Maristow House
Encyclopedia
Maristow House is located in Devon
, England
, just north of Plymouth
, on the River Tavy
. It was built circa 1560 and rebuilt in the mid-18th century and further remodelled in the early 20th century. It was the residence of the Lopes family: they had links with the Great Western Railway
. The house was ruined by fire after the Second World War, but was restored and converted into apartments in the late 1990s by Kit Martin
.
mansion here in the 1760s. In 1798, the house and estate were bought by the Jamaica
n-born Manasseh Masseh Lopes, the son of a rich plantation owner, whose family later gained the title of Baron Roborough
: their seat remained at Maristow until 1938. In 1907, the house was extended and altered. Above it rises the spire of St Martin's chapel, built in 1871 as a successor to an earlier 14th century chapel here (architect: J. P. St Aubyn).
After the Lopes family left, the house served a variety of purposes: a servicemen’s hospital during World War II
; a retirement home for clergy; a residential school, and a field-study centre. Following two disastrous fires, the house has now been carefully restored as twelve private homes.
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...
, just north of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, on the River Tavy
River Tavy
The Tavy is a river on Dartmoor, Devon, England. The name derives from the Brythonic root "Taff", the original meaning of which has now been lost...
. It was built circa 1560 and rebuilt in the mid-18th century and further remodelled in the early 20th century. It was the residence of the Lopes family: they had links with the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
. The house was ruined by fire after the Second World War, but was restored and converted into apartments in the late 1990s by Kit Martin
Kit Martin
Kit Martin is an English architect and country house property developer.-Career:Martin is the son of Sir Leslie Martin, Professor of Architecture at the University of Cambridge. Since the 1970s Martin has specialised in the saving and restoration of country houses, by dividing them into smaller...
.
History
The Heywood family built an imposing GeorgianGeorge III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
mansion here in the 1760s. In 1798, the house and estate were bought by the Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n-born Manasseh Masseh Lopes, the son of a rich plantation owner, whose family later gained the title of Baron Roborough
Baron Roborough
Baron Roborough, of Maristow in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1938 for Sir Henry Lopes, 4th Baronet. He had earlier represented Grantham in Parliament as Conservative...
: their seat remained at Maristow until 1938. In 1907, the house was extended and altered. Above it rises the spire of St Martin's chapel, built in 1871 as a successor to an earlier 14th century chapel here (architect: J. P. St Aubyn).
After the Lopes family left, the house served a variety of purposes: a servicemen’s hospital during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; a retirement home for clergy; a residential school, and a field-study centre. Following two disastrous fires, the house has now been carefully restored as twelve private homes.