Description

BOVEY TRACEY
SX 87 NW

5/22 Parke House including the stables
-
23.8.55
GV II

Headquarters of Dartmoor National Park, formerly the mansion house of the Hole
family. Built for William Hole between 1825 and 1828. Rendered solid walls,
probably of stone. Low-pitched slate roofs. Rendered chimney stacks with raised
band just below the top; tapered octagonal chimneypots with sunk panels on the
sides. Stacks symmetrically placed, 2 to each of the front and side ranges; stacks
in front range placed close together to form a centre feature. In middle of roof a
circular stair lantern of wood with flat leaded roof; windows with small square
panes and quarter-panes. At south-west corner an octagonal wood cupola with bell,
the turret having open sides and an ogee leaded roof; fluted pilasters at each angle
and a panel with a fringe of guttae above each opening. Square plan, the rooms
arranged round 4 sides of a centre stair compartment. 2 storeys. Fronts remain
virtually unaltered, especially on the south-east and north-east sides. Main
entrance front (to south-east) is 5 windows wide with centre doorway having a porch
of inexact Greek Doric type. 2 pairs of unfluted columns support a plain
entablature enriched only with guttae, pilaster responds against wall face. The
porch stands on a stylobate of 4 granite steps. Double doors, each of 3 panels, the
lowest panels flush, the upper panels with raised margin-bands; narrow overlight
and sidelights. The sidelights have a flush panel below and 4 panes of glass above,
these having quarter-panes both at the side and between them; similar 6-pane
overlight. Several of the panes are of old Crown glass. Above the porch is a 6-
pane sash window flanked by paired spaced pilaster strips reflecting the porch
below. Each strip carries a console supporting a continuous cornice. The rest of
the windows in this front are plain with 6-pane sashes, larger in the ground storey;
most of them containing old glass. Stringcourse just below sill-level in second
storey; front finished with a narrow, deeply projecting cornice and low parapet, the
latter stepped up slightly in two stages to the centre. The side-walls are 4
windows wide, the outer bays projecting slightly. Right-hand side has 6-paned
sashes like those at the front. Left-hand side differs in having a single
tripartite window in centre of ground storey with a 6-paned sash in the centre light
and 2-paned sashes in the side-lights. The left-hand bay contains 3 storeys, fitted
in without increasing the wall height. Main ground-storey window is of 2 lights
with 6-paned sashes in each light; to right of it a narrow window with upper and
lower casements of 4 panes each. In third storey a tripartite window with an 8-
paned sash in the lower part of the centre light, the upper sash having been
replaced by a 2-light casement with 2 panes per light; side-lights have sashes of 2
panes each. At the rear of the building with 2 panes per leaf; sidelights have
sashes of 2 panes each. At the rear of the building is a re-used late C16th or
early C17th door and wooden doorframe. The frame is ovolo-moulded with raised run-
out stops at the foot and a cranked head. Studded plank door with long wrought-iron
strap-hinges having fleurs-de-lis terminals; simple wrought- iron knocker.
Interior: vestibule has modillion cornice. At rear is a pair of 3-panel doors
having glazed side-lights and rectangular overlight, all the glazing in small square
panes with quarter-panes. This leads into the central stair hall, the main feature
of the house. It has a wooden open-well staircase rising to the second storey; cut
strings, decorated only with a thin reed moulding, thin oblong-section balasters 3
to a tread, moulded nosings to the treads and wreathed handrail. Modillion cornice
under the second storey landing. Doors leading out of stair hall are mostly 6-
panelled with panelled reveals, the second storey panels having raised margin-
mouldings. On south-west side of ground storey is a pair of double doors with the
upper part glazed with small square panes and quarter-panes. The compartment has a
plain cornice and shallow domed ceiling, each slight tympanum with panelled
intrados, centre patera and continuous egg-and-dart border; panelled soffit. In
centre ceiling opens into an elliptical lantern, the lower part of the drum
decorated with wreaths, the upper part glazed and having fluted pilasters between
the lights. Ceiling of lantern has a large foliated plaster boss in the centre.
Little of interest remains in the rooms, but the north-east ground-storey room has
window architraves with Grecian detail.
Outbuildings: on the north-west side of house, abutting its north-east end, is an
L-shaped stable block (included in the listing). This is 2-storeyed with solid
roughcast walls and slated roof. It has few architectural features: a gable with
shaped bargeboards at south-west end, 2 door-hoods on scrolled brackets, plank
doors, one with wrought-iron strap-hinges, and C19 wood casement windows with 2 or 3
panes per light. The block seems to be of similar date to the house, although some
believe it to be the remains of the pre-1825 Parke House. In the garden at front of
house is a cooling house (qv), which is separately listed. The previous house at
Parke was a pre-1700 building of some quality with an imposing outer gate to the
courtyard.
Sources: National Park guide to Parke. Devon Record Office - title deeds (312M/EH
200, 312M/TH 589-90), Elizabeth Croker sketchbook, 1843 (2160A add 7/PZ4, p.33).

Listing NGR: SX8059378571

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26388916

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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