewe, of Sharpham and Grange, brother and successor of the last-named, married 

Martha Webb, and left daughter only. 

(12) Edward Drewe, Canon of Exeter, brother of the last two, married Joan, daughter and co-heir of 

the Right Rev. Anthony Sparrow, Lord Bishop of Exeter. 

And lastly 

(13) Francis Drewe, their son, M.P. for Exeter, of Grange and Sharpham. He it was who sold 

Sharpham. This “Squire Frank” Drewe is said to have been a gambler and gambled away 

Sharpham just before his death (which perhaps had better have taken place a little earlier). At 

any rate so ends the Drewe Reign at Sharpham. 

Sir Edward Giles, of Bowden, M.P. for Totnes, who married Mary, daughter and heir of Edmund Drewe 

of Hayne, by Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of William Gibbs, of Venton, or Fenton, in the parish of 

Dartington, from whose family the family of Sir Vicary Gibbs, who sat as M.P. for Totnes, and became 

a Judge, claim descent, is the next on the list. 

William Kekewich, Gt.-Gt. Grandfather of the present Sire Trehawke Kekewich, of Peamore, lived at 

Bowden, and his son, Samuel, bought Peamore in 1798. 

Sir Vicary Gibbs was the Gt.-Gt. Uncle of Lord Hunsdon, son of the 1 st Lord Alenham, who married the 

youngest daughter of Mr. Richard Durant, Junr., of Sharpham, and of High Canons, in Hertfordshire, 

my Uncle. 

Then Henry Blackhaller, who died in 1689 and is buried at Ashprington, and whose daughter married 

Gilbert Yards in 1694. There is a handsome monument to Mr. Blackhaller’s memory in the Lady 

Chapel. 

Here is a description of Sharpham just after Mr. Henry Blackhaller’s death:- 

130

Sharpham.- “A pleasant seat in the parish of Totnes, about a mile and a half below the Town of 

Totnes. It stands upon an ascent just above the River Dart, on the West side thereof, in its way 

to Dartmouth, where it disembogues itself in the Ocean about 5 miles to the South. It hath also 

a fair prospect of the river up to the Town of Totnes, by which it is well near semi-insulated; 

whose daily flux and reflux affordeth in the season the choicest fish and fowl of various kinds 

both for recreation and hospitality, of which there is no want in the last possessor’s time Henry 

Blackhaller, Esq., a Justice of the Peace of this country, an honest man, and friendly gentleman, 

who lately inhabited there.” 

Mr. Gilbert Yarde, who married Mr. Blackhaller’s daughter, and thus became the owner of the 

Sharpham Estates, was M.P. for Ashburton in 1705, and died and was buried at Ashprington in 1707. 

It was then sold to Philip Cockey, who, I imagine, only bought it as a speculation, for he sold it again 

to Capt. Philemon Pownoll, R.N., “The sale of the Estates took place at the house of Mr. Maddock, Inn 

Keeper at the Sign of the Angel, in the Borough of Totnes”. 

The actual date of the purchase was March 18 th 1765, and Capt. Pownoll is described in the deeds 

as of Great George Street, Westminster, London. I think Mr. Philip Cockey was a Ship Builder, and 

Pownoll’s family was connected with the Navy and ship building. There is an Israel Pownoll of 

Chatham, mentioned in the deeds. 

The Epitaph on Capt. Pownoll’s Monument in Ashprington Church shows his character:- 

and again: 

“Reader – 

“If thy Breath has learnt to lament Departed 

Merit, Refuse not the Tribute of a Tear to 

the Memory of 

CAPT. POWNOLL, a Man, 

Brave without Baseness, Liberal without 

Ostentation, Honest, Open and Sincere, 

Preferring the Toils and Perils of the 

Ocean when the voice of his Country called 

for his Services to a Life of Ease and 

Tranquility which his affluence would have 

afforded. He fell a Victim to her cause” 

“In Remembrance of Jane Pownoll (his wife) 

who died the 16 th October, 1778, aged 33 

years, and Capt. Philemon Pownoll, who was 

slain in Fight on the 15 th June, 1780 

aged 45 years. This Monument was erected 

by the Executors (Viscount Exmouth and 

) at the desire of their 

only issue, Jane” 

Capt. Pownoll married Miss Jane Majendie, who belonged to the Majendie family, of Hedingham 

Castle, in Essex; it is a well-known place and close to the mansion the ancient Norman Keep of the 

Castle still stands, one of the finest and best preserved buildings of its class in England. 

