North Wyke, South Tawton, Devon

Description

SX 69 NE SOUTH TAWTON

1/155 North Wyke
20.2.52

GV I

Large country house, now the Permanent Grassland Division of the Animal and
Grassland Research Institute. C15, C16 and early C17 built for the Wyke (or Weekes)
family. Most of the house appears to have been built by this time. Major early C18
renovation of the main block and a thorough refurbishment of the whole house
(including the rebuilding of some parts) in 1904 by George H Fellows Prynne
(architect) for the Reverend Wykes-Finch. All built of local oak brown-coloured
local Crocktree stone ashlar (different grades for different building phases),
mostly granite ashlar but some Cocktree stone ashlar detail; stone stacks with
ashlar chimney shafts; slate roofs.
Plan and development: double courtyard plan house facing south-east. The front
gatehouse range includes a chapel to right with a full height sacrarium (or chancel)
with first floor nave and priest chamber. The right side (north-eastern) wing of
the forecourt is a complete rebuild of 1904. The left side is open and it is not
known whether there was ever a wing here, certainly not back to the early C18. The
main block lies between the 2 courtyards facing onto the forecourt. This appears to
be the historic core of the house and its present plan appears to be based on the
original 3-room-and-through-passage plan layout. The inner room is at the left end
and has an end stack. Hall has a rear lateral stack and the main stair rises to
rear from the back of the passage. On the lower side of the passage (right of the
front) the service end room was probably the buttery and there is a service
crosswing projecting front and back that end. The putative buttery has an end stack
backing onto the service crosswing. The main block was much modernised in the early
C18 and the stairs were replaced in 1904 but the service wing is still largely C17.
The room projecting forward has the well-appointed early C17 "Arabesque" chamber
over. The room to rear appears to have been a kitchen once open to the roof with an
internal jetty and with a massive end stack. It was floored over probably in the
mid C17 when the first floor chamber there (the "armoury") was given a fireplace and
garderobe alongside. The stairs between front and rear rooms were renovated in
1904. By the late C17 the rear courtyard was enclosed apparently with stables,
coach horses and service accommodation. The alterations of 1904 make it difficult
under the circumstances of the present survey to interpret the complete historic
development of the house. Nevertheless it seems to have grown from a late medieval
hall house in the main block. The front gatehouse range was much rebuilt in 1904
but appears to have achieved its present form when the house was occupied by John
"Warrior" Wykes (1524-1591). Most of the domestic rooms are heated by axial or
lateral stacks. House is now 2 storeys throughout with attics in the main block.
Exterior: the front of gatehouse range is dominated by the central gateway, a
moulded 4-centred granite arch with moulded surround and carved spandrels (plainer
version to rear). The outer projecting moulding looks as though it was added in the
early C18. It contains an ancient studded plank door with wicket door. Above the
gateway an heraldic plaque put there in 1904. Above that a mullioned window is a
gable half dormer and another carved plaque at the apex bears the arms of Edward VI.
All the windows this side and to rear are granite mullioned and contain rectangular
panes of leaded glass. The roof is gable-ended with shaped kneelers, coping and
ball finials at the apex. The 1904 wing connecting the gatehouse range and main
block is Tudor in style with granite-mullioned windows, Tudor style doorways and
crenellated parapet and has a central front bay window. The main block has a
regular but not symmetrical 7-window front and is the result of the early C18
refurbishment. The ground floor has C16 granite mullion-and-upper transom windows.
The first floor has C20 replacement timber mullion-and-upper transom windows with
early C18 ashlar architraves and keystones. The Tudor style front doorway is from
1904. Coved eaves cornice and roof is hipped each end. The outer walls of the
ranges around the rear courtyard mostly have similar windows and on the north-east
side there are 2 Norman-style doorways built in 1904. The inner walls around the
rear courtyard includes a couple of C17 oak-mullioned windows and the inner face of
the former stable block has rows of pigeon holes. The open (south-west) side of the
outer courtyard was closed by a low stone wall with soffit-moulded granite coping on
which is set ornate wrought iron railings. In the centre these walls ramp up a
little to large gate posts, square in section with moulded caps and ball finials.
They contain wrought iron double gates richly ornamented with twists, scrolls and
fleur-de-lys.
Interior: like the outside the interior was thoroughly refurbished in 1904, but high
quality work reamins from all the major building phases. The principal rooms of
the main block contain much early C18 detail including large and small field
panelling and bolection moulded chimneypieces, architraves and plaster ceiling ribs.
Contemporary roof of large M-trusses. The main stair is in the style of the period
but was built in 1904. The crosswing contains much C16 and early C17 work including
several C16 oak plank-and-muntin screens and some more in the same style built in
1904. The massive brewhouse fireplace is blocked and the putative jetty bressumer
is chamfered with scroll stops (C17 in date). Stairs in this part another 1904
replacement. At the head a pair of late C16 crank-headed doors. The chamber over
the brewhouse (known as the armoury) has a garderobe alcove alongside the stack has
an oak crank-headed doorframe and blocked chute. The front chamber of this wing is
perhaps the best room in the house, a high quality bedchamber of the late C16.
Granite ashlar fireplace with ovolo-moulded surround. Room is lined with small
field oak panelling and it includes an original pair of fitted wardrobes, their
panelled doors hung on cockshead hinges. Around the room a moulded frieze of
ornamental plasterwork arabesques. Roof over this section of late C16 or early C17
trusses; A-frames morticed and tenoned onto short wall posts, mortised and tenoned
collars and threaded purlins. Little early work shows in the former kitchen or
stable blocks and the roofs here are C19 and C20. Gatehouse range also includes
some C16 and early C20 copy oak plank-and-muntin screens and C16 and C17 detail but
the roof and chapel were rebuilt in 1904, the chapel with Tudor style panelling, an
oak screen with Gothic tracery and wagon roof with carved oak bosses. The 1904 wing
has Tudor style fireplaces,panelling and open arch-braced truss roof.
North Wyke is the largest house in the parish. The Wyke (alias Wyk or Weekes)
family were in occupation here in 1227. A chapel licence was granted to Richard
Wyke in 1439. Probably the most notable of the family was one John "Warrior" Weekes
(1524-91) whose effigy lies in the Wyke Chapel of the Church of St Andrew, South
Tawton (q.v.). He was probably responsible for some of the surviving fabric of the
house. The property was sold in 1713. In 1895 it was bought by the Reverend Wykes-
Finch, a descendant of the Wykes on the distaff side.
Source: The History and Heraldry of North Wyke, a guide available at the house.

Listing NGR: SX6597198378

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North Wyke

A Grade I Listed Building in South Tawton, Devon

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