Hillersdon House

Hillersdon House

The south-west front of Hillersdon House undergoing restoration
Location Cullompton, Devon, England
Coordinates 50°51′45″N 3°25′44″W / 50.86250°N 3.42889°W / 50.86250; -3.42889Coordinates: 50°51′45″N 3°25′44″W / 50.86250°N 3.42889°W / 50.86250; -3.42889
Built 1848
Architect Samuel Beazley
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name: Hillersdon House
Designated 5 April 1966[1]
Reference no. 1326145
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name: Stable block 50 metres north of Hillersdon House
Designated 11 June 1986[2]
Reference no. 1105931
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name: Jane's Cottage 150 metres south-south-west of Hillersdon House
Designated 11 June 1986[3]
Reference no. 1168555
Location of Hillersdon House in Devon

Hillersdon House is a Victorian manor house overlooking Cullompton in Devon, England. It was designed by the notable theatre architect Samuel Beazley. Building work took place from 1848–1852, and it is a Grade II* listed building.[1][4]

It is built of red brick with Portland stone dressing and a hipped slate roof. It is a two-storey building arranged around a central hall.[5] The red brick stable block was built around the same time as the main house along with "Jane's Cottage" within the grounds.[2][3] The main house is set out on an "H" plan around a central hall. The north east front is the main entrance with a Porte-cochère flanked by Tuscan columns, while the south west side mirrors the north east but without the Porte-cochère.[1]

The Hillersdon estate was purchased in the late 1840s by W.C. Grant and the current house was built to replace an earlier manor house which was in a dilapidated state.[6] The previous house had been offered for rent in the early 19th century.[7] It was inherited by Grant's son, the Arctic explorer and photographer W.J.A. ‘Billy’ Grant[8][9][10] In the 1890s Hillersdon became known for its wild parties. One incident occurred after the Exeter Ball, when four young gentlemen plunged into one of the lakes, and were subsequently washed off in baths of Champagne. Elinor Glyn, a noted society beauty was part of the house party on this occasion.[11] After the death of Billy Grant in 1935 the house passed to Mark Sturgis, who became Mark Grant-Sturgis as a condition of the will. In the Second World War it housed US Officers and then became a bed and breakfast and later was divided into five flats.[12]

In 1982 the house and surrounding estate was bought by David and Gale Glynn, who carried out some restoration.[11] In 2010 Hillersdon was purchased by International business man Michael Lloyd and has since undergone a complete refurbishment and is now used as a wedding venue.[13] It is surrounded by landscaped gardens with ponds and a deer park.[14]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hillersdon House, Cullompton.
  1. 1 2 3 "Hillersdon House". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Stable block 50 metres north of Hillersdon House". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Jane's Cottage 150 metres south-south-west of Hillersdon House". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "Country houses for sale in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset". www.countrylife.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  5. ↑ "Hillersdon House, Cullompton". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  6. ↑ Mitchell, J.C. (1851). Eight views of Cullompton and neighbourhood together with a concise compilation of explanatory particulars and description. Cullompton: I. Frost.
  7. ↑ "Hillersdon House". Exeter Flying Post. 8 November 1821. Retrieved 13 August 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
  8. ↑ "Leigh Smith Expeditions on board the Eira 1880, 1881-82". Freeze Frame. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  9. ↑ Wood, Janet. "Arctic Exploration: North West Pasage: The Pandora Voyage of 1876". World Through The Lens. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "William Grant". The Library of Nineteenth-Century Photography. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  11. 1 2 Tyzack, Anna (5 June 2009). "Hillersdon House in Devon: a decadent affair - Telegraph". London: telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  12. ↑ "History". Hillersdon House. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  13. ↑ "The House". Hillersdon House. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  14. ↑ "Gardens". Hillersdon House. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
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