It is supposed to have been built between the years of 1088 and 1107. Maud, the Queen of King 

Stephen, died in the castle in 1151. The Majendie family is descended from Bertram de Majendie, 

of Bezing, in France (1365-1385). Mrs. Pownoll’s grandfather, Andre de Majendie, settled in Exeter 

in 1700, and married the daughter of the Rev. Mauzy, of Barnstaple. Their son, Lewis Arnold, was 

Mrs. Pownoll’s father, and his elder brother, John James, D.D. Canon of Worcestor, Preceptor of 

Queen Charlotte, and Canon of Windsor, was my wife’s Gt.-Gt. Grandfather on her mother’s side. His 

son, Henry William, was Bishop of Chester and afterwards Bishop of Bangor. My own relationship,

through my grandmother Parker, with the Majendie family, occurred about 1808, and I remember a 

father and son, M.P.’s for Canterbury and Portsmouth, and the only daughter of the former, was the 

wife of Field Marshall Lord Grenfell and before her marriage she was Maid of Honour to our beloved 

Queen Victoria. 

Naval Books tell of Pownoll’s great deeds. During his short life of 45 years he did great things for his 

country in the Royal Navy, and he it was who pulled down the old Sharpham House and built the 

present Mansion in 1770 of Portland Stone, employing Sir Robert Taylor, the President of the Royal 

Institute of British Architects and Architect of the Bank of England. Pownoll saw much active service 

and was finally killed on the Dogger Bank in 1780, when fighting the French. Before that, on the 

commencement of hostilities with the American Colonies, he had as his Lieut. on the Blonde Frigate, 

Edward Pellew, afterwards the 1 st Viscount Exmouth, and he was with him again in 1780 as his 1 st 

Lieut. on the Apollo frigate, and it was during an engagement with the L’Oiseau, French frigate, that 

he fell into Pellew’s Arms, exclaiming with his last breath “Pellew, do not give the King’s ship away”. 

He well knew his young friend’s character, for we learn that “The action was continued with such 

impetuosity that the Frenchman fled before him and sheltered himself from capture in the neutral 

anchorage at Ostend”. Capt. Pownoll further showed his confidence by leaving him trustee of his 

Will, and guardian of his only child, his young daughter, the heiress. 

His wife had predeceased him in 1778. Amongst other things, we still possess Pownoll’s sea-chest 

– covered with cow’s hide and marked P.P.; and a number of his Naval Chart Books, with his book 

plate inside; the charts were prepared for the French in about 1753; others for the Dutch a little later, 

and some for the English Governments then his brass speaking trumpet – the megaphone of those 

days. The Chart Books were most interesting to study during the late war. 

Probably the pulling down of the old Sharpham House, and the building of the present one, was 

partly due to a great piece of good fortune which came to Pownoll. The Active frigate, under Capt. 

Sawyer, and the Favourite, Sloop-of-War, under Capt. Pownoll, were on a cruise off Cadiz on the 21 st 

May, 1762, when they fell in with, and captured without resistance, the Hermione, a large Spanish 

register ship from Lima. She was the richest prize made during the War. The net proceeds of her 

cargo, after paying all charges amounted to £519,705. 10s. and Capt. Pownoll s share was £64,872. 

13. 9d. 

The early death of this brave Sailor Squire Pownoll is pathetic. At the age of 28 he marries and owing 

to the War, his wife goes to Gibraltar to be married to him there, and to perpetuate the scene of 

her marriage one seems to see the Rock of Gibraltar in the background of Sir Joshua Reynolds 

portrait of the Lady. At the age of 35 he commences to build a stately mansion in the place of the old 

Sharpham House; one can picture him returning home from time to time from constant sea fights to 

see his wife and child, and to see how the building is progressing, but after 15 years of married life, 

and 8 years of it in building his new home, his wife dies, leaving him with her only child, and he is still 

obliged to go away and fight his Country s battles. Two years later he is killed in action at the early 

age of 45, and long before the completion of the building of Sharpham which, in those days we are 

told, was to cost £30,000! 

