Thursday 24 February 2011

Blagdon Manor

In 1976 I moved, with my parents and grandparents, from London to Devon. It was a move that greatly affected my way of thinking and most definitely influenced the course of my life.

My family have roots in Devon, so in a way, it was a bit like coming home. My Grandmother grew up in India, but was originally from Devon, where her family had been farmers on the eastern slopes of Dartmoor. The house we moved to in 1976 was not a farm though, but rather, an Elizabethan manor house on the outskirts of Torbay, called Blagdon Manor.


Blagdon Manor, Devon

As a bit of a nerdy child (although for that I make no apologies!), I had always been fascinated by history, the more ancient the better, and now I found myself surrounded by more history than I could ever have hoped for. And I was living right inside it!
This, of course, was all in the days before the internet, but I managed to do a bit of research and discovered that the building of Blagdon Manor had previously been called Blagdon Barton, and had its origins in the 1400's. The present building, dated 1567 (there is a date stone over the front entrance) had been built by George Kirkham. The Kirkhams had inherited the estate from Sir Robert le Deneis in the late 1200's and held it until the 1630's when Sir William Kirkham died, and the manor and estate passed by marriage to the Blounts of Ugbrooke House.



I had moved to this amazing place at the age of 12, from a small house in a London suburb. What an adventure! You can imagine the effect such a change would have on me.
There was a great hall and a minstrel gallery, huge fireplaces and plenty of land to run riot in. And of course there were the obligatory ghosts (one apparently of a murdered maid, although I suspect all old manors have one of these don't they?)


The Great Hall

Rather than being frightened by the prospect of living in a haunted house, I relished it and a fascination with all things other-worldly developed...


The minstrel gallery

But that's another story.

Even now, over 30 years later I live in an old haunted house. A bit more modest maybe, just a little thatched cottage in west Devon built around 1650. But of course, once again full of history!


My House today...

6 comments:

  1. I've admired your work for many years, Marc. Nice to see you blogging!

    Cia

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  2. Welcome to bloggersphere :)

    That place looks gorgeous. One day I'd love to live in a house like that!

    Heather

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  3. Just happened across your site Marc, and have to say we( my partner and i saffronlillith, who's google account this is sent from ) were very impressed by your wonderful work in fact we spent quite a while admiring them and your facinating history ,having recently visited Somerset , Devon and Cornwall we can see why you love it so much where you live, your house is beautiful and your former home Blagdon Manor looks amazing , we also have a keen interest in all things otherworldly and mystical not to mention gothic . Well just wanted to drop by and wish you well. On another note i have recently started painting myself , and am currently in the middle of a horror classics collection , perhaps you could take a look if you would be so kind .......... http://www.facebook.com/riffshopofhorrors

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  4. Hi, I was just wondering if you know who owns the house now?

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  5. a man called Graham ......now owns it, sorry I cannot immediately recall his last name. It has been maintained and partly restored as it was turned into flats for a while, derelict and then a holiday rental for a few years.

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