Luscombe Castle
Luscombe Castle is a country house situated near the resort town of Dawlish, in the county of Devon in England.
History
The house was built in 1800 for Charles Hoare, a prominent banker whose sister, Henrietta, was the widow of Sir Thomas Acland of Killerton, near Exeter.[1] The house was designed by John Nash, and was a trendsetter for the Gothic Revival with its castellated tower and walls.[2] The inside is simple Neo Classicism, but with Gothic windows. The rooms are arranged around a central lobby beneath the tower.
The garden was laid out by John Veitch[1] to the designs of Humphry Repton, who shared a partnership with Nash for some years. While Nash focused on Gothic style houses, Humphry placed them in landscapes designed for the Picturesque movement, with unadorned nature, the start of what is now the typical British landscape garden.[3]
To the west lies a formal garden, while the more picturesque open lawns lie to the east.
During World War II, Luscombe Castle was used as an evacuation centre for girls aged four to 15 years. After the war, the house provided accommodation for girls under the auspices of Barnardo's. The home was closed in July 1948 and the house returned to the Hoare family.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sue Shephard (2003). Seeds of Fortune - A Gardening Dynasty. Bloomsbury. pp. 28–29. ISBN 0-7475-6066-8.
- ↑ Hutchings, p. 118
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Dr. Barnardo's Homes – Luscombe Castle, Dawlish, Devon.". www.goldonian.org. Retrieved 23 November 2008.
Sources
- Hutchings, Victoria (2005). Messrs Hoare, Bankers: A History of the Hoare Banking Dynasty. Constable. ISBN 1-84119-965-6.