What a home-coming! For I have details of his body being brought home to be buried in the Chancel 

of Ashprington Church beside his wife, and no doubt the Rev. Nathaniel Terry, or the Rev. George 

Carwithen buried them both. The Vault holds 9 altogether of the family of Pownoll and Bastard. 

However, there is a bright side; the young heiress chose well in her husband, Mr. Edmund Bastard, a 

Lieutenant in the Navy, the second son of Mr. William Bastard of Kitley, and the young couple set to 

work to complete what her father had begun; whether they were troubled in those days with building 

difficulties, such as we suffer from today, we don’t know, but we do know they both died in 1816 

and 1822 respectively, before the house was actually finished! How we should like to realise what 

the greater builders and designers, the Adams Brothers, were like, and Pergolisi, who they brought 

from Italy to help them as regards the designing and decoration of furniture, etc! Chippendale and 

Sheraton, too, and Hepplewhite, etc., men whose taste in furniture we admire so much today. That 

was a period when men were devoted to their arts and crafts. 

132

I do not know who Capt. Pownoll was. I had a great friend, a Mr. Frank Pownoll, who was a devoted 

friend of my brother-in-law, Sir Hubert Parry, and used to come and stay with us, and he showed me 

his own long pedigree, but I could see no trace of Philemon Pownoll. He must have been very young 

when he bought the Sharpham Estates. 

Now comes a little romance belonging to the place. Capt. Pownoll’s young daughter, and heiress of 

the Sharpham Estate, three years after her father’s death (at the age of 19), ran away with a second 

son of the well-known Devonshire Bastard family, Lt. Edmund Bastard, who was in the Navy, and aged 

25, and they were married at Gretna Green on May 26 th 1783. The story is he walked round the big 

Wych Elm in the Sharpham Drive, and which you all know, and wished a wish, which, apparently, 

we will surmise came true, but he showed forethought, for we understand he expected opposition 

whether from Lord Exmouth, her Guardian, I know not, and therefore the enthusiastic young 

bridegroom hired all the post horses in the neighbourhood in order to baffle pursuit. 

The head of the Bastard family, the late Col. Bastard told me that they still hold the Blacksmith of 

Gretna Green’s Certificate of Marriage as a relic, but the happy couple, to make marriage doubly sure, 

were married afterwards also at St. George’s Hanover Square, in London. 

I understand that there were at one time a number of portraits of the Pownoll and Bastard families 

by Sir Joshua Reynolds, hanging on the dining room walls at Sharpham. I have engravings of the 

portraits of our relations, Captain Pownoll and his wife, by Joshua Reynolds, and there is a portrait of 

Mrs. Pownoll, by John Lewis, 1769, at Kitley, in the possession of Col. Bastard. There are also portraits 

of Mr. Edmund Bastard by James Northcote, and Mrs. Edmund Bastard, by Dowman, at Kitley. 

Having come into the Estates by marriage in 1783 the Trustees of Capt. John Bastard, R.N., the second 

son of Mr. Edmund Bastard, and Grandson of Capt. Pownoll sold it to my Grandfather, Mr. Durant, in 

1841. 

My grandfather, Mr. Richard Durant, married my Grandmother, Elizabeth Savage, who was very 

handsome, before he was 21; and she died in 1853. We have beautiful miniatures of them both by 

Sir William Ross and a full length portrait of my Grandfather by Sir Francis Grant, and of his son. Mr. 

Richard Durant, Junr. by Sir Arthur S. Cope. Mr. George Durant, an uncle of my grandfather’s went 

from Exeter and founded the business of Durant and Co., in the City of London, which still exists. I 

was looking at the original partnership deed a few days ago. That Mr. Durant was succeeded by his 

son, Mr. E. Durant. My grandfather was bound to be successful, and before he was 20 had gone 

to sea and to America, to join in the War, but yellow fever drove him back to the Old Country, and 

directly he reached London he went to see his cousin, the then head of Durant and Co., who at once 

realised his great ability, and asked him to come into his business, which he did, with the result that 

his cousin, who had no family, at his death in 1847, left him an Estate, High Canons, in Hertfordshire, 

and a large sum of money. My grandfather had already bought the Sharpham Estate, so he became 

head of the business, continuing as such to the day of his death in 1878. He never forgot Exeter. I 

could tell you of many things he did there before he owned Sharpham, and which I have only learnt 

lately. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Richard, to whom he gave the Hertfordshire Estate on 

his marriage with Charlotte Still Dashwood in 1856. It was a delightful place, with noted gardens 

and grounds, and 800 acres. It was sold after his death in 1886 to Mr. Burdett Coutts. My uncle, Mr. 

