Pynes House


Pynes House is a Grade II* listed Queen Anne style country house built by Hugh Stafford between around 1700 and 1725, situated in the parish of Upton Pyne, Devon, 3 miles northwest of Exeter.

Description

The house has four storeys and covers. Its present owners run the house as a wedding and events venue, offering 12 bedrooms. It is set in gardens and grounds of 37 acres. The building is primarily made of bricks to a square plan, with Portland stone dressings. The principal roof is slate, with four large brick chimney stacks. An 1827 account relates that "Pynes House contains some valuable pictures, particularly a fine Van Dyke, in the eating-room, and several excellent family portraits".

History

Poem

The renovations at the house in 1789 inspired Sebastian Emmett to write the poem Written on Viewing the Improvements at Pynes-House, the Seat of Sir Stafford Henry Northcote, Bart. Near Exeter. 1789, which talks about the house and the design of the gardens, but also alludes to the character of the nation at the time.