The Valley of Rocks Hotel, Lynton, Devon

The Valley of Rocks Hotel, Lynton, Devon

The Valley of Rocks Hotel, Lynton, Devon

The Valley Of Rocks Lodge, Lee Road, Lynton, Lynton

Formal checklist entry

Heritage Group: Mentioned Developing
Quality: II
List Entry Quantity: 1430607
Day to start with stated: 11-Feb-2016

Location

Statutory Tackle: The Valley Of Rocks Resort, Lee Highway, Lynton, Lynton, EX35 6HS
County: Devon
District: North Devon (District Authority)
Parish: Lynton and Lynmouth
National Park: EXMOOR
National Grid Reference: SS7201149483, SS7201249487

Causes for Designation

The Valley of Rocks Resort, Lynton, Devon, an early-C19 lodge rebuilt in the late C19, is detailed at Quality II for the subsequent principal causes: * Architectural interest: a handsome and nicely-articulated illustration of Large Victorian vacation resort lodge architecture, deploying a variety of resources in an eclectic design and style on well known themes * Historic curiosity: representing the entrepreneurship and business rivalry of the embryonic vacationer marketplace inspired by the acceptance of the space (the Valley of Rocks in specific) with figures in the Romantic movement. The resort also gave refuge to survivors of the catastrophic Lynmouth Flood in 1952 * Diploma of survival: a substantial proportion of its C19 material and attributes stay, and in quite a few conditions alterations are reversible * Interior fittings: like a 3-storey forged-iron atrium by W. McFarlane of Glasgow, stained glass by Swaine Bourne and Son, marble chimneypieces, ceiling cornices and C19 joinery all over * Group benefit: subsequent to the parish church of St Mary the Virgin (Grade II*) and at the centre of a tiny town scattered with outlined structures and overlooking the hanging cliffs and seascape of the north Devon coast.

Background
The adjoining settlements of Lynton and Lynmouth became vacation destinations in the late C18, popularised by members of the English Passionate motion and their followers. The principal attraction was the Valley of Rocks, a dry valley about a kilometre to the west of Lynton with awe-inspiring geological formations. In 1789, the only available lodging in Lynton was at a modest community property, and by 1800 community wool vendor William Litson set up the initially lodge in the city, on the website of the latest World Resort in Queen Road. By June 1808 Litson had designed a new hotel nearby, on a essential web page overlooking the sheer cliffs of Lynmouth, which he advertised as the Valley of Rocks Inn and Tavern and which boasted improved lodging and stabling. The Valley of Rocks Lodge is shown in a sketch of c.1830 as three adjoining two-storey ranges in the late Georgian design and style with white rendered partitions and a veranda overlooking the sea. The 1840 tithe map reveals that there was comprehensive stabling connected to the west of the lodge. To the north is a large place of open land marked as Valley Meadow, also beneath the possession of William Litson. By 1865, the structures had been given castellated parapets, and the meadow landscaped into gardens all over the steep path down to the seaside down below. There was fierce opposition involving motels in the town for buyers. The Prince of Wales stayed at the Castle Resort in 1856 and the foreseeable future Kaiser, Prince Frederick William of Prussia, stayed at the Valley of Rocks Hotel in 1876. Lodge improvement was found as vital to their good results.

Among c.1880 and 1890 the Valley of Rocks Lodge was extended and rebuilt in levels, to start with beneath the ownership of John Criminal, and then John Heywood. Originally, the aged stables were replaced with the latest wing to the west. This is most likely when the former stable block on the other facet of Lee Street was crafted. This constructing period is revealed on the Initial Version Ordnance Survey Map of 1889, which also exhibits the remodelled gardens featuring a stone-created constructing tucked away at the rear, which is regionally referred to as “the chapel”. The map exhibits a modest inside courtyard to the new lodge wing, which in 2015 is referred to as “the void”.

Afterwards in the 10 years the early-C19 properties nearer to the parish church had been rebuilt to the layouts of Rowland Plumbe (1838-1919). A sumptuous remodelling in the Superior Victorian manner with “heavy handed gaiety of extravagant tile-hanging and turrets and gables with woodwork painted white” (Pevsner) it grew to become the biggest and maximum-profile resort in Lynton. The lavish 3-storey atrium in the lounge was the major showpiece. The redevelopment, modern with that at other accommodations in the place, coincided with the completion of the Cliff Railway plan, which would fix the longstanding issue faced by people bringing their luggage around the vertiginous route from the shore to the town via inadequate roads. In Spring 1888, just one of the partners in the scheme, John Heywood, bought the Valley of Rocks Lodge and parcelled off component of its land to provide a route involving the city and the railway waiting area (shown at Grade II), assuring the success of the cliff railway scheme.

All through its historical past the Valley of Rocks Lodge has been host to critical social events in the town, including the celebration following the opening of the Cliff railway in 1890 and the later opening of the railway line from Barnstaple. In August 1952 it served an vital functionality as a refuge for the evacuees from the renowned flood at Lynmouth, which took 34 life. The visitor book is on screen in the lodge cafe, in a glass situation.

