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Bicton House

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Venue Type & Location

Private Residence

Site Name: Bicton House
Location: Bicton House
County: Devon
Location Type: Countryside - at determined location

Overview

Little is known about the Denys' 16th c. house, situated a few miles SE of Exeter near the road to the mouth of the River Exe.

Performance History

A possible performance venue. Relevant family records do not survive but Bicton was one of the residences of the Denys family in the 16th c. when their entertainers appeared elsewhere in Devon.

Current Status

The Elizabethan house is long gone. Bicton Park Botanical Gardens, formerly belonging to the Rolle family, are open to the public at stated hours.

History of the Venue

Early 16th c. Sir Thomas Denys purchased Bicton from Charles Copplestone.

Later 16th c. Sir Robert Denys rebuilt the medieval house.

early 17th c. Sir Henry Rolle of Stevenstone, Devon, acquired Bicton via marriage to Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Denys.

Later 18th c. Old house dismantled to make way for a new residence.

ca. 1800 New brick house built in magnificent landscaped grounds by James Wyatt.

ca. 1908 House remodelled in grand Edwardian style by Sir Walter Tapper.

1957 Bicton purchased by the Devon County Council. Property subdivided into Bicton College of Agriculture, Bicton Park Trust Company, and Bicton Arena.

Record Source

REED Devon 38, 45, 130--1, 133, 224, 228

Patrons who owned this venue

Name Date Titles
Denys, Robert 1530-1592 Knight
Denys, Thomas 1477-1561 Knight

Bibliographic Sources

View a list of abbreviations.

  • Cherry, Bridget, and Nikolaus Pevsner. Devon. London: Penguin Books, 1989
  • Delderfield, Eric R. West Country Historic Houses and Their Families. Exmouth: E.R.D., 1975
  • Etched on Devon's Memory.
  • Gray, Todd. The Garden History of Devon: An Illustrated Guide to Sources. Exeter: U of Exeter P, 1995
  • Lysons, Daniel and Samuel. Magna Britannia; being a concise topographical account of the several counties of Great Britain. 6 vols. London: T. Cadell and W. Davies, 1806--22
  • Polwhele, Richard. The History of Devonshire. 1st ed. [1793--1806] printed by Trewman and Son for: Cadell, Johnson and Dilly (vol 1); Cadell, Dilly and Murray (vol 2); Cadell and Davies (vol 3); all in London. 3 vols. Dorking: Kohler & Coombes, 1977
  • Risdon, Tristram. Survey of the County of Devon, with the City and County of Exeter, containing matter of history, antiquity, chronology, the nature of the country, commodities, and government thereof: with sundry other things, worthy observation. London: Mears, 1723