Bicton is a civil parish and a former manor in the East Devon district of Devon, England, near the town of Budleigh Salterton. The parish is surrounded, clockwise from the north, by the parishes of Colaton Raleigh, Otterton, East Budleigh and Woodbury.[1] According to the 2001 census it had a population of 280. Much of the parish consists of Bicton Park, the historic home of the Rolle family,[2] with Bicton Common, adjacent to Woodbury Common, in the west. The parish includes the village of Yettington on its southern border.
Bicton appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Bechetone, held by William Porter, probably by the service of guarding the gate at Exeter Castle and the prison there.[3][a] The manor passed through several families until Sir Thomas Denys (1559–1613) left two daughters as co-heiresses. The eldest was Anne Denys, who by her marriage to Sir Henry Rolle (d.1616) of Stevenstone, brought Bicton to the Rolle family.
Bicton House and its lake
The gardens at Bicton were begun in around 1735, supposedly to a design by André Le Nôtre, but most of the work was undertaken by John Rolle, 1st Baron Rolle in the early 19th century. This included the digging of the lake in 1812 by French prisoners of war, planting the arboretum in 1830 and the noted araucaria avenue in 1842. Other features include the orangery (1806), the "bulbous" palm house (c. 1825), and the castellated octagonal China Tower of 1839.[4]
John Rolle died, childless, aged 86 in 1842. However, after his marriage to his second wife, Louisa Trefusis, he decided to appoint as his heir her nephew, the six-year-old Mark George Kerr Trefusis (the younger brother of the 20th Baron Clinton) requiring him to change his name to Rolle, which he did. However, when Mark Rolle died in 1907 he left no male heir so the Rolle inheritance passed to his nephew, Charles Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis, 21st Baron Clinton (1863–1957).
The 21st Baron let and later sold the mansion house and surrounding lands to Devon County Council as an agricultural college, now Bicton College, which as of 2016 covers 490 acres (200 ha),[5] and sleeps 231 residential students.[6] The gardens at Bicton were renovated by the baron in the 1950s and opened to the public in 1963. The 22nd Baron gave the botanical gardens to a charitable trust in 1986, which sold them in 1998 to Simon and Valerie Lister who turned their 63 acres (25 ha) into a commercial visitor attraction named Bicton Park Botanical Gardens – see below. The remainder of the land comprising the former manor of Bicton is still owned by Baron Clinton under the management of Clinton Devon Estates. This includes 17,000 acres (6,900 ha) of tenant farmland, 4,700 acres (1,900 ha) of woodland and 2,800 acres (1,100 ha) of the East Devon Pebblebed Heaths. The equestrian venue known as Bicton Arena is also part of the estate.[7]
Bicton old church. The chancel is now the Rolle Mausoleum.
Church
In 1850, Lady Louisa Rolle commemorated her late husband by building a new church on the estate close to the old one, which was partly demolished and the chancel reworked by Augustus Pugin as a mausoleum to the Rolle family. The mausoleum, which is not open to the public, contains Minton floor tiles, a vaulted ceiling, east and west decorated windows by Pugin, and a Rolle monument on the north wall designed by George Myers.[4] It also contains the baroque marble tomb of Denys Rolle (died 1638) and his wife and son, which was described by W. G. Hoskins as "magnificent".[8] Some fifty years before its demolition, the topographer John Swete made a watercolour painting of the old church, and wrote of its picturesque setting in his journal in 1795.[9]
The church of 1850 was designed by the Exeter-based architect, John Hayward: Hoskins simply called it "dull",[8] though it was later described as an early example in Devon of the ideals of the Cambridge Camden Society.[4]
Landmarks
Obelisk erected in 1747
Brick pillar, situated on crossroads between the parishes of Bicton and Otterton, both owned by the Rolle family
Rolle also built the four-sided pillar in the centre of the four-cross-ways between Bicton and Otterton in 1743. As well as serving as a signpost for the various places to which the four roads lead, it incorporates biblical inscriptions, such as "Her ways are ways of pleasantness", etc.[9]
Railway at the Bicton Park Botanical Gardens
Bicton Park Botanical Gardens
Bicton Park Botanical Gardens is a tourist attraction on the southern part of the former Bicton estate. The landscaped park includes historic glasshouses, a countryside museum, the Bicton Woodland Railway train ride, nature trail, maze, mini golf, indoor and outdoor children's play complexes, restaurant and shop. The gardens, which originated in c.1730 are Grade I listed.
