Wembury House

Has been described as a Possible Fortified Manor House

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains

NameWembury House
Alternative Names
Historic CountryDevonshire
Modern AuthorityDevon
1974 AuthorityDevon
Civil ParishWembury

Large wall possibly defensive which is all that survives of a late C16 mansion. Enormous rampart faced in stone rubble with granite dressings, with a grassed walk on top. The outer (west) revetment wall has buttresses with set-offs, and moulded saddle-back coping. Eastern side also buttressed but without stone coping. The eastern side has a flight of steps leading down to a lawn in front of the house. The current Wembury House was built on the site of a great mansion of Sir John Hele who bought the estate in 1592 and built what was reputedly an enormous house of which only this wall survives. It is said to have been a fortification against pirates because of its proximity to the coast. (Listed Building Report)

Wembury house. A medieval manor originally the property of Plympton Priory. A manor house was not built till 1591. By 1797 building was a ruin and present house was built on the site in 1803 (Evans).

The site of a medieval manor that was in ecclesiastical possession down to the dissolution (Reichel).

Country house in landscaped garden, built on the site of a late 16th century house, 1803 built for sir Thomas Lockyear. Two storeys, attic and ashlar basement. Slate hipped roof. Sash windows with moulded architraves. Retains many original features (DOE). The Elizabethan manor has a deer park and a huge fishpond still visible below the house but not on trust property.(National Trust). (Devon and Dartmoor HER)

Not scheduled

This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law

Historic England Scheduled Monument Number
Historic England Listed Building number(s)
Images Of England
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSX531492
Latitude50.3240814208984
Longitude-4.06485986709595
Eastings253120
Northings49200
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Hoskins, W.G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon (London: Collins) p. 513
  • Reichel, O.J. 1933, 'The Hundred of Plympton in early times' in The Hundreds of Devon Vol. 6 Plympton and Ermington (Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, Literature and Art) p. 245, 251 ,260, 268, 281-282, 302

Journals

  • Evans, H.M., 1910, Wembury: its bay, church, and parish' Transactions of the Devonshire Association Vol. 42 p. 517-37 online copy