East Worlington House

East Worlington House

Property Description

East Worlington House is located in a prominent position in East Worlington Village with its south elevation facing the river Little Dart and the woods beyond.  The exact date of construction is not known however archaeologists using the evidence available to them suggest it is a C17th building. As no other use can be identified it is presumed to have been constructed as a rectory, and extended  through several different stages. The main original building materials are cob walls siting on stone foundation walls and a thatched roof. 

It remained as rectory until 1967 when it ceased to have ecclesiastical use and was sold as a private dwelling.

View a 2012 Archaeological Report by Southwest Archaeology.

The north elevation of the house faces into a court yard area which is enclosed on its west side by a building previously a barn and now converted into East Worlington Parish Hall, on the north side by a number of buildings including a stable, now converted into holiday accommodation and to the east by a garage, greenhouse, and garden.

Between the House and the river is closest to the house a formal garden consisting mainly of a lawned area boarded on its southern edge partly by a metal post and rail fence and partly by a ha ha.

Beyond the ha ha a meadow goes down the hill, which finally levels off in the valley and carries on to the  river as the southern boundary of the meadow.

East Worlington House Fact File

  • Earliest Record

    The first reference to a priest in East Worlington is in 1261 with the installation of Robert de Hendeville.  Despite the first reference to East Worlington House is in a Church of England inventory (Glebe Terrier) in 1679.   It was described as a house with mud walls with part stone to the front.   On the site of the house there was also a dairy, malt house, a barn, a shippen (cow barn) and a stable.  The presence of a malt house indicates that beer was being brewed, however it is not known if this was solely for the household or if the rector of East Worlington had a handy side-line in selling beer to boost his income.

  • Demolition of Cottage 

    In 1895 a petition was made under the Ecclesiastical Dilapidation Act of 1871 to demolish a coachman’s cottage, washhouse, and linhay (farm building) which were described as being in very poor condition.  The purpose of the act was to ensure rectors took care of church property, but permitted buildings to be demolished when the cost of repair exceeded the value of the property.  This petition required the consent of  both the Bishop of Exeter and  the Right Honourable Newton Fellows, Earl of Portsmouth  who was the patron for East Worlington Church and Parsonage.

  • Valuation in 19th Century

    In 1831 East Worlington House was described in White’s Devonshire Directory as a neat thatched residence with 66.5 acres of glebe (land that provided income for a clergyman) and valued at £238.  It is not clear if this is the value of the property as we would understand it today or whether this was a reference to the income that it generated on an annual basis. 

    Talking of income, up until 1936 money to support the local clergyman and also to maintain the church came from tithes.   

    A tithe  was a tax on local landowners and farmers who had to give one-tenth of their annual agricultural produce (crops, livestock, etc.) directly to the local clergyman.  In 1936 the old practice of payment in physical goods and farm produce was replaced by a fixed, regular money payment.  The value of the local tithe payment for East Worlington was calculated at  £207 9s 10d per year.  

  • Tithe Barn

    Before 1936 the current East Worlington Parish Hall, which was then part of the rectory of East Worlington House was used to store tithes.  We know this because over eighty years after the abolishment of physical tithes it was still being referred to as “Ye Olde Tythe Barn”. 

    From the mid 1800’s onwards, the barn had been used as a venue for different community activities.  It was sold, in 1920 as a Parish Hall for community use and was purchased by the Parish Council.  The building Grade II  listed, and has been subject to different phases of renovation, improvement and internal modernisation.

  • Poor House

    At some point in the 19th century the local poor house (a property for housing orphans or the destitute) was one of the stables at East Worlington House (from an early 20th century description by Rev. H. A. Hill ??).  It is also known that the poor house occupied a site in what is now East Worlington School and it is unclear if this is the aforementioned stable or whether this indicated an upgrade for the poor. The poor house subsequently relocated to what is now South View Cottage in West Worlington.

  • Very Nearly Demolished

    In an account entitled “The Evolution of a Devonshire Rectory”, indicates that in the early 20th century the house had fallen badly into disrepair; so much so it was recommended for demolition .  Fortunately the Church of England financed the necessary repairs, and the house survived.

  • House Sold 

    The property was sold on the open market for the first time in 1958. 

    After the Second World War the Church of England began a policy of selling off of rectories and vicarages. The primary reason was almost certainly financial, as the buildings were often large and expensive to maintain.  In 1958 the living of East Worlington House ceased when it the ecclesiastical parish was amalgamated with West Worlington. and the house was sold into private ownership in 1967.

  • Grade II* Listing in 1967

    East Worlington house property is listed as a Grade II*.  The details of the listing can be found on the Historic England website.  Listed buildings are buildings of special architectural or historic interest with legal protection.  Only around 5.8% of listed buildings are Grade II*, which highlights the importance of East Worlington House in the locality. 

  • Hub of Community Events

    The house and grounds provide has long provided a venue for community events and celebrations.   These include the annual village fete, the Riverside Rocks concert, Crocus and Cream Teas (under the National Garden Scheme) and Duck Race and Dog Show (in support of East Worlington School).  Every four years the grounds are also used for the much enjoyed local WorlyOlympics. 