The four glasshouses at Bicton Gardens were designed to re-create the natural environment of plants from different continents. The Palm House was built in the 1820s to a curvilinear design, using 18,000 small glass panes in thin iron glazing bars. The Tropical House is the home of the Bicton orchid (Lemboglossum bictoniense), named after the Park where it first bloomed in 1836. The Arid House features cacti and other succulents growing in a naturalistic desert landscape.[10]
Notes
^It was required of all future holders of the manor to contribute to the upkeep of Exeter prison until an Act of Parliament in 1787 discharged the Rolle family from this obligation by payment of a fine.
References
^(PDF). Devon County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
^Harris, Helen (2004). A Handbook of Devon Parishes. Tiverton: Halsgrove. p. 19. ISBN1-84114-314-6.
^ abGray, Todd & Rowe, Margery (Eds.), Travels in Georgian Devon: The Illustrated Journals of The Reverend John Swete, 1789–1800, 4 vols., Tiverton, 1999, vol.2, pp.140–145
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bicton, Devon.
Bicton Park Botanical Gardens
Bicton Arena
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April 27, 2023
bicton, devon, coordinates, bicton, civil, parish, former, manor, east, devon, district, devon, england, near, town, budleigh, salterton, parish, surrounded, clockwise, from, north, parishes, colaton, raleigh, otterton, east, budleigh, woodbury, according, 200. Coordinates 50 39 54 N 3 20 10 W 50 665 N 3 336 W 50 665 3 336 Bicton is a civil parish and a former manor in the East Devon district of Devon England near the town of Budleigh Salterton The parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Colaton Raleigh Otterton East Budleigh and Woodbury 1 According to the 2001 census it had a population of 280 Much of the parish consists of Bicton Park the historic home of the Rolle family 2 with Bicton Common adjacent to Woodbury Common in the west The parish includes the village of Yettington on its southern border Bicton Parish Church of St Mary built in 1850 Contents 1 History 2 Church 3 Landmarks 4 Bicton Park Botanical Gardens 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksHistory EditSee also Manor of Bicton Bicton appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Bechetone held by William Porter probably by the service of guarding the gate at Exeter Castle and the prison there 3 a The manor passed through several families until Sir Thomas Denys 1559 1613 left two daughters as co heiresses The eldest was Anne Denys who by her marriage to Sir Henry Rolle d 1616 of Stevenstone brought Bicton to the Rolle family Bicton House and its lake The gardens at Bicton were begun in around 1735 supposedly to a design by Andre Le Notre but most of the work was undertaken by John Rolle 1st Baron Rolle in the early 19th century This included the digging of the lake in 1812 by French prisoners of war planting the arboretum in 1830 and the noted araucaria avenue in 1842 Other features include the orangery 1806 the bulbous palm house c 1825 and the castellated octagonal China Tower of 1839 4 John Rolle died childless aged 86 in 1842 However after his marriage to his second wife Louisa Trefusis he decided to appoint as his heir her nephew the six year old Mark George Kerr Trefusis the younger brother of the 20th Baron Clinton requiring him to change his name to Rolle which he did However when Mark Rolle died in 1907 he left no male heir so the Rolle inheritance passed to his nephew Charles Hepburn Stuart Forbes Trefusis 21st Baron Clinton 1863 1957 The 21st Baron let and later sold the mansion house and surrounding lands to Devon County Council as an agricultural college now Bicton College which as of 2016 covers 490 acres 200 ha 5 and sleeps 231 residential students 6 The gardens at Bicton were renovated by the baron in the 1950s and opened to the public in 1963 The 22nd Baron gave the botanical gardens to a charitable trust in 1986 which sold them in 1998 to Simon and Valerie Lister who turned their 63 acres 25 ha into a commercial visitor attraction named Bicton Park Botanical Gardens see below The remainder of the land comprising the former manor of Bicton is still owned by Baron Clinton