Nutwell Court, Woodbury

Has been described as a Possible Fortified Manor House

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains

NameNutwell Court, Woodbury
Alternative NamesNuteville; Notewella; Nutewella
Historic CountryDevonshire
Modern AuthorityDevon
1974 AuthorityDevon
Civil ParishWoodbury

Nutwell Court is said to have been strong house similar to Powderham. The manor belonged to the Dinhams; of their late medieval house parts of the chapel remain (there is a record of a licence for the chapel in 1371, but there appears to have been a chapel here in the early C14, a date that accords well with the style of the remaining glass); the house was rebuilt by Lord Dinham (later Henry VII's Treasurer) in the 1480s; this in turn was drastically remodelled in the 1750s by Sir Francis Drake who demolished the gatehouse at great expense and converted the chapel into a library thereby destroying part of the medieval roof. The house was largely rebuilt for the 2nd Lord Northcote in 1802 to plans by Samuel Pepys Cockerell. A major restoration was undertaken in the 1940s by George Northcott. The chapel is of sandstone ashlar. (Derived from Listed Building report)

Gatehouse Comments

Too little remains to be certain of the form of the medieval house, but the Dinhams were an important local family and this house can be expected to have been dressed up with the martial symbolism that reflected their status. In this part of Devon, where pirate raids did occur, these defences are likely to have been more than just sham.

- Philip Davis

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 ReferenceSX987850
Latitude50.6561317443848
Longitude-3.43341994285584
Eastings298770
Northings85000
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

No photos available. If you can provide pictures please contact Castlefacts

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Books

  • Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 87 (slight)
  • Pevsner, Nikolaus and Cherry, Bridget, 1989, Buildings of England: Devon (Harmondsworth) p. 552
  • Hoskins, W.G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon (London: Collins)

Journals

  • Scott, E., 1956, 'Lympstone: a village story' Transactions of the Devonshire Association Vol. 88 p. 129
  • Chope, R.P., 1918, 'The last of the Dynhams' Transactions of the Devonshire Association Vol. 50 p. 432,434,435,436,438
  • Chope, R.P., 1911, 'The Lord Dynham's lands' Transactions of the Devonshire Association Vol. 43 p. 276-277, 285, 286, 287, 288, 291 online copy
  • Oldham, D.W., 1906, 'Private chapels of Devon: ancient and modern' Transactions of the Devonshire Association Vol. 38 p. 401 (slight) online copy

Primary Sources

  • Reichel, O.J., 1903, 'The hundred of Budleigh in the time of "testa de nevil", AD.1244' Transactions of the Devonshire Association Vol. 35 p. 297 online copy