Bicton, Budleigh Salterton, England

The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. 

Early 18th century formal gardens with later 18th and 19th century structures, set in 18th and 19th century parkland and pleasure grounds with a mid 19th century arboretum, on which W S Gilpin, John Webb and J C Loudon advised.

DESCRIPTION

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

Bicton is situated about 3 kilometres north of Budleigh Salterton and about 1.5 kilometres north-west of the village of Otterton, to the west of the A376 road which runs north from Budleigh Salterton to Newton Poppleford. The site, of about 130 hectares, comprises some 20 hectares of formal gardens and pleasure grounds, and about 110 hectares of parkland and woodland. To the east the site is bounded by walls and fences adjoining the A376 road, while to the west the boundary is formed by hedge banks on a minor road leading north from East Budleigh to Stowford. To the south, north-west and north it adjoins agricultural land. The site slopes gently from a ridge of high ground, Baker's Brake, on the north-west towards the south-east boundary, with Bicton House standing above a shallow valley which runs from west to south-east. The site enjoys views south, east and north-east across adjoining agricultural land and the valley of the River Otter about 1.5 kilometres to the east. There are wide views in all directions from the Belvedere in Baker's Brake, while vistas radiate from the formal gardens to the obelisk to the south, and a group of pines on high ground to the south-east.

 REFERENCES listed by English Heritage

R Polwhele, The History of Devonshire II, (1793-1806), pp 221-222

R Ackerman, Repository 5, (1809-1828), pl 1

T Allom, Devonshire Illustrated (1829-1832)

W W J Gendall, Views of the country seats ...II, (1830), p 63

J B Britton and E W Brayley, Devon & Cornwall Illustrated (1832), p 100

Gardener's Magazine 14, (1838), pp 510-512; 18, (1842), pp 552-555, 617-621; 19, (1843), pp 20-23, 46-52, 111-113, 138-139, 164-166, 234-238, 301-306, 419-426, 601-607, 653-657

The Cottage Gardener 21, (1858), pp 49-51, 65-68

J Royal Horticultural Soc 46, (1871), pp 221-223

Gardeners' Chronicle, ii (1894), pp 529-530; ii (1898), pp 153-154, 177-178, 183, 190-191

Country Life, 14 (1903), pp 854-862

G Jekyll, Garden Ornament (1918), pp 343-344, 346

Bicton Trees and Shrubs (1934)

A M Rockley, Historic Gardens of England (1938), pp 154-155

W G Hoskins, Devon (1954), p 335

E R Delderfield, West Country Houses (1968), pp 10-13

N D G James, The Trees of Bicton (1969)

B Jones, Follies and Grottoes (1974), pp 311-312

P M Synge, Gardens of Britain I, (1977), pp 23-29

D Jacques, Georgian Gardens, The Reign of Nature (1983), p 67

B Elliott, Victorian Gardens (1986), pp 35-37, 214

B Cherry and N Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Devon (1989), pp 172-174

Bicton Park Restoration Plan, (Bicton College of Agriculture 1992)

T Gray, The Garden History of Devon An Illustrated Guide to Sources (1995), pp 43-45

The Gardens at Bicton Park, guidebook, (nd)

Guide to the Gardens and Grounds, guidebook, (Bicton College of Agriculture nd)

St Mary's Church, Bicton A Brief Guide, guidebook, (Bicton Parish Church nd)

Maps

A Map of the Parish of Bicton, c 1758 (private collection)

John Webb, A Plan of the Park and Demesne lands of Bicton ... with some alterations, 1825, (private collection)

J Olten, A Plan of the Parish of Bicton in the County of Devon, surveyed 1835, published 1838 (Devon Record Office)

Tithe map for Bicton parish, c 1840 (Devon Record Office)

Bicton, Devon, 1843 (Devon Record Office)

W Ewens, Map of Bicton Estate, Devon, the property of the Right Honble Lady Rolle, 1852, (Devon Record Office)

Bicton, Devon, 1855 (private collection)

OS 6" to 1 mile: 1st edition surveyed 1888, published 1889

2nd edition revised 1903, published 1906

Archival items

Some Rolle family papers including estate papers, personal papers and accounts are held at the Devon Record Office (96addM).

Clinton and Rolle estate papers including estate plans (private collection)

Description written: July 1999

Amended: August 1999; May 2000

Edited: July 2000