Newton St Cyres

Historic estates

• Newton House, built circa 1770 by John VI Quicke,, Sheriff of Devon in 1757, whose monument survives in Newton St Cyres Church. In 1810 his son John VII Quicke of Newton House, was lord of the manor of Newton St Cyres. The location of the house was marred by the presence of the busy main-road between Crediton and Exeter, which passed almost next to the house and separated it from the parish church. To ameliorate the situation, at some time before 1797, John VII Quicke employed soldiers returning from the Napoleonic Wars to lower the road by digging out a 50 foot deep cutting, over which he built a private footbridge linking his house with the church yard. Thus the house now appears sited at the edge of a cliff, as is illustrated in a 1797 watercolour by Rev. John Swete. The house burned down in 1906, but was rebuilt in 1909. It was converted into flats and sold by the Quicke family, which in 1967 had abandoned it in favour of nearby Sherwood within the same parish.
• Sherwood House, built in 1918 by Adrian Cave, to the design of his cousin the architect Walter Cave of Sidbury, in the Arts and Crafts style. It was occupied by the Quicke family, which had abandoned nearby Newton House, from 1967 until its sale in February 2017. The business known as Quicke's Cheeses was established by John X Quicke, using milk from the 2,400 acre estate in the parish still owned by his family. He served as chairman of the Ministry of Agriculture's Regional Board 1972–5.
• Hayne, ancient seat of the Northcote family, in 1885 elevated to the peerage as Viscount St Cyres of Newton St Cyres and Earl of Iddesleigh. Demolished prior to 1797. The Northcotes moved to Pynes in the parish of Upton Pyne, Devon.