Bishop's Court, Devon

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Bishop's Court
East front of Bishop's Court and cedar tree - geograph.org.uk - 5478624.jpg
The east front of Bishop's Court
Bishop's Court, Devon
General information
Type Country house, Bishop's palace
Architectural style Gothic
AddressBishop's Court Lane, Sowton, Devon
CountryEngland
Coordinates 50°43′04″N3°26′42″W / 50.7178°N 3.44512°W / 50.7178; -3.44512
Completed13th century
Technical details
Material Heavitree stone

Bishop's Court is a large English country house and former Bishop's palace in Sowton, Devon, near Exeter. It was built in the 13th century and is Grade I listed. It was a palace of the medieval bishops of Exeter from the 13th century to the 16th century. [1] [2]

Contents

Architecture

The building is described by Pevsner as 'intensely Gothic' in style and is largely built of Heavitree stone. [2] [1]

The house unwent rebuilding works in 1803, having been purchased by Admiral Lord Graves. [3] It then underwent further remodelling in 1860-4 by William White for the Garratt family, having come into the ownership of John Garratt, former Lord Mayor of London. [2]

The chapel contains a triptych by Nathaniel Westlake. [2]

The former stables were built in the early 16th century, also of Heavitree stone, and are Grade I listed. [4]

The former tithe barn is thought to have been built in the early 14th century and is also Grade I listed. [5]

History

Bishop's Court was acquired by the bishops of Exeter in 1265 and used by them until 1546. [1]

In 1549, Bishop John Vesey was induced to grant the Manor of Bishop's Clyst, along with the palace, to John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford. [2]

Sir Thomas Fairfax used Bishop's Court as a garrison during the blockade of Exeter in 1645. [6]

By the 1950s, Bishop's Court was being used as a company headquarters. [2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Cherry, Bridget; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1989). The buildings of England (2nd ed. extensively revised ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin books. ISBN   978-0-14-071050-2.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "BISHOP'S COURT, Sowton - 1097577 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "GRAVES, Thomas North, 2nd Baron Graves [I] (1775-1830), of Bishop's Court, nr. Exeter, Devon and Thanckes, Cornw. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  4. ↑ "STABLE BLOCK ADJOINING TITHE BARN TO NORTH-NORTH-WEST, Sowton - 1333998 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  5. ↑ "TITHE BARN 150 METRES SOUTH-EAST OF BISHOP'S COURT, Sowton - 1164637 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  6. ↑ "Heritage Gateway - Results". www.heritagegateway.org.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2025.

Books and journals

Eastlake, C, History of the Gothic Revival, (1970), 108

Eastlake, C, History of the Gothic Revival, (1970), 108

Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: South Devon, (1952), 82

'Transactions of the Devonshire Association' in Transactions of the Devonshire Association, Vol. 98, (1966), 132-53

'Transactions of the Exeter Diocesan Architectural and Archaeological Society' in Transactions of the Exeter Diocesan Architectural and Archaeological Society, Vol. 4, (1929), 87-96

'Transactions of the Exeter Diocesan Architectural and Archaeological Society' in Transactions of the Exeter Diocesan Architectural and Archaeological Society, Vol. 4, (1929)

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