Powderham Castle
Encyclopedia
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The Powderham Estate, in which it is set, runs down to the western shores of the estuary of the River Exe
River Exe
The River Exe in England rises near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, near the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lies in Devon. It reaches the sea at a substantial ria, the Exe Estuary, on the south coast of Devon...
between the villages of Kenton
Kenton, Devon
Kenton is a small village located near Exeter, the capital of Devon, England.Kenton is known for its mediæval castle, Powderham Castle, where the Earl of Devon once settled in. Powderham Castle was built between 1390 and 1420 by Sir Philip Courtenay...
and Starcross
Starcross
Starcross is a riverside village with a population of 1,780, situated on the west bank of the estuary of the River Exe in Teignbridge in the English county of Devon...
.
The castle was built between 1390 and 1420 by Sir Philip Courtenay. The Castle remains in the hands of his descendant, the Earl of Devon
Earl of Devon
The title of Earl of Devon was created several times in the Peerage of England, and was possessed first by the de Redvers family, and later by the Courtenays...
. It was extensively altered in both the 18th and 19th centuries, most notably by James Wyatt
James Wyatt
James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...
in the 1790s.
The staircase, hall, music room and master bedroom of the house were used as locations for the 1993 film The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day (film)
The Remains of the Day is a 1993 Merchant Ivory film adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, Mike Nichols and John Calley. It starred Anthony Hopkins as Stevens and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton with James Fox,...
. The house was also used as a setting for a recent film comedy, Churchill: The Hollywood Years
Churchill: The Hollywood Years
Churchill: The Hollywood Years is a 2004 film, directed by Peter Richardson. It stars Christian Slater as Winston Churchill, and Neve Campbell as Elizabeth II...
.
A female tortoise named Timothy
Timothy (tortoise)
Timothy was a Mediterranean Spur-thighed tortoise who was thought to be approximately 165 years old at the time of her death. This made her the UK's oldest known resident...
lived on the Powderham castle grounds until her death in 2004. Having lived for around 165 years, she was the oldest resident of Great Britain up to that time.
On 29 September 2009, the Earl auctioned 113 treasures from the castle, at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
in London,
in order to cover debts accrued in running the 14th-century home. The sale of family silver, furniture, antiques and paintings made a total of £1,013,638.
Origin of the name
From the word polderPolder
A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually-operated devices...
, originally Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
for reclaimed land, thus meaning "the hamlet of the reclaimed marsh-land".
The house
The Marble Hall, completed in 1755, forms the lower part of the medieval Great Hall and would have once been as high as the staircase hall. The hall has an impressive mahoganyMahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
staircase decorated with carved heraldic beasts and intricate plasterwork.
The spectacular Music Room, designed by James Wyatt for the flamboyant 3rd Viscount of Devon
William Courtenay, 9th Earl of Devon
William "Kitty" Courtenay, 9th Earl of Devon was the youngest son of William Courtenay, 2nd Viscount Courtenay and his wife Frances Clack. He was baptized on 30 August 1768....
, has a splendid Axminster carpet.
Upstairs the original solar has a collection of toys. The house has a mixture of medieval features and fine 18th century decoration. There is also a collection of paintings and family portraits by many notable artists, as well as a 14-foot high Stumbels
William Stumbels
William Stumbels lived and worked as a clockmaker in Totnes, Devon, from around 1700 to 1769. Two of his clocks can be found in Totnes Museum.-References:...
clock.
It is alleged that the house has a haunted landing.
Contravention of the Equality Act 2006
In May 2008 Lord DevonHugh Courtenay, 18th Earl of Devon
Hugh Rupert Courtenay, 18th Earl of Devon DL is a British peer.Lord Devon is the son of the 17th Earl of Devon and was educated at Winchester College and graduated with a BA degree from Magdalene College, Cambridge in 1964. On 9 September 1967, he married Dianna Frances Watherston, and they have...
reportedly said that the requests for gay civil partnerships at Powderham Castle clashed with his religious beliefs. Devon County Council
Devon County Council
Devon County Council is the county council administering the English county of Devon. Based in the city of Exeter, the council covers the non-metropolitan county area of Devon...
investigated and said that the licence for hosting civil ceremonies would be revoked. County solicitor Roger Gash said that providers of civil ceremonies could not legally treat people unfairly according to their sexual orientation and, in an e-mail to Lord Devon, said: "It seems to me that your refusal to accept civil partnership ceremonies amounts to such discrimination and that this leaves the county council with no option but to revoke the licence for the castle." It was therefore decided that the castle would be unable to host civil ceremonies from 1 January 2009. The castle web site, however, still clearly advertises as a provider of civil ceremonies for 2010.