Richard Durant Jnr., had a charming personality, a fine handsome tall man. He rarely came down to 

Sharpham with his four daughters after his father’s death and he had become the Owner, except in 

the summer for a short visit. The fact is that in 1879, a year after he had succeeded, his only son, 

another Richard, died at Eton College, of peritonitis, when 18 years old. He was in the height of 

his school career, and just preparing to ton on to Oxford. He was in the Eton Cricket XI, was very 

popular, had a host of good friends who have all made their mark in the world, and some in very high 

office. He was the bright spot in the lives of his devoted father (his mother died 16 years before) and 

grandfather, and they both looked forward to his future at Sharpham and in the world. His premature 

death was a crushing blow to his father, and would have been to his grandfather had he lived to 

know it. The result was, his father never got over his death and just allowed his sister, Miss Elizabeth 

Jane Durant, to live on at Sharpham for the eight years that he was owner, and then she became the 

owner and lived on the property for 20 years making me her successor at her death in 1906.

It was one of the saddest events of my life in 1879, and I shall never forget being sent by my uncle 

to Eton, from London, by the first train, the day after my young cousin’s death, with instructions to 

take his body down to Sharpham. Miss Durant met me at Totnes at midnight and we walked out in 

the small hours of the morning behind the bier which carried the mortal remains of one of such great 

promise, and to the place which would have been his greatest pleasure to possess. 

My mother was Miss Durant’s eldest sister, and as I had chosen a business life I was thrown with my 

mother’s family very early in life, always receiving the greatest kindness from them all. I will not go 

into the connection of the Durants with those of Tong Castle, in Shropshire, or with Durants who lived 

in Cornwall, of whom there is a brass in Bodmin Church to the memory of Richard Durant, who had 

two wives, Jowdy and Katharine, dated 1584. 

Having given you a short description of the place in Mr. Henry Blackhaller’s time in 1684, I will now 

give you the description of the place when my Grandfather brought it 156 years afterwards – and 

taken from the Particulars of Sale. 

“A splendid Park, and it has required a period of 80 years for the trees to arrive at (and that was 

when our relations, the Pownolls, owned it) the highest perfection of maturity. There is not a 

Park in England that, for the undulation of the grounds and the stateliness and beauty its full 

grown timber, can claim an ascendancy. The Hill and Dale are really perpetual, tending to vary 

the picture and at every change the Beauteous Dart with its moving panorama, is seen in all its 

wonted loveliness, entwining itself entirely around the favoured habitation, bending its course 

amid the Surpassing Beauty of Luxuriant Woods.” And again: 

“The Walks through which are delightful and refreshing, and fanned by the cool breath of the 

Dart, afford a delicious retreat during the Summer Solstice. The Park, covered with rich turf, 

slopes gently towards the shore, and contrasts its own bright green with dark shade of the 

waters of the Dart, in which it is embedded.” 

Mr. Edmund Bastard was one of the representatives in Parliament for Dartmouth for many years, and 

Parson Froude, of Dartington, and Archdeacon of Totnes, writes that he was a person of singularly 

good taste, and to whom much of the beautiful scenery and fine approach to Sharpham is justly due. 

He died in 1816, leaving three sons. Edmund, the elder, succeeded to the family property at Kitley, 

and was M.P. for Devon, and John, a Captain in the Royal Navy, succeeded to Sharpham and a few 

years after his death, which took place in 1835, it was, as I have already said, sold to my grandfather, 

Mr. Durant. 

Archdeacon Froude was the Parson of Dartington from 1799 to 1859. He had six sons, James 

Anthony, the Historian; Hurell, the Tractarian, and great friend of Cardinal Newman before he – John 

Henry Newman – became a Roman Catholic; and William, the Engineer. They were all born at 

Dartington, and all went to Oxford, as well as their other brothers, and, I believe all hunted in South 

Devon and were famous men in their professions. 