Later on in the C20 the hotel modified possession and fireproof board was inserted all around the atrium, separating the lounge from the most important stair. The roof lantern was sealed but still left in situ, and other fireplace prevention modifications had been produced. Quite a few of the bedrooms have been subdivided and the restaurant wing was extended. In the C21, the setting up continues to operate as a hotel. The previous stables opposite have been redeveloped, whilst the carriage arch continues to be in situ and retains the lettered branding for the resort.

Aspects

An early-C19 lodge rebuilt and extended in the mid-and-late C19, latterly to the layouts of Rowland Plumbe.

Resources: the west wing is rubble stone with ashlar dressings. The east wing to the entrance is rubble stone with pink brick dressing, clay tile hanging to the upper flooring, and has a timber balcony and a stone portico. The rear of this wing is rendered, with stone dressings. The roofs are covered in clay tile and slate. The sash windows and interior joinery are timber. The cast-iron atrium fittings are supplied by W. MacFarlane of Glasgow.

Prepare: broadly rectangular on strategy. On a website sloping down to the east, it is 3/ four storeys furthermore a basement and, to the east wing, an attic floor.

EXTERIOR: the elevations encompass an eclectic mix of styles indicative of the phased creating involving c.1880 and 1890. The west elevations to the west wing are the earliest and symmetrically arranged with an altered central opening. The initial openings to the façade and west flank have eared architraves and stone cills. The 2nd floor openings are lesser.

The façade and flank elevations to the east wing involve generous use of purple brick to the window architraves and quoins. The corner bays are canted with a even further three-storey canted bay on the east flank. The central entrance bay is set a little bit ahead and has a muscular Classical stone portico with methods up to glazed double doors with decorative glazing bars and colored higher lights. ‘Valley of Rocks Hotel’ is painted in script on the frieze. The elevations rise to a deep attic ground with turrets, fifty percent-hipped gables and small dormers with oversailing eaves and finials. The upper flooring is tile hung with clay fish scale tiles. The left of the entrance bay has a 2:2:2 arrangement of paired bays and the central pair has a door to the floor floor and a projecting timber balcony over with turned balustrade and columns and a hipped clay tile roof. Most openings have segmental heads people to the lower floor flooring have flat heads.

The rear bays of the east flank and the back garden entrance of this wing are rendered and have a restrained Classical remedy with storey bands and eaves cornice. The openings and dormers have simple architraves and keystones (or are pedimented in some principal circumstances) and have deep cills with console brackets. Some openings have ornamental cast-iron balconies. Sweeping stone techniques with cast-iron handrails direct up to the major back garden doors established in a projecting porch with reeded Corinthian pilasters. To the appropriate the before wing has stone flat arches, apart from to the remaining bays at upper-ground stage, which have spherical heads and a triangular opening in the gable stop over. To the floor ground is a late-C20 addition* to the cafe with big plate glass openings.

The home windows to the attic flooring are uPVC replacements*, and rainwater items are a combination of plastic* and cast iron. The roofs have substantial ridge stacks.

Interior: the vestibule has encaustic ground tiles by the doorway (and quite possibly below carpeted regions) and timber wainscoting. There is a timber-panelled reception desk to the left, with business at the rear of. Double doorways established inside a curved glazed scenario lead into the lounge. An atrium with forged-iron fittings, coved ceiling and lantern with margin glazing spans half of the lounge. The atrium arcades have been lined with fireproof board*. The rear of the lounge has a central sprung dance ground, likely of late C19 or early C20 date, and seating places to every single side with decoratively-tiled solid-iron fireplaces with marble chimneypieces. There are ceiling cornices throughout the lounge and timber joinery. A place to the right, the ‘writing room’, has a marble chimneypiece, and cornices and joinery.

Double doors guide to further bar and cafe regions, all with C19 joinery and a even further marble chimneypiece. The restaurant at the west end has been opened out into a late C20 extension, but retains some joinery and C19 stained glass by Swaine Bourne and Son, some experiencing into an inner courtyard. A panelled, glazed alcove developed into the rear wall of the cafe is a screen case for the guest e-book relating to the Lynmouth Flood of 1952. The major stair stands behind a greatly moulded arcade, previously section of the atrium ensemble but now divided by a partition. The stair has a considerable timber balustrade with vase balusters and linenfold panels. The higher floors have joinery and spherical arches to the stairs (initially the atrium arcades). The bedrooms (not inspected) have been subdivided and refurbished at a variety of dates.

The compartmentalised basement is considerable and, in part almost certainly dates from the early-C19 original phase of the resort, as indicated by at least a single stair that does not mirror the approach of the creating higher than. The original coke boiler continues to be but is considerably altered and transformed to oil. It still serves the lodge the place some of the radiators to principal rooms and corridors are of late-C19 date. Further C19 capabilities might remain in situ in the hotel (these kinds of as mild fittings, boarded stained glass), like the basement, and a tunnel is thought to operate less than the street to previous team lodging opposite.

© Historic England 2022

Posted by The Shaldives on 2022-04-23 14:45:58

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