under the management of Clinton Devon Estates This includes 17 000 acres 6 900 ha of tenant farmland 4 700 acres 1 900 ha of woodland and 2 800 acres 1 100 ha of the East Devon Pebblebed Heaths The equestrian venue known as Bicton Arena is also part of the estate 7 Bicton old church The chancel is now the Rolle Mausoleum Church EditIn 1850 Lady Louisa Rolle commemorated her late husband by building a new church on the estate close to the old one which was partly demolished and the chancel reworked by Augustus Pugin as a mausoleum to the Rolle family The mausoleum which is not open to the public contains Minton floor tiles a vaulted ceiling east and west decorated windows by Pugin and a Rolle monument on the north wall designed by George Myers 4 It also contains the baroque marble tomb of Denys Rolle died 1638 and his wife and son which was described by W G Hoskins as magnificent 8 Some fifty years before its demolition the topographer John Swete made a watercolour painting of the old church and wrote of its picturesque setting in his journal in 1795 9 The church of 1850 was designed by the Exeter based architect John Hayward Hoskins simply called it dull 8 though it was later described as an early example in Devon of the ideals of the Cambridge Camden Society 4 Landmarks Edit Obelisk erected in 1747 Brick pillar situated on crossroads between the parishes of Bicton and Otterton both owned by the Rolle family Bicton Obelisk on the edge of the park was built in 1747 by Henry Rolle 1st Baron Rolle 1708 1750 as a visual attraction for the gardens 4 Rolle also built the four sided pillar in the centre of the four cross ways between Bicton and Otterton in 1743 As well as serving as a signpost for the various places to which the four roads lead it incorporates biblical inscriptions such as Her ways are ways of pleasantness etc 9 Railway at the Bicton Park Botanical GardensBicton Park Botanical Gardens EditBicton Park Botanical Gardens is a tourist attraction on the southern part of the former Bicton estate The landscaped park includes historic glasshouses a countryside museum the Bicton Woodland Railway train ride nature trail maze mini golf indoor and outdoor children s play complexes restaurant and shop The gardens which originated in c 1730 are Grade I listed The four glasshouses at Bicton Gardens were designed to re create the natural environment of plants from different continents The Palm House was built in the 1820s to a curvilinear design using 18 000 small glass panes in thin iron glazing bars The Tropical House is the home of the Bicton orchid Lemboglossum bictoniense named after the Park where it first bloomed in 1836 The Arid House features cacti and other succulents growing in a naturalistic desert landscape 10 Notes Edit It was required of all future holders of the manor to contribute to the upkeep of Exeter prison until an Act of Parliament in 1787 discharged the Rolle family from this obligation by payment of a fine References Edit Map of Devon Parishes PDF Devon County Council Archived from the original PDF on 2 November 2013 Retrieved 20 June 2013 Harris Helen 2004 A Handbook of Devon Parishes Tiverton Halsgrove p 19 ISBN 1 84114 314 6 Thorn Caroline amp Frank eds Domesday Book Morris John gen ed Vol 9 Devon Parts 1 amp 2 Phillimore Press Chichester 1985 part 2 51 1 a b c d Cherry Bridget Pevsner Nikolaus 1989 The Buildings of England Devon second ed Penguin Books pp 172 174 ISBN 0 14 071050 7 Bicton College About Retrieved 9 June 2016 Bicton College Accommodation Retrieved 9 June 2016 Clinton Devon Estates Infographic PDF Clinton Devon Estates Archived from the original PDF on 13 January 2016 Retrieved 8 June 2016 a b Hoskins W G 1972 A New Survey of England Devon New ed London Collins p 335 ISBN 0 7153 5577 5 a b Gray Todd amp Rowe Margery Eds Travels in Georgian Devon The Illustrated Journals of The Reverend John Swete 1789 1800 4 vols Tiverton 1999 vol 2 pp 140 145 Infographc Estates Retrieved 16 June 2015 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bicton Devon Bicton Park Botanical Gardens Bicton Arena Bicton College Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bicton Devon amp oldid 1017358508, wikipedia, wiki, 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