The Trust welcomes the decision by Historic England to recognise the historic importance of the parks and gardens at Larkbeare House, Exeter, by adding the landscape at Grade II to the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England (Register).
DGT considers that the pleasure grounds at Larkbeare are almost certainly the only surviving example anywhere in Britain of a villa garden designed and laid out by James Veitch, arguably the most significant nurseryman in mid-nineteenth century Britain, if not Europe. The grounds comprise the only significant extant designed landscape in that area of the city, complete with mature trees dating from the time the landscape was laid out and with some pre-dating it. The Trust is delighted that its research and expertise has contributed to the greater knowledge and understanding of the landscape at Larkbeare that has led to it being added to the Register. The Trust were pleased to liaise closely with Exeter Civic Society, which has been campaigning to protect the site since Devon County Council's decision to put the house and ground on the market.
Larkbeare House was built in 1862 by John Charles Bowring (1821-1893), a China merchant and an enthusiastic amateur botanist and entomologist (he left a large collection to the British Museum). He commissioned Veitch to design and lay out the grounds which sloped down towards the River Exe. The design takes advantage of the sloping site and included filling in the redundant limekilns by the edge of the river to make a lower broad terrace from which there were extensive views across the river to the Haldon Hills. From other parts of the grounds there were views to the Cathedral and to the Quay. The growth of trees and shrubs has to large extent obscured those views today. The grounds incorporated an earlier two storey summerhouse which was possibly built by John Baring given that he purchased the Great Larkbeare Estate in 1737 which included the land on which the summerhouse stands.
In its heyday Larkbeare comprised a large flat lawn with formal flower beds immediately in front of the house, two kitchen gardens, orchid house, fern house, peach house, strawberry house, melon and cucumber house, and vinery, all heated with a hot water system, and an icehouse. There were walks along the terraces to the west and south of the house, all planted with shrubs and specimen trees, many still present.
Larkbeare was sold in 1875 to Devon County Council and became the Judge’s Lodgings until 1971 since which time the house has been used as the Devon Register Office and a venue for weddings and meetings.
More details of the park and gardens at Larkbeare, their historic development and the reasons for Historic England’s inclusion of Larkbeare on the Register are given at https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1490143?section=official-list-entry