Eggesford House
Devon
| Location | Eggesford | ||
| Year demolished | 1927 | ||
| Reason | Insufficient wealth - ruin has now been restored | ||
| See all images: | Gallery | ||
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Many estates have seen houses rise and fall as successive owners demonstrate their financial strength, evolving taste, or as circumstances demand. Although the record for a single estate is held by Fonthill, Wiltshire, at seven, Eggesford has a fair tally of five - or is it now six, as the ruins of the last have become the shell of the latest incarnation.
Eggesford House was originally located near Eggesford Church, with the first recorded house dating back to 1233, belonging to Sir John Reigny. The estate remained with the Reigny family for eleven generations before passing to the Coplestones and subsequently to Edward Chichester through marriage. Chichester constructed a new house in the early 17th century, described by Risdon in 1620 as a ‘dainty dwelling.’ This house, which had 18 hearths according to the 1674 Hearth Tax records, was occupied during the Civil War in 1645 by Col John Okey’s forces. By 1715, the estate was sold to William Fellowes, a prosperous London lawyer.
The Fellowes era and 18th-century expansion
Under Fellowes’ ownership, a new house was built, and subsequent improvements were made by his son, Henry Fellowes, from 1769 onwards. Architect John Meadows was commissioned to enlarge the house, adding three-storey canted bays at each end. Landscape architect Nathaniel Richmond was also engaged, with records indicating payments for his work between 1781 and 1783. Reverend Swete, visiting in 1797, described the estate as ‘a sweetly pleasing picture,’ while Polwhele noted Richmond’s elegant landscaping. Following Henry Fellowes’ death in 1792, the estate passed to Urania Fellowes, whose son, Newton Wallop, inherited after litigation.19th-century reconstruction and expansion
Newton Fellowes, later 4th Earl of Portsmouth, inherited the estate and commissioned architect Thomas Lee to remodel the house in 1828. Lee designed a new Elizabethan Gothic-style mansion on an elevated hilltop site, dismantling the older house and reusing its materials. The house featured embattled parapets, decorative stone mullioned windows, and projecting buttresses, characteristic of the Tudor Gothic style. The interior incorporated high ceilings, intricate wood panelling, and grand fireplaces.The 1835 estate plan, drawn by W. Croote Junior, outlined further landscape improvements, including proposed new drives, a pinetum, and an arboretum. The approach roads were restructured to create picturesque views, incorporating elements of the earlier landscape, such as the motte-and-bailey remnants of Eggesford Castle. The Lymington Wing, a northern extension, was added in the mid-19th century to accommodate Isaac Newton Fellowes’ large family. Other additions included a service courtyard, a clock tower (added in 1889), and outbuildings such as stables and kennels for the estate’s famous hunting hounds. At its peak the Eggesford Estate covered over 16,500 acres (6,677 hectares) and was the seventh largest in the county. After Isaac Newton Wallop, 5th Earl of Portsmouth, died on 4 October 1891, the House was closed up and was not 're-commissioned' until the summer of 1897.
Decline and sale in the 20th century
Financial difficulties led to the estate being offered for sale in 1913. The auction included Eggesford House, parkland, and several farms, but the mansion itself failed to find a buyer.The Eggesford Estate came up for auction on Tue 14 Aug 1913 [Knight, Frank & Rutley at the Estate Auction Room, Hanover Square], and comprised: 3,277 acres, Eggesford House, in a park of 300 acres, 700 acres of woodland, six miles of fishing, the village of Eggesford, the Fox and Hounds Hotel, the cattle market [instituted as a 'free market' by the previous Lord Portsmouth] and 'some of the best farms in the district'. Sold as a whole it realised £85,000.It was eventually purchased in 1923 by Charles Luxmoore, who stripped its valuable materials, leading to rapid deterioration. The demolition sale in November 1927 saw 50 tons of lead from the roof sold for £850, along with paneling, fireplaces, and other architectural elements.
The Times, Sat 29 Oct 1927By 1935, the ruin was sold to Mr. R. Chambers of Winkleigh, who salvaged materials for local building projects, including Winkleigh Village Hall.
NORTH DEVON.
Within one mile of a Station.
DEMOLITION SALE of that well-known Mansion.
EGGESFORD HOUSE.
comprising the following : Thirty-four beautifully moulded and panelled oak doors. 52 deal doors, 6,000 super feet oak-flooring. 3,000 super feet Ash and Deal flooring, 1,000 super feet of slate slab flooring, 36 marble and other chimney-pieces, including a MASSIVE 17th CENTURY PERIOD GRANITE CHIMNEYPIECE. 1,000 feet run of oak skirting, handsome oak library cupboards, 70 oak and deal windows, the beautiful 16th CENTURY RENAISSANCE PERIOD LINEN FOLD OLD PANELLING 8ft. high in all about 700 super feet, a large number oak and other cupboards, the massive oak staircase and the secondary staircases, about 50 tons of lead. the fabric of the mansion, a portion of the stabling.
J. HANNAFORD, SON & SOUTHCOMBES, LTD.. are instructed by C. F. C. Luxmoore, Esq., to SELL on the premises (unless previously sold privately as a whole). on Thursday and Friday, the 10th and 11th November, 1927. at 11 a.m. daily. Illustrated catalogues and conditions of sale (now ready) of the Auctioneers. 80, Queen-street. Exeter.
Later years and modern adaptation
Eggesford House remained a ruin for decades. In 1992, the house, with 80 acres of parkland, was offered for sale by agents Strutt & Parker, as a 'Grade II early 19th-century ruin' for £300,000. Luckily for this ruin, architect Edward Howell and his wife Jo purchased the remains, undertaking an ambitious reconstruction. Their approach blended modern glass elements with the original Gothic architecture, restoring panoramic views over the Taw Valley and incorporating contemporary design elements. The service courtyard was transformed into an enclosed garden, and a roof garden was added to command views across the valley.Architectural and landscape significance
Despite its decline, Eggesford House retains architectural significance as an example of early 19th-century Elizabethan Gothic design. Key surviving features include the embattled parapets, stone mullioned windows, and elements of heraldic decoration on the entrance porch. The estate’s landscape, shaped by prominent designers such as Richmond, continues to reflect its historical role as a sporting estate. The ha-ha, mature specimen trees, and traces of earlier drives and garden features remain integral to the site’s historical character. The estate’s original walled garden, which was used as a commercial nursery for many years, was closed in 2018, leaving the future of this historic feature uncertain.Eggesford House stands as a testament to the rise and fall of grand country estates in Devon, illustrating both the ambitions of its owners and the remarkable ability for reinvention and resurrection of these houses.
- Thanks for Eric Graham for details on the sales in 1913 and 1927.
- For an exemplary history of the house and estate, the Devon Gardens Trust have produced a detailed report