One would like to mention, as one of the ancient features of the place, the Heronry in the big 

Sharpham Wood overhanging the Dart, in fact it is mentioned in a List of British Heronries as ancient. 

But, alas! it has become comparatively small. Still, it is one of only four that are said to remain in the 

County of Devon today. It is a pity that these beautiful birds are so molested, for the damage that 

they do to fisheries is much exaggerated, and especially now their numbers are so much reduced. I 

am always ready to plead their cause, for they are one of the most interesting birds of the British 

Isles, and it would be lamentable if they became extinct. 

It may interest some to have a few details of the present Sharpham House, because I think that it is 

rather an unusual house, and in its planning I have never seen anything quite like it. It is needless to 

say that Sir Robert Taylor was a great Architect in his day and being President of the Royal Institute 

of British Architects, no doubt Capt. Pownoll chose well. Sir Robert was born in London in 1714, and 

was apprenticed to Sir Henry Cheere, a Stone Mason in Piccadilly, London. But Taylor gave up that 

trade and took to architecture in 1753, carrying out many great works, and finally died in September, 

1788, worth £180,000. He was knighted by George III.

The Inner Entrance Hall (29 x 28) is one of the great features of the house. It is 45ft. to the top of the 

Dome, which is oval, or, perhaps, more correctly, elliptical. 

I have always understood that there was a similar Mansion, with a central oval, or elliptical, dome 

which Sir Robert Taylor built at Wanstead, near London. The Outer Entrance Hall (25 x 25) is circular, 

with eight pillars. 

The rooms on the ground floor, billiard room library, etc., are 10ft. 5ins. high. It is interesting that in 

the Library there are four oval medallion pictures, said to have been painted by Angelica Kauffman. 

She was born, Chur in the Grisons, in 1741, and came to England in 1766, and was befriended by 

Sir Joshua Reynolds. She died in 1807. The principal reception rooms are on the first floor, and the 

circular entrance hall gave the architect the opportunity to build a large octagon drawing room (28 

x 28) above it, and above the octagon drawing room there are two oval bedrooms, with a small oval 

ante-room at each end, thus completing the circle again. Then there is a dining room on one side 

of the octagon drawing room (29 x 19) and a small drawing room on the other (19ft. square), with 

other rooms running back on the side of the inner hall; all the rooms on this floor are 16ft. high. It 

seems as if the great sailor, Pownoll had asked his architect to build with every regard for the views 

to the East, North and South, which the improved site of the new house, higher up the side of the 

hill, commanded and, if possible, to place all the principal rooms as it were, in the stern of one of his 

great ships; for the three big windows of the octagon room look East, South-East and North-East, and 

so give views over the bends which the River Dart makes around the house and grounds and Park, 

and in full view of the Big Wood overhanging the river. 

Few Houses have a more gradual rise on a wide staircase which circles up the Dome to the first floor 

and then to the second floor and there is no support to the stone staircases, etc., for the stones are 

let into the walls. A truly Georgian house of solid blocks of Portland stone, and one often wonders 

how these blocks of stone were brought into position, and how long the Mansion was in building? 

Parson Froude said that it was not actually finished until 1824. It is an example which has escaped 

the very general alterations of most houses; its fireplaces and decorations, all Adam style, have not 

been interfered with. 

I do not propose to speak of the River Dart and all the ancient interests of it, such as John Davis’ 

residence, Sandridge Park, or Sir Walter Raleigh’s Greenway, etc., for we are dealing principally with 

Sharpham and its immediate surroundings. 

From the house let us turn to its surroundings in so far as they are ancient. First and foremost one 

of the glories of the place, besides the River Dart, the bends and reaches of the river, the glorious 

views, the lie of the land, its position high up to enjoy to the full extent of all these beauties, is the 

Timber, which attracts people so much, and is in full growth. You see real English forestry, with 

a certain amount of magnificent specimens of chestnut or Ilex, or Luccombe Oak (a hybrid and 

introduced by Ford and Luccombe, of Exeter, say 150 years ago or more) then a magnificent Cork 

tree, and a Liquidamber, Hornbeams, etc; then Conifers, Douglas, Cryptomeria, Nordamniana, Scotch 

Fir, etc., and Cornish Elm, etc., I don’t speak of Oak or Elm, or Beech or Ash, because they come under 

the category of English forest trees, of which there is an abundance, but there are some splendid 

specimens, and in the true sense of the word they are handsome and full grown. So few English 

parks today have real giant trees. There must have been hundreds, if not thousands, of Dutch elm 

and Oak, etc., which have gone from the property centuries ago to Dartmouth to build wooden ships; 

and it is in one’s memory that wooden ships built there traded with Portugal and Newfoundland, in 

port wine and cod fish. 

