My Days Out Blog – Page 40 – Author Kim J Cowie's travel blog

Oldway Mansion, Paignton, Devon

The Oldway Mansion was built around 1875 by Isaac Merritt Singer (of sewing machine fame) and remodelled by Paris Singer, his 3rd son, in 1904-7. The remodelling was intended to make the house resemble the Palace of Versailles. After use as a hospital in WWI, a country club, and a training centre for RAF cadets in WWII, it was acquired cheaply by Paignton Urban District Council, who use most of it for civic offices.
Oldway Mansion is set in 17 acres (69,000 m2) of gardens, which are laid out on an Italian theme by the French landscape gardener Achille Duchesne. Beneath the eastern elevation of the building is the maze, which consists of dwarf box hedging and flower beds. To the south of the mansion there is the grotto garden where a waterfall passes over a rocky cave into a pool below. The grounds of the mansion contain many sub-tropical plants and shrubs.
The mansion and its grounds can be visited free of charge by members of the public, and it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Torbay. The mansion has a small museum with exhibits linked to the building’s history, including antique Singer sewing machines. Oldway Mansion is a Grade II* listed building.
In May 2010, it was reported that Torbay Council had reached an agreement with the property developers Urban Splash, which will transform Oldway Mansion into a £10million 85-bed hotel, and build around 160 homes on the site. The contract was valued at £1 million and allowed for around £3 million of repairs needed at the mansion. Torbay’s mayor Nicholas Bye supported the plan, while opposition councillors expressed concerns that the site had been undervalued.
Bastards!!
is my immediate reaction to this news, coupled with a suspicion that Torbay Council’s next move is to squander tens of millions on a shiny new prestige office block for themselves.
(If you think my reaction intemperate, reflect on how much public money councillors squander on new prestige offices for themselves given half a chance. Newham council reportedly spent £111 million on theirs, and if you Google you might find an even more outrageous example.)
As of Sept 2011 the mansion and grounds were still open to the public. I urge you to go and visit the place while you still can, and if you live locally, to protest loudly and rudely against the plans.
When I visited the site in 2008 (free of charge), the mansion looked extremely impressive on its slightly elevated site. Inside, the Versailles-style décor of the hall and staircase is gob-smacking, but not much else of the interior is on view. Outside there are large and well-kept formal gardens, which complement the house, and a round building, the Rotunda, which was built in 1879 and used for horse exercising. The Mansion can be visited by train, though it’s a bit of a tramp from Paignton railway station.

Moggerhanger Park, Beds.

Private, grounds accessible
The house was built in 1790-1816 to the design of Sir John Soane, the famous architect. Since then it has had a chequered history, and from 1919-1987 the house and gardens were the site of a local hospital. Threatened with being turned into a housing estate, in 1995 the house and grounds were acquired by a Christian trust. The stakes were raised when in 1997 the rating of the much-abused house was upgraded from Grade II* to Grade I, implying a more costly restoration.
Today, the relics of the hospital have been cleared away, and the house has been expensively restored to its original appearance. It is in use providing space for Christian organisations,and hirers. There is a tea-room in the grounds, near the walled gardens. The grounds have been tidied up and restored, and are open daily to the public. When I was last here I took my aged mother, who just managed to make a circuit around the outside of the house on her own feet. The house is not open other than by guided house tours during the summer. I was fortunate enough to go on a house tour during the major restoration, and another after the house was completed. There are some interesting Georgian interiors with good ceilings and plasterwork.
Surviving Soane buildings are rare, so the Park is well worth a visit if you are in the area.
2023 visit: the hut that contained the museum has been moved to a new site near the walled gardens, and contains the tea-room. The museum is currently in storage. The B&B’s are now discontinued. The walled garden may be newly planted, as I don’t recall any walled gardens from previous visits.

Lundy Island, Devon

National Trust & Landmark Trust.
The car-free island encompasses a small village with an inn and Victorian church, and the 13th-century Marisco Castle. For nature-lovers there is a variety of flora and fauna. The waters around Lundy were designated the first Marine Conservation Area, and offer opportunities for diving and seal watching. Lundy is financed, administered and maintained by the Landmark Trust. There are cottages to rent, and also a campsite.
Access is normally by Lundy’s own ship, the MS Oldenburg. Sailings are from Bideford or Ilfracombe. It is possible to go for a day trip, which gives one about four hours ashore, enough time for an active person to visit the village and other locations on the half of the island nearer the landing pier. If you stay for a week, various away-from-it all experiences are possible, including doing as little as possible :-).
I went for a day trip, and got to the island on the second attempt, the first attempt being cancelled at short notice because of rough sea conditions. On the voyage, the sea was fairly calm, and the whole day was sunny. I visited the village, the pub, the church, the converted castle (now holiday lets), and various points of interest including the lighthouse in the middle of the island. There are some old ruins, the relics of granite mining on Lundy (a topic you can look up if you are interested.) The voyage itself is quite enjoyable on a fine day with good visibility, as various landmarks and ships slowly move in and out of view. As we approached, Lundy got bigger ahead of the ship quite suddenly.

