Synopsis: Second of my Heritage Open Days outings. This was the most appealing property open to the public today and within cycling distance of my home. I followed a route over the new Redhayes Bridge.
This blog post describes a visit made possible under the Heritage Open Days (HOD) scheme. To see other blog posts which describe Heritage Open Days visits, please see Tag in column to the right.
The day started with my having no real plans what to do other than a vague awareness that Heritage Open Days (HOD) event was running this weekend and there might be something worth visiting in the vicinity of home. Yesterday I’d travelled to Tyntesfield (NT) on a HOD outing with Mum and my sister-in-law Christine. The most interesting and accessible place showing on the Heritage Open Days web site that I came across was Poltimore House, and so I made that my intended destination. Last year, during Heritage Open Days, I made a visit to the Methodist Church in Sidwell Street, Exeter, which proved fascinating.
My intended cycle route to Poltimore House was over the new Redhayes Bridge, the distance being about 6 miles. The weather was sunny and warm when I set out which made the cycle journey to Poltimore very enjoyable, apart from … Apart from having a bee fly down the back of my shirt as I was cycling along, requiring a hasty removal of shirt and a few shakes to rid me of the darned thing. A minor sting was all I suffered. I think my yellow glasses cord could have attracted it; perhaps yellow isn’t the best of colours for this time of year.
On arriving the nice lady in the car park who approached me and handed me some leaflets seemed perplexed at my arriving by bike and didn’t know quite where I should park it. I commented that there appeared to be some railings around the car park and suggested I parked it there which she agreed was probably best.
On approaching Poltimore House the first thing you notice is that it appears to have been capped by a huge monstrosity of scaffolding and metal panelling forming a temporary roof and enclosure around the top of the building. Apparently the Poltimore House Trust, which acquired the house in 2000, have secured funds from English Heritage (approximately £400,000) to re-roof the house and this will form the first phase of their project. Unfortunately asbestos has been discovered in the roof and this could delay works on it and add to the cost of replacement.
The grandeur of the house is most striking, enhanced from Tudor beginnings to a large baronial home in the 1830s by the sixth Baron of Poltimore when elevated to the peerage in 1831. It was then that the central staircase was added and some of the rooms were enlarged.
There has been some horrible theft and vandalism at Poltimore House. The staircase banister was stolen and also two of the fire places. Apparently the staircase and one of the fire places has been seen in houses, the stair case being in Ireland. Quite a lot of flooring has also been stolen. The ballroom, added in 1908, was also the victim of an arson attack by previous employees of an owner of the house. Having said all that, there is much of the old house that still survives and what does appears quite substantial and robust. One aspect of the house that impresses is the Tudor tower with the spiralling staircase.
Poltimore House - Heritage Open Day - the Tudor tower
The house is rather odd in that the main entrance of today would, during Tudor times, have been to the rear of the house. It actually exists in a part of the house that was added to the original Tudor construction. The enlargement created a small inner courtyard from where the back of the Tudor house and the tower is seen. The front of the Tudor house, which faces north, is hardly visible today because of ugly additions to the house that I would hope in time will be removed.
Poltimore House - Heritage Open Day - Painting: Catherine Moore by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1776
As I was about to leave the main hall of the house I noticed this painting propped on the main stairs of the house. This apparently is a picture of Catherine Moore painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1776. She married Sir Charles Warwick Bamfylde on 9 February 1776 at St. James's, Westminster, London, England. Lady Bampfylde 1776-7. Quite an entrancing figure of a lady!
After today Poltimore House will be closed to the public to allow work to begin on adding a new roof to the building. In many respects I feel privileged to have seen this fine house and do hope that it can be saved and found a new use in the future. I feel confident it has the potential to become a really splendid place. There certainly seems to be a lot of interest in the house gauged by the number of visitors passing through the door today.
Today’s visit to Poltimore House really brings home the value of Heritage Open Days in keeping alive an awareness of the sites of heritage including those at risk such as Poltimore House.
Walk Statistics:
Total Distance: 13.9 miles
Moving Time: 2hrs 04min
Stopped Time: 2hrs 22min
Total Ascent: 387 metres
Maximum Elevation: 68 metres
Buses: (none)
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