The Lutyens Trust America’s Tour of Lutyens’s Buildings in the West Country

27 September to 1 October, 2021

By Robin Prater

Two years in the planning, this year’s Lutyens Intensive – a week spent exploring Edwin Lutyens buildings in Devon and Somerset – was particularly sweet for the wait. Postponed in 2020 due to Covid -19, the 2021 version was built on hopes, never on certainty. Even now, as I look back, it’s almost a miracle that all 20 participants navigated the complex requirements for vaccines, a series of Covid tests in the US and UK, as well as numerous visitor address and US attestation forms showing proof of a negative Covid test.

Yet, somehow, we all managed to come together for the first time at Hestercombe in Somerset for lunch in the Bampfylde Hall and for a personal tour of the Lutyens and Jekyll-designed gardens with Head Gardener Claire Greenslade.

We were blessed with a sunny day that lasted until just before it was time to get on the coach for the Flete Estate in Devon. The countryside is unbelievably beautiful with green hills, rolling farmland and stunning coastline. Although many of us tried, photographs cannot capture how narrow the lanes are. Driving down them was like stepping back in time. Our coach frequently touched the hedgerows on both sides as we traversed the countryside. Wider places in the road allowed for cars coming the opposite way to pass by.

After a sunny start at Hestercombe, we faced true Dartmoor weather on arriving at Castle Drogo – we were pummelled by rain and wind whenever we stepped outside, particularly during our rooftop tour. Fortunately, most of the planned tour took place indoors. We were greeted with an informative talk, given by Tim Cambourne, on the recent waterproofing and repair work on the castle. Lunch was a cosy affair in the rooms originally designed to be the Day and Night Nursery where we were joined by Ruth (“Bunny”) Johnstone, the great-granddaughter of Julius Drewe, Lutyens’s client for Castle Drogo, and her husband, Patrick, who graciously gave us a tour of their family’s private rooms within the castle. Seeing the rooms and hearing about the castle from the viewpoint of the family gave us a unique insight into understanding Drogo, both as an architectural marvel and family home.

The austerity of the exterior of the castle and the grandeur of the corridors contrast with the warmth of the private rooms. The variety and beauty of the castle’s fireplaces alone would make a fine subject for an article. Breathtaking views through the now watertight windows of the surrounding countryside  soften the rugged look of the stone walls. We learnt that the castle has 913 windows which, as part of Drogo’s extensive restoration, were all carefully removed, cleaned by shot-blasting their brass frames, refurbished by rebuilding the lead cames and reinstated using the original glass.

The kitchen area proved to be a favourite of many. Its wonderful lightwell, which Lutyens combined with a central round table and warm wood cabinetry, illustrates the care he lavished on service spaces. Historian Gavin Stamp noted that the dome at the top of the lightwell is similar to ones inside John Soane’s Bank of England, which was substantially destroyed while Drogo was being built. In lieu of what would have been a very wet garden tour, we were treated to a talk about the history, design and upkeep of the garden. Time originally designed for sketching and walks was spent viewing the chapel, although some of us also braved the rain for a quick walk through the gardens.

The weather was much kinder the next day as we ventured down the gorge to Fingle Bridge, a 17th-century stone bridge at the intersection of four valleys in an area that’s been inhabited since Roman times. In a forward-thinking move, Drewe installed a hydroelectric plant to provide power at Drogo. The National Trust has restored the plant to operation and suggested we might enjoy a hike along the river to see the building Lutyens designed to house Drogo’s equipment.

After lunch at the Fingle Bridge Inn in Drewsteignton, we set out to explore Milton Abbot and Tavistock, both towns in Devon with Lutyens associations. Many thanks go to Simon Dell and Chris Burchell for arranging our visit and imparting their knowledge. We took a walking tour of Milton Abbot, where several buildings are attributed to Lutyens, and were treated to tea at the village hall. We were particularly interested to see 3-8 Venn Hill, six adjoining cottages designed by Lutyens for the Duke of Bedford in 1909.

