Kirkham House — Attraction in England

Kirkham House is a late medieval stone house in Paignton, Devon, England. It is believed to be a 14th or 15th century building. The house was designated a Grade II* listed building on 13 March 1951. There is no documentary evidence of who built Kirkham House or when. The design suggests that it is of 14th or 15th century origin, and it has been called "The Priest's House", suggesting the residence of a church official, or a priest of the Kirkham Chantry. The house may have been built as the residence of a prosperous local merchant. Mrs Ada Frances Jennings bequeathed the house to the nation in 1960, together with a sum of money for its repair. The stone and plasterwork have been extensively renovated, but many of the original oak beams and carvings can still be seen. The building contains reproduction furniture and tapestries in the...

Interesting to see such a stripped bare old house. The approach taken in 60s of stripping out everything that wasn't Tudor or mediaeval wouldn't happen now but some great examples of restoration work especially the splicing in of new wood and keeping as much original material as possible. Apart from roof timbers that are all modern. Shame the odd myth about ships timbers was mentioned and be interesting to find out if marks are apotropaic or just old graffiti. Check out the English heritage website for opening times. Great volunteers...

This is a beautiful and well preserved historic house with some very interesting features. On this occasion we were lucky enough to have guided tour, led by someone who really knew her stuff, and was able to answer lots of questions about the history and construction of the house. For those who like their modern comforts, there is a toilet outside but no cafe or shop, but it is a stone's throw from the centre of Paignton so that is really not a problem. It's good to see that they have kept it simple and true to the original layout...