Kennaway House
Encyclopedia
Kennaway House is an early-19th-century house, situated at Coburg Road, Sidmouth
, East Devon
, which was formerly known as Fort House and Church House. It is a Grade II* listed building.
Fort House was built about 1805 and soon came into the ownership of the Kennaway family
of Escot House
near Ottery St Mary
. The Kennaways resettled at Escot after 1838. By the end of the 19th century the house was in use as a lodging house. R.A. Wood bought it in 1905 and on 6 July 1906 the house was transferred by deed to Church House Trust. Although not legally connected to the neighbouring Church of St. Giles & St. Nicholas, the building’s name was changed from Fort House to Church House and the Trustees were given the express duty of using the house:
“for such purposes only as Church House may properly be used. For.. promoting…any work in support of or for the benefit or in connection with the Church of England including Home and Foreign Missions or for Sunday schools, Bible Classes, Church Lads Brigade, Lectures, Mothers’ Meetings, Sacred Concerts, Choir Practices, Parish Clubs or Societies.”
The same deeds also specifically prohibited certain activities deemed unsuitable:
“not dancing or such like and not antagonistic to or inconsistent with the continuance of well-being of the Church of England..”
The house gradually fell into disrepair and in 2001 efforts to raise funds for restoration were launched. National Lottery funding was obtained in 2007 and restoration work began in 2008. The house has been renamed Kennaway House and reopened in June 2009 as a community facility and exhibition space. It is licensed for civil weddings and partnerships.
It now houses the Kennaway Fine Art Guild
and exhibits its artists work on a regular basis.
Sidmouth
Sidmouth is a small town on the English Channel coast in Devon, South West England. The town lies at the mouth of the River Sid in the East Devon district, south east of Exeter. It has a population of about 15,000, of whom 40% are over 65....
, East Devon
East Devon
East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Sidmouth, and the largest town is Exmouth.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Honiton with the urban districts of Budleigh Salterton, Exmouth, Ottery St. Mary, Seaton, Sidmouth...
, which was formerly known as Fort House and Church House. It is a Grade II* listed building.
Fort House was built about 1805 and soon came into the ownership of the Kennaway family
Kennaway Baronets
The Kennaway Baronetcy of Hyderabad in the East Indies, is a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 25 February 1791 for John Kennaway, British Resident at the Court of the Nizam, in recognition of his part in the negotiation of the 1790 alliance between the Nizam and the East...
of Escot House
Escot House
Escot House is a privately owned 19th century country house, the home of the Kennaway family, situated at Talaton, near Ottery St Mary, East Devon. It is a Grade II listed building....
near Ottery St Mary
Ottery St Mary
Ottery St Mary, known as "Ottery" , is a town in the East Devon district of Devon, England, on the River Otter, about ten miles east of Exeter on the B3174. It is part of a large civil parish of the same name, which also covers the villages of West Hill, Metcombe, Fairmile, Alfington, Tipton St...
. The Kennaways resettled at Escot after 1838. By the end of the 19th century the house was in use as a lodging house. R.A. Wood bought it in 1905 and on 6 July 1906 the house was transferred by deed to Church House Trust. Although not legally connected to the neighbouring Church of St. Giles & St. Nicholas, the building’s name was changed from Fort House to Church House and the Trustees were given the express duty of using the house:
“for such purposes only as Church House may properly be used. For.. promoting…any work in support of or for the benefit or in connection with the Church of England including Home and Foreign Missions or for Sunday schools, Bible Classes, Church Lads Brigade, Lectures, Mothers’ Meetings, Sacred Concerts, Choir Practices, Parish Clubs or Societies.”
The same deeds also specifically prohibited certain activities deemed unsuitable:
“not dancing or such like and not antagonistic to or inconsistent with the continuance of well-being of the Church of England..”
The house gradually fell into disrepair and in 2001 efforts to raise funds for restoration were launched. National Lottery funding was obtained in 2007 and restoration work began in 2008. The house has been renamed Kennaway House and reopened in June 2009 as a community facility and exhibition space. It is licensed for civil weddings and partnerships.
It now houses the Kennaway Fine Art Guild
Kennaway Fine Art Guild
The Kennaway Fine Art Guild is an association of artists from the South West of England. Located in Sidmouth at the Kennaway House, it was founded in Spring 2009 and held its inaugural exhibition on 3 October that same year.-External links:*...
and exhibits its artists work on a regular basis.