At Tavistock, we emerged from our coach to find a magical setting for The Pimple, the nickname of a pavilion with three stone walls forming a triangle topped by a slate roof. Originally called The Outlook, this was designed to cover the entrance to an underground reservoir that would have provided water for a proposed new housing estate for the Duke of Bedford. Although this never came to fruition, the tiny structure continues to preside over a hilltop setting with lovely views of the countryside. The scene was idyllic with golfers in the foreground, sheep in the distance and Dartmoor ponies grazing nearby. Before leaving Tavistock, we were privileged to have a glimpse of Little Court, a 10-bedroom country house designed for Major Gallie in the same area originally intended for the housing estate.

During our week in Devon, we were fortunate to stay in two very special houses – Lambside House and Pamflete House. Each evening we gathered at the latter for dinner. Our special guests included Clive Aslet, Dylan Thomas, a photographer who works closely with Clive, Martin and Beatriz Lutyens, Anthony Mildmay-White, whose family own the Flete Estate where Pamflete House is located, and Sebastian Fenwick, who, with his wife, Lucy, owns another house we visited – Shilstone. Stuart Martin joined us at Hestercombe.

The Mildmay-White family also own the wonderful Mothecombe House that became a favourite of our group after we were lucky enough to be given a tour of the house and garden. Mothecombe was built circa 1710. Lutyens was asked to improve its overall condition and design an addition, containing a dining room, to replace a Victorian wing. His addition connects artfully with the core of the original house, which is beautifullyframed by the remodelled terrace and walled garden, also designed by Lutyens. The gardens lead to the River Erme and South West Coast Path.

Shilstone was our next port of call. A Lutyens design – his “Ursula” bed, created in the 1920s for his daughter, Ursula, which he gave to his godson, Sebastian Fenwick’s father – graces one bedroom. Shilstone was in fact designed in the 1990s by architectural historian Christopher Rae-Scott and is based on a surviving section of a Georgian manor house found on the estate. His intention was for Shilstone to resemble how the entire, completed house would have looked. Yet he sees his design as an interpretation of how it would have evolved through time rather than as a recreation. The house is also the result of extensive research and exploration into its past occupants. The gardens at Shilstone have been equally well-researched, recreated using archaeological evidence.

Richard Norman Shaw (1831-1912) was a major influence on Lutyens’s early architecture, so we welcomed the opportunity to visit nearby Flete House, a grand mansion restored by Shaw that is also part of the Flete Estate. Architects Ernest Newton, William Lethaby and JD Sedding were in Shaw’s office during the rebuilding of Flete House and evidence of their work can be seen as well. While staying at Mothecombe in July, 1910, Lutyens was invited to visit Flete House. The results of his observations can be said to have borne fruit at Drogo.

One of the joys of observing Lutyens’s architecture is its wide variety and we certainly witnessed that on this trip. Our next stop, The Drum Inn, was in complete contrast to the austerity and grandeur of Drogo and yet was still quintessentially Lutyens.

Designed by him in 1936 as the centrepiece of a development that was never completed, The Drum Inn is still an inviting pub and proved a welcoming respite on a drizzly, autumn day. We were pleased to find information about – and photos of –Lutyens gracing the walls. And, although the original Lutyens furniture has disappeared, we found numerous touches that identified the design as his.

As we began the journey back to London, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to visit Mells, a village in Somerset with many ties to Lutyens. Lutyens designed Mells Park House there after a fire damaged an existing 18th-century house with 1824 John Soane additions. The owners, Michael and Julia Samuel, had very graciously allowed us to see it, and Julia showed us round. After a lovely tour of both house and gardens, we made a brief stop at St Andrew’s Church to visit several memorials inside, including one to Raymond Asquith, an inscription on a wall near a bronze wreath designed by Lutyens, and one to Lieutenant Edward Horner – a statue of him on horseback by Sir Alfred Munnings, standing on a plinth designed by Lutyens. Another memorial is the stained-glass window designed by William Nicholson, dedicated to Sir John Horner. Both the equestrian statue and stained-glass window are unique as the only works by Munnings and Nicholson in those media. Rain and too tight a schedule precluded our planned walk in the village but gave us a reason to hope to return to Mells.

Looking back at our days in Devon and Somerset, I not only remember its amazing architecture and scenery but also the camaraderie and joy of being with others after the enforced isolation of the past 18 months. Thank you to all those who opened their homes to us and helped to make this visit possible.
And thank you to each and every tour member who took a leap of faith to join us.