Description

SX 85 72,
1012-1/7/74

NEWTON ABBOT, EXETER ROAD (east side),
Sandford Orleigh

16/07/49

II

Mansion. 1832, altered and extended to left late C19.
MATERIALS: ashlar and render, slate roofs with various stacks.
STYLE: Picturesque Gothic.
PLAN: irregular.

EXTERIOR: Two storeys; 6-window range. South-facing entrance
front is in four blocks. The block to the right has a large
late C19 projecting 2-storey porch to the right of centre with
parapets to returns which rise to a coped gable at the front
with a stone cross to apex. First floor has tall 2-light
stone-mullioned sash window with three brackets to the sill.
Ground floor has crocketed angle buttresses flanking wide
shallow-pointed arch with engaged shafts to capitals framing
double doors. Return walls have similar arches which frame
windows.
The two bays to the left with hipped roof and parapet have two
first-floor windows with label moulds over carved quatrefoil
friezes and plate-glass sash windows. A crenellated
rectangular bay below has label mould over three similar windows
with overlights, probably late C19. In the angle to the right
of door is a late C19 single-storey fully-glazed conservatory
with decorative cast-iron corners to overlights.
Right return garden front facing east has three coped gables. That
to the left has a flat-roofed 2-storey crenellated canted bay
with 6/6-pane sash windows in similar architraves with label
moulds over quatrefoil friezes to first-floor front and
plate-glass sash windows in moulded architraves to ground
floor.
A late C19 two-storey canted bay with crenellated parapet to
right has similar first-floor windows with triangular aprons
and moulded architraves to plate-glass sashes to ground floor.
Single-storey late C19 parapeted range between the outer bays
also has canted bay with similar windows.
Central block of the south front has a 6/6-pane sashes on each
floor to left, each with label mould and quatrefoil frieze;
central door has the motto of the Jeffries family beneath
semi-elliptical hoodmould: "FIAT JUSTITIA RUAT COELUM", and two
lancets with hoodmoulds on each floor to the right. The rear
of this block has similar windows to the left and a projecting
coped gabled wing to the right with a flat-roofed 2-storey
shallow canted bay which has stone mullions, four Tudor-arched
windows with sunk spandrels to the fronts, blind windows to
the sides of the first floor and elaborate carved aprons with
quatrefoils and mouchettes.
The two blocks to left of south front have 8/8-pane sash
windows to first floor, flat arch to carriageway to inside
left (which opens into courtyard on right) and a 6/6-pane sash
window with label mould and frieze to ground floor right. Rear
is of small sandstone rubble and has paired octagonal shafts
to crenellated axial stacks; to rear left is a square
crenellated base to an unroofed octagonal crenellated tower
with a pierced lancet to each facet.

INTERIOR: central and left-hand blocks are of mid C18 style,
right-hand block is late C19 with polychromatic tiles to
floors of the porch and hall separated by C20 double doors
under a fine mid C19 wide segmental-arched fanlight with an
oval pane to the centre flanked by four mouchettes and an
open-well open-string staircase with turned balusters. The
room to ground-floor front right has a spectacular arcade of four
granite piers supporting cusped pendant arches,
semi-elliptical to the centre flanked by shallow pointed
arches, and panelled strapwork ceiling with moulded ribs. A
former billiard room to the rear has a fireplace said to have
been made from the alter screen and reredos of St Laurence's
Chapel (1520) although much of the detail is one hundred years later
in terms of style. The overmantel with arabesques to panels has
cornice over two rows of six vertical carved panels articulated by
caryatids, some now missing; the surround is similar with lion
masks (overmantel now relocated in the Newton Abbot Town and GWR Museum).

HISTORY: the house was built by George Templer (see Templer
House, Newton Abbot Hospital, East Street, (qv), a local
industrialist who bought the screen at auction. The entrance
hall was originally built by Templar as a Porte Cochere and
was open on three sides, later enclosed by Sir Samuel Baker
(1821-1893) when he built his conservatory for tropical plants
here in the C1870. Baker, one of the periods most celebrated
explorers discorvered the source of the Nile and was Governor
of Sudan.

Listing NGR: SX 85732 72163

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26548393

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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