It was said with truth by Hon. John Marsham, late Arch-priest of Haccombe, a relation of my wife, 

when with us one day, that “one is always looking on to the tops of trees below one at Sharpham, or 

up to the boles from below them” as one walks about the place and the grounds. One imagines, that 

a great deal of the planting is that of “Capability Brown”, right through the Park Drive, and round the 

Mansion and it is certainly in its most attractive form. A friend writing to me says:- 

“Lancelot Brown, better known as “Capability Brown” always seemed to me a wordy and pompous

kind of person, who traded on the ignorance of others. At the same time there is no doubt he was 

born with a very considerable talent for the work by which he, in the end realised a considerable 

fortune. His faults were that he repeated himself over and over again, following out the same kind 

of treatment on a number of different sites. Some, I think, say, unless my memory is at fault, that 

he was the inventor of the “ha-ha”, thought the hiding of boundaries by such simple means would 

naturally occur to the most simple minds, and cannot be claimed as any discovery of genius. One 

seems to see something of the strut of the man as one recalls that repeated exclamation of his 

as he walked round yet another fresh domain and noble lords hung on his words “Ah, it has great 

capabilities”. Brown was born in 1715 and died in 1785. He son Lancelot represented Totnes in 

Parliament for a while. 

I think one sees “Capability Brown’s” planting at Haccombe, and Marley, as well as at Sharpham and 

perhaps Berry Pomeroy Castle. The Beech tree is rather a favourite tree of his, which rarely lives 

over 200-300 years and the same is true of the Elms. He was a great landscape gardener, and you 

see his planting of Beech Trees to perfection, a glory in spring and autumn. Can anything be much 

more beautiful, the autumn russet brown leaves as they lie beneath the beeches, or again in Spring 

the most natural festoons of yellow primroses underneath beech and other trees on the slopes of 

the hills in the Park? Ought we not to be thankful to those who lived before us, centuries ago, for 

arranging the planting of such general beauties in trees and timber, and which we now enjoy daily, 

and for arranging a Drive by such a circuitous route from Totnes, and up to the village of Ashprington, 

and also walks in the pleasure grounds? Even Mr. Durant’s Avenue leading to the Church, of more 

recent date, beyond the head gardener’s cottage at the top of the Garden Walk and beyond the 

Winter Garden is a great joy to our generation. He planted it in the winter of 1844. It is a double 

avenue Cornish Elms in the middle and Turkey Oak outside, 200-250 yards along, straight up a steep 

hill, one in six. Few people plant avenues, because they will probably never live to enjoy them 

themselves. 

But in this warm, humid part of Devon, have not the gardens full of Rhodos and Azaleas, and all sort 

of rare flowering shrubs and bamboos, and almost tropical plants, made lovely spots in England? 

And in Devon this naturally good soil makes such lovely pasture and arable and it is all so abundantly 

watered with natural springs. From close to that Church Avenue at the top of the Gardens an 

everlasting supply of water gravitates right down to the very top of the Mansion and supplies the 

Gardens and Stables, etc., on the way. 

The property from all time seems to have been a home for the Heron, and Raven, the Buzzard and 

the Rook, and it is a joy to hear their familiar calls, and to hear the sea birds which haunt the tidal 

waters; Gulls chattering on the mud flats, and to watch the Kingfisher, etc. Then who does not enjoy 

seeing the salmon leaping, or watching herrings or bass etc., and the general traffic of the steamers 

and motor boats on the river and its boating? Also, often large three-masted sailing vessels coming 

from Norway or Sweden with timber sawn up and ready for use. 