Lakeland Motor Museum, Cumbria

I visited this in its previous incarnation at Holker Hall, and recollect that there was a lot of it, and the exhibits were very interesting.

Holker Hall, Cumbria

Much of the house dates from the 1870’s, when the West Wing was rebuilt after a disastrous fire, and this is the part that is now opened to the public. The house is built in red sandstone in a kind of Elizabethan Gothic style. Inside, a hall and a series of grand rooms are luxurioiusly furnished. Popular pieces of furniture include the Rent Table, work by Chippendale, the Regulator Clock and the Nursery Yacht.
Outside are large and noted gardens, long-established and containing many fine trees. Hall and Gardens are well worth a visit, and there is plenty to see and do. Suggested visit time: half day.
I recollect that there was a motor museum on the estate, but this appears to have been relocated to Ulverston. (see Lakeland Motor Museum)

Coleton Fishacre, Devon

National Trust.
Not an ancient house, but built in the 1920’s for the D’Oyly Carte family, Coleton Fishacre is built of local Dartmoor shale and roofed with slate, and with its straggle of roofs it fits unobtrusively into the landscape. Inside, all is Arts & Crafts and Art Deco in style, and much use of limed oak and pine. At the west end of the house is a saloon 40 feet long, and furnished in yellow and green.
The interior is interesting, as all the rooms are furnished as though the 1930’s inhabitants had just left. Outside is a large 30-acre garden planted on a steeply sloping site, with many semi-tropical plants and flowers, and glimpses of the sea.
Access to the site is by a single-track road (“reversing required”) and roads in the area are narrow. There are other attractions in the area for walkers.

Broughton Castle, Oxfordshire

A fortified house dating in parts from the 12th century, and altered, extended or remodelled many times since. It is constructed mainly of ironstone. The interior contains a number of grand rooms and the small ‘Council Chamber’ contains relics from the Civil war period. The current occupants are Lord and Lady Saye & Sele who have done much to preserve the house and record its history. They maintain a website which contains a great deal of information about the castle’s history, and a pictorial tour. As the owners are not shy of pointing out, the house gets five stars in “The Thousand Best Houses of England”.
This is an interesting place to visit, as one enters across a moat, through a gatehouse and then follows a route around the house though an ancient arched undercroft, grand rooms, staircases, corridors, and into small upstairs rooms and IIRC a rooftop. Outside, there are some attractive gardens. I must have liked it, judging by the number of photos I took.

Brougham Castle, Cumbria

English Heritage.
Brougham Castle , built of reddish stone in a picturesque setting beside the crossing of the River Eamont in Cumbria, was founded in the early 13th century. This great keep largely survives, amid many later buildings – including the unusual double gatehouse and impressive ‘Tower of League’. The castle was both a formidable barrier against Scots invaders and a prestigious residence, and welcomed Edward I in 1300.
Much of the structures survive, with the dressed stone cladding largely intact. A complex of passages and spiral stairways makes Brougham a fascinating castle to explore, as well as an ideal picnic setting for a family day out. The keep top provides panoramic views over the Eden Valley. The relatively complete state of the structures, and the attractive green settng, make this a worthwhile and pleasant place to visit. There is an exhibition about Lady Ann Clifford.
Opened daily. Admission charge. The castle shares a guidebook with Brough Castle, a few miles away. Access is from Moor Lane.

Brough Castle, Cumbria

English Heritage.
Brough Castle stands on a ridge commanding strategic Stainmore Pass, on the site of a Roman fort. Its towering keep, frequently the target of Scots raids, dates from about 1200. More comfortable living quarters were later added by the Clifford family, only to be accidentally burnt following a ‘great Christmas party’ in 1521. Like so many other castles hereabouts, Brough was restored in the 17th century by the Lady Anne Clifford, traces of whose additions can still be seen.
St Michael’s Parish Church, in pretty Church Brough near the castle, displays an exhibition about the region.
The castle is much ruined, though the keep stands to some height. Inside the curtain walls there are various structures to look at.
Opened daily, no admission charge. The castle shares a guidebook with Broughton Castle, a few miles away.

Wrest Park, Beds.

English Heritage.
This is one of the great gardens of England, but is one of the least well known. The grounds and formal gardens cover about 90 acres, with a number of garden buildings and follies, and miles of pathways. At the further end of the canal is the domed Great Pavilion, designed by Thomas Archer in 1709-11.
The Wrest Park mansion was designed by Thomas, Earl de Grey, in a French style, and completed by 1839. Several important rooms in the house are usually open to the public: the great entrance hall, and a suite of rooms on the garden side ground floor.
Most of the garden buildings, inclding the Orangery, were built at about the same time as the house.
There is plenty to see and do, and for 2013 there is a new visitor reception and parking in the former walled garden, and a new exhibition area and Countess’s Sitting Room in the house. Just checking all the buildings in the gardens should keep one occupied for at least a couple of hours. The house, outside and inside, is also of interest, and the grand entrance hall should not be missed. The grand rooms on the garden side are largely unfurnished.