Luscombe Castle is a country house situated near the resort town of Dawlish, in the county of Devon in England. Upon purchasing the land at Luscombe in 1797, Charles Hoare demolished the existing house and commissioned architects John Nash and Humphrey Repton to design a new house and gardens at the site. Nash and Repton came up with an asymmetrical designed building made from Portland stone, with castellated parapets, turrets and pinnacles to create the feel of a picturesque castle.
Nash's designs for the house included a three-storey octagonal tower, with two wings coming off it and a second square tower above a porte-cochère. Inside the drawing room occupied the ground floor of the tower, with a sitting room above. The dining room was designed to hold views across the valley, and the asymmetric rooms allowed for a panorama of views. To allow easy access to the gardens, the servant's quarters were moved to a separate wing, but made to be less prominent. A chapel was added in approximately 1862, and the house's loggia was converted into a conservatory.
The grounds were designed by Repton, and laid out by John Veitch. They extend to , with of gardens, both formal and informal, and other pleasure grounds, while the remainder covers parks and woodlands. The main garden, known as the American Garden, includes ponds and ornamental shrubs. The house was designated a Grade I listed building and its gardens are also Grade I listed in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
The site should be distinguished from Luscombe in the parish of Rattery in Devon, about 16 miles to the south-west, the seat of the Luscombe family from before the 16th century to shortly before 1810.
History
The process of purchasing Luscombe estate was started in 1788 by Charles Hoare, a prominent banker whose sister, Henrietta, was the widow of Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 9th Baronet (1752-1794) of Killerton, near Exeter. Hoare rented a house in Dawlish during the 1790s, while the purchase was progressing, being finalised in 1797. The original property included a large house with outbuildings, as well as part of the nearby farm.
The nearby 19th century house, Stonelands also formed part of the estate, so Repton ensured that it would be visible from the parkland. Stonelands no longer forms part of the estate, but is still visible from the park and wood. Towards the end of the 19th century, the house's park land was open to the public on certain days of the week by Peter Arthur Marsham Hoare, however this practice had ended by 1902. The grounds were still regularly opened for events such as fetes, the Dawlish flower show, as well as opening the gardens to the public.
During World War II, Luscombe Castle was used as an evacuation point. The evacuees included a boys' preparatory school, whose pupils included the young William Franklyn, and girls in the care of the Barnardo's charity. After the war, the house continued to provide accommodation for girls as a children's home until the house was returned to the Hoare family in July 1948.
The Castle and grounds were designated Grade I listed status on 12 August 1987. Luscombe suffered storm damage in the Burns' Day storm in 1990, leading to a management plan and historical survey.
Location
Luscombe Castle is set close to the town of Dawlish in Devon. The castle's grounds total , of which are formal gardens and pleasure grounds, while the remaining are parkland and ornamental woodland. Situated in the Luscombe and Summercombe valleys, its boundaries are formed by a ridge of high ground at Little Haldon, and by Luscombe Hill. The majority of boundaries are formed by hedging and banks. The boundaries of the estate cover approximately . The house's chosen location meant that the building was not as large as it might have been, had it been moved a short distance and built on terraces.
The building is approached from a point on Luscombe Hill, through a gate bordered by rubble-stone walls. There is a 19th-century single story lodge at the entrance, built in gothic carved stone. From there, a drive leads to the north side of the Luscome Castle, where there is a carriage court bordered by yew hedges. Further along the nearby service road is a second 19th century gothic stone lodge. The park can be approached from the south-east, passing two further 19th century lodges on the grounds.