MEM21925 - Woodcote, Vicarage Hill, Dulverton (Building)

Woodcote was built in the late 19th to early 20th Century and was extended with some Arts and Crafts features in the 1920s, when it was converted to a country house hotel. It became part of the Lamb Hotel in the late 1960s.

Woodcote was built in the early 1920s by Gerard Luard. [1] Woodcote is late 19th Century with canted bay windows. It was extended in the early 20th Century with some Arts and Crafts features, including an ornate studded door fronting the road with chevron panels and original metal door furniture. [2] East Woodcote (the early 20th Century extension to the southeast) was subject to rapid survey in May 2011. The overall building is described as a former hotel and the original building survives at the centre of the present block and appears to be of 19th Century date. Its roof is a king-post structure of a standard type for the period. One small Edwardian fireplace remains. The eastward extension of the building, added after its conversion to a country house hotel in the 1920s, has much grander internal fixtures including large six-panelled doors and broad architraves with corner blocks. This appears to replace a series of sheds or outbuildings which are shown on early photographs. [3] The Woodcote Hotel was purchased by the Liley family in the late 1960s. The Lileys ran The Lamb Hotel (MEM21912) and they lived in Woodcote, using it as an annexe to the Lamb in the busy months. The Woodcote gardens were very productive and a regular gardener, Pat Paterson, kept the hotel supplied with some of the produce. [4] The building is mentioned in the 2019 Conservation Area Appraisal for Dulverton. [5] The heritage asset was assessed for inclusion on the Exmoor Local Heritage List in November 2022. The building is included in the 2019 Dulverton Conservation Area Appraisal as a building of local importance. It was decided to add the asset to the Local Heritage List. [6]