The position of the entire property is quite unique. Surrounded on two sides by the Rivers Dart and 

Harbourne, say four miles or more from St. Peter’s Quay in Totnes, to some distance beyond Bow 

Bridge and Mill at the bottom of the village of Ashprington, and from there in a fairly straight line 

to Cherry Tree Cross, near Lakemead, in Totnes, say 3 miles. From every spot on the high grounds, 

in some cases 478 feet above the sea level, there are lovely views of the Dart and Harbourne below 

which from the bends of the rivers seem to be a succession of lakes! Then you see a panoramic view 

of Dartmoor and Haytor Rocks, or you can look right into Torquay and Torbay. 

From an agricultural point of view one would venture to say there is no finer land on any estate in 

South Devon. That long stretch of land along the Harbourne, all facing South, is beautiful land, and 

there are lime quarries and kilns. The farms are famous for their live stock and crops, and for their 

butter and Devonshire cream. 

If Nature and my predecessors have done their part, I claim that my grandfather also did his in 

rebuilding farm buildings, cottages, doing away with practically all the old cob cottages and buildings: 

widening roads and altering them etc., say in the approach to the village of Ashprington, etc., from 

Totnes. You may use great wealth in collecting articles of vertu, pictures, statuary etc., but you

deserve well, more from those around you, if you make their homes comfortable, if you employ much 

labour if you have in the years gone by maintained a village school, helped to make God’s House, the 

Church, as beautiful as it is possible, and if you have tried to throw beauty in the surroundings. 

In this I think the village of Ashprington can claim an attractiveness and it affords a memory of him 

and his family and other owners before him, for all times. The cottage, with its allotted piece of 

garden, and every garden is beautifully kept. 

I could show you cricket bats of over 100 years old and made at Eton, when some of my relatives 

were there! There is a tremendous lot of wood in the ????on of them! There are some bowls, but 

they are not so old. There is a fine old fowling piece 6ft 4½ long. Old Naval Charts of Europe, 

printed for the French government in 1750; they were most interesting in the late war. 

I fear that I have wearied you by this long paper, and it has not been sufficiently to the taste of the 

Antiquary, for I always think Antiquaries take little interest in anything unless it is pre-Elizabethan. 

137

End Notes 

1 Devon RO 90M/T75, 76, 77. 

2 Typescript will of Allan Lyde held in the Totnes museum archives. 

3 Worthy, C, ‘Devonshire Parishes’, No X, 1876, Newspaper cuttings file, West Country Studies Library. 

4 Devon RO 90M/E1. 

5 Oxley Parker considered that the site of an early house was closer to the Dart, but does not give his 

reason for this. Given that the existing site on the promontory is well-served by springs, is seems more 

likely to have been the site of the principal house from the outset. 

6 Polwhele, 1793-1806, 482 f.n. 

7 Devon RO 90M/E5. 

8 History of Devonshire, 1793-1806, 483. 

9 National MM, CLU/8 cited by Wareham, T, in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography on-line. 

10 Wareham, T, in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography on-line. 

11 ‘The Villas of Sir Robert Taylor – 1’, Country Life, July 6, 1967, 17. 

12 Binney, Marcus, Sir Robert Taylor: from Rococo to Neoclassicism in the Genius of Architecture series, 

1984, 16. 

13 Burke’s Visitation of Seats, 1852. 

14 1779 Devon RO 90M-0/T 1-26. 

A preliminary search for the Gretna Green records show no record of the marriage in the Lang 

Collection of Gretna Green marriages, but individual ‘blacksmiths’ kept their own registers and these 

are deposited in a number of different places. To date Keystone has only investigated the Lang 

Collection. 

1816 Devon RO, 90M/T28. 

17 Endowed Charities (Administrative County of Devon), 1914. However, White’s Directory dates this 

later. 

18 Essex Record Office, D/DOp B123/1309-1328. 

19 Transactions of the Devonshire Association, volume 43, 1911, p.29. 

Keystone, October 2012 K/800 

Research by Jo Cox and Dr Anita Travers 

Building Analysis by John Thorp, Jo Cox and Debbie Horton 

Photography by Jo Cox and John Thorp unless otherwise stated 

Images from archives (photographs or prints) cannot be further reproduced without permission of 

the archives 

Text by Jo Cox 

Proofreading and masses of inputting by Sandi Ellison 

Copyright Keystone and the Sharpham Trust 

Keystone Historic Buildings Consultants 

3, Colleton Crescent 

Exeter 

EX2 4DG 

keystonehb@aol.com 

01392 259304 

www.keystone-historic-buildings.com 

138

139

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