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fixed to the front of the house. With Fownes’ death the estate passed to his son Henry and under his tenure Nethway remained largely deserted. Henry was married to Frances Luttrell who was heiress to the Dunster Castle estate and it was there that the couple spent the majority of their time. For over 150 years Nethway was left to
gather dust until George Luttrell decided to sell the estate in 1874. By this time the house was in such a sorry state that Luttrell himself noted that significant work would be required to “render the Mansion fit for the occupation of a Family”. unsurprisingly, offers were scarce. In 1875, Nethway’s fortune took an
apparent turn for the better. A man named Llewellyn acquired the property for £22,000 (equivalent to £1.75m today) and immediately set about restoring the house with the help of torquay architect edward Appleton. together they did much towards righting the wrongs inflicted by the neglect of the Luttrell dynasty. the beginning of the 20th century saw
estate was home to hundreds of children seeking refuge from the horrors that wrecked their city. the house and grounds made such an impression on the children that some still return to Nethway in the summer to reminisce about their time there. since the war, the house has changed hands several times and even became part of a market garden enterprise for a time. Nethway’s post-war owners seem to have learned from the repeated mistakes of their predecessors and the estate has been kept in good shape with notable repairs being made to the roof. But now let’s move away from
Despite copious
Llewellyn’s death and for a brief period of time Nethway came under tenancy of an Asian prince who, like so many before him, had little regard for its well-being. It seemed the estate was once again doomed to fall into disrepair - but this was not the case. With the advent of the second World War, Nethway found a new lease of life. As a major British port, Plymouth was key to the British
war effort and as such was a prime target for the Nazi German Luftwaffe. the children of the city were relocated to the countryside for their safety and Nethway proved to be an ideal haven. During the course of the war, the
Royal visits:
Nethway has hosted two royal visits over the years. King Charles II is rumoured to have stayed at Nethway in 1671 on his way from Dartmouth to exeter. In 1878, Prince George, who had served as a cadet at the Britannia Royal Naval College, marked his own visit to the estate by planting a beech tree in the garden behind the house. the tree took root and now stands as a magnificent reminder of the prince’s stay.
coaxing via blessings and exorcisms, the ghost remains a stubborn guest to this day
architecture and ownership and look instead at one of Nethway’s more intangible aspects. every proper old english manor house should come complete with a ghost story and Nethway doesn’t buck the trend. the story goes that years ago the young man of the house took a fancy to one of the nursery maids who worked there. Finding his feelings unrequited, the master forced himself upon the maid in the kitchens. Horrified to discover she had become pregnant from this crime, the girl climbed onto the roof of
the big house and threw herself over the edge. In the years that passed the servants and owners of
Nethway all claimed to have seen the spectre of the young maid shrouded in pale blue light wandering the corridors. Despite copious coaxing via blessings and exorcisms, the ghost remains a stubborn guest to this day - though, as Lynne assures us, she is a perfectly gentle and silent tenant.
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