Property Development Timeline 

1470 
Phase One 
1470 to 1510 Phase 1 is comprised of a single cell building, possibly a chamber block
 
1510 
Phase Two
1510 to 1580 This first phase chamber block appears to have been shortlived, being modified into a two/three cell house, most probably with an open hall cross-passage and a first floor chamber over the lower end 
 
1580 
Phase Three
1580 to 1600 The insertion of a first floor and a chimney stack at the west end of the open hall. A possible stair turret seems to have been added during this phase in the position now occupied by the 20th century stairs. Stacks were probably added at both the upper and lower ends of the hall during this phase, and it may have been during this stage (rather than Phase 2) that an inner room was added to the west of the hall.
 
1600 
Phase Four
1600 to 1640 The construction of a detached block to the north-west of the main range. The position of this block might imply a detached kitchen, but the apparent absence of a chimney and the lack of any evidence of smoke blackening of the roof timbers makes this unlikely. An alternative suggestion is that this block represents the malt-house with chamber over which was detailed in the Glebe Terrier of 1679. The kitchen mentioned in the same document may have been located on the north side of the yard (see below).
 
1680
Phase Five
1680  to 1710 5a: The construction of a link between the west end of the main range (possibly rebuilding an earlier inner room) and the detached block to the north. The insertion of a fireplace/ chimney stack in the south wall of the detached block.
5b: The construction of a wing adjacent (to the east) of the link, with a further building probably agricultural?) added to the north-east of the Phase 1 chamber block.
 
1800
Phase Six
Early C19th This phase saw the rearrangement of the internal space on the ground floor to the north of the main range and to the majority of the first floor. The construction of a new stair occurred during this re organisation probably replacing an earlier stair turret, a fragment of which may survive in the cupboard below the stairs added in phase 7
 
1900 
Phase Seven
The 20th century saw less significant changes with only a few minor structural alterations, primarily of the partitions on the first and ground floors. The most dramatic change was the addition of a new staircase in the inner hall
 

Press Cuttings

The Property Is More Than The House

Natural Crocus Display  in the Garden

One of the natural features of the property is the extensive display of crocuses that have spread over many years in an area of the garden to the East of the house. The display is of national interests as they  are recognized by the National Garden Scheme and forms part of their annual programme of privately own gardens open to the public The crocuses are at their best in late February early March, depending on the weather conditions The crocuses,  as is the rest of the garden and the grounds of the property are well maintained and in immaculate condition as a result of the dedication of the owners of the property Barnabas and Campie  Hurst-Bannister.

National Garden Scheme

The National Garden Scheme (NGS) is a UK charity that opens thousands of beautiful private gardens in England, Wales, NI, & Channel Islands to the public, raising millions for nursing and health charities (like Marie Curie, Macmillan, Hospice UK) through admissions, tea, and cake, while also promoting the health benefits of gardens through its “Gardens & Health” program. It’s a long-standing tradition, started in 1927, offering unique access to diverse gardens, from grand estates to hidden gems, for charity and well-being.

This cutting is an extract from the publicity promoting the scheme and advertising the location, directions, facilities and  the details of opening, of the specific properties.

Extract of text from the press cutting taken from Devon Live  2025

‘The crocuses, which have spread naturally over many years, create a striking display across the two-acre garden and the neighbouring churchyard. The garden, set in a picturesque location with views down the valley to the Little Dart river, offers visitors the chance to explore beyond the flowers. Guests are welcome to walk down to the river, cross the bridge into the wildflower meadow-though not yet in bloom – and follow the public footpaths into the woods.

Stories

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In Poor Condition – Dilapidation the Reverend Benjamin Clay Era and Consequences

East Worlington Rectory – A Matter of The Patronage

This story provides an explanation about the system of Patronage, some details of landownership prior to this system, which offers a background to the Earls of Portsmouth who through successive generations held the role of Patron for East Worlington.

When is a Barn Not a Barn? When it is a Parish Hall

Within the curtilage of the Rectory, over the time of its existence, there have been a number of buildings. Excluding the Rectory as a dwelling for the Rectors their families and their employees, the majority of the building were either represented the social and domestic needs of the residents at any given historical  time or related to the income of the Rectors through tithe payments, which for many years were in-kind payments, not money, but produce grown or raised by parishioners and used as the tithe payments they were required to make annually,,  by law, to retain their Rector, who needed a place for storage,  The second source of income was through Glebe land. This is land in the parish owned by the church of which the majority of  the  land was farmed, which required  the Rector have buildings associated with farming This explains why one of the buildings close to the Rectory was a barn, with evidence in  the Glebe Terrier of c1679 confirming it was first constructed in the second half of the 17th century. If you think the barn still exists as a barn or has long decayed  and disappeared you are wrong. Read on for further information.

Evolution of a Devonshire Rectory

The booklet below describes East Worlington House from the 17th through to the early 20th centuries.  The date and authorship are uncertain and if anyone has any further information on this then please get in touch.