Powderham Castle — Attraction in Teignbridge

Powderham Castle is a fortified manor house situated within the parish and former manor of Powderham, within the former hundred of Exminster, Devon, about 6 miles (9.7 km) south of the city of Exeter and ​1⁄4 mile (0.4 km) north-east of the village of Kenton, where the main public entrance gates are located. It is a Grade I listed building. The park and gardens are Grade II* listed in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

It is situated on flat, formerly marshy ground on the west bank of the River Exe estuary where it is joined by its tributary the River Kenn. On the opposite side of the Exe is the small village of Lympstone. The castle was expanded and altered extensively in the 18th and 19th centuries, most notably by James Wyatt in the 1790s. The castle remains the seat of the Courtenay family, Earls of Devon.

At some time after 1390 the mediaeval core of the present structure was built by Sir Philip Courtenay (d. 1406), the 5th or 6th son of Hugh Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon (d. 1377). The Earls of Devon were seated at Tiverton Castle until 1556, and their cousins of this cadet line known as "Courtenay of Powderham" continued to exist in parallel, not always on amicable terms, as prominent county gentry, arguably the leading and most prestigious gentry family of Devon, actively engaged in the local administration of Devon as JP's, sheriffs and MP's. From 1556 on the extinction of the senior line of Courtenay of Tiverton, the Courtenays of Powderham had become retrospectively, as was decided by law in 1831, de jure Earls of Devon, and became de facto Earls from 1831 when the title was confirmed to them in law. They had however shortly before obtained the right to sit in the House of Lords when created Viscounts.

The original building on the site was a fortified manor house, the appellation "castle" was added probably no earlier than the 17th century. The building has never been a true castle, that is to say with a keep and moat, although it did possess a curtain wall and yard on the east side (now the rose garden) as shown in the 1745 engraving by Buck. Leland mentioned a barbican or bulwark in this area, but these were demolished as part of the 18th-century landscaping works designed to provide an uninterrupted view from the lower rooms towards the Exe Estuary. Many castle-like elements on the west front (main entrance) were added in the 19th century. The gatehouse was built between 1845–47 to a design by Charles Fowler. The tall rectangular structure beyond with a tower to the north is essentially the original fortified manor house. The projection from the lower storey to the north in lighter stone with three Gothic-style windows is the Victorian dining hall,...

Arrived in high spirits looking forward to a lovely day! THIS IS SOLEY THE ONLY NEGATIVE BIT upon arrival you come to a welcome booth to which me and my partner stood for 10 minutes, no sign of anyone, we'd already bought tickets online so went on through as we could have been standing there all day for all we knew. Seconds after going through into the grounds we were met with someone snap have you got tickets, to which I said yes we booked online but no one is here and there's a que forming.....

We were taken back into the hut by PAULINE. For the next 5 minutes we're the most humiliating and awful experience ever due to this ageist foul woman! We're told we have no tickets, even tho I have the email and bank statement proof and was made to feel incredibly stupid and humiliated on front of everyone and everyone wasn't her fault ..... Cut a long story short if she's welcoming you in and your under 40 you may as well have criminal or scum already written on your forehead for her.

Upon entering the actual castle we raised this with the lady that welcomes you into the castle itself, we could not have been anymore relived and happy to find she was one of the nicest lady's we've ever met who was disgusted by our treatment from Pauline. She deeply apologized and sorted us free coffee when we wanted it at the cafe and made us feel very welcome and set us up to go round the castle in a lot better spirit! She made some calls to management and they also found us and deeply apologized for her actions, which it's not there fault at all as they both were stars but we appreciated being made to feel valued and welcome from these people, all of the staff are very very kind and helpful explaining if your unsure on anything, the castle itself is beautiful, lovely gardens, inside is amazing a must see, and the pet corner is fantastic too! Very well recommend! Didn't get her name but the lady who checks your tickets as you enter the caste saved our day and left with smiles and with a happy day out because she made us forget about it with how...

Powderham Castle, just outside Exeter, is a delightful place to visit. We visited on a Monday morning and we had not booked online as we needed some flexibility in our schedule. It was easy to find as we used the postcode they list on their website and plugged it into Waze. It was fortuitous that we arrived at 10 when they opened as we were able to join a tour at 10h15. It is not necessary to do the tour, and there is no extra cost, but our guide, Andy, gave us a wonderful tour that enriched our understanding and appreciation of the castle. There are wonderful touches throughout the castle such as the opportunity to play the piano or organ if you are so inclined. (You do need to ask the staff to do so first, but it is nevertheless a charming addition if you have the skills.) And be on the lookout for secret doors! The whole place feels very accessible in so far as there are few items that are roped off, and along with the guides, there are volunteers who can tell you more about the spaces and history of the castle. We also took a walk to the Secret Garden which would be of particular delight for younger visitors with the animals and playground space. The rose garden display was beautiful, and the chapel was quaint. We enjoyed a cream tea at the cafe, but be aware that there is limited space inside. It was rainy when we visited so seating was at a bit of a premium, but being a Monday, it was manageable. The road out steers you past the Bistro, Gift Shop, and Farm Shop. We couldn’t work out how to get to the farm shop, and I advise that you walk to the “entrance” of the car park as if you were going out onto the road and it is more easily visible from there. As you look at the buildings, the bistro is to the left, plant and gift shop in the middle and farm shop on the very right hand side. Tickets are valid for 7 days, but check their opening days as they are not open every day. It was well...