Minerva House is a neglected Georgian gem belonging to Teignbridge District Council, located in Newton Abbot, Devon
| Minerva House gained its name from the lead statue of the Roman Goddess of Wisdom placed on the parapet. She was very old and valuable and mystery surrounds her disappearance. See the Mid Devon Advertiser articles 7.6.1985 and 18.11.2005. |
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In 1826 Dr Green produced his Celebrated Royal Antiscorbutic Drops remedy for treating scurvy . Apparently this was a big seller and helped him afford to live at Minerva House. Later it became the home of the Pinsent family who ran the brewery a few doors away. |
| The building was listed in 1949. |
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In the Devon volume of Pevsner’s guide to the Buildings of England Minerva House is described as “the best later 18th century house in the town, red brick with blue headers, elegantly compact. Pedimented projecting cornice: shallow bow-windows through two storeys: pedimented door case with columns. Tactful early 19th century extension in similar brick, with a Shavian oriel window.” In addition there are a beautiful, round window on the staircase and original fireplaces, pillars, arches and wide panelled doors.
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Between Minerva House and the public house gates open to a narrow passage for a horse and carriage. Above this is a long room with a vaulted ceiling which was considered to be a chapel.
On the other side of the original building, in the Victorian period, a very large room was added. This has a deeply moulded ceiling and coving and an excellent floor. (It used to sublet by Cynthia Vittles as a dance school until about 1980). Before that it was used as a billiard room for the Minerva Club that rented the building from a previous council and sublet parts for various offices. That council (Newton Abbot Urban Council) had bought the house with its extensive rear garden so as to be able to build or extend the cattle market. This was before the war and the market was certainly very busy after the war but is now lacking business. |
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Recent Dispute
It was only in December 2009, after a newspaper article appeared,(…….) that the senior local conservation officer visited to see the interior of Minerva House. Teignbridge District Council policy indicated in that article states
“As with any asset disposal we are trying to strike a careful balance between securing a long term future for the property, enabling necessary work to be undertaken, and reducing the risk to local pockets. In the past five years over £80,000 has been invested in Minerva House, and we feel it would be in everyone’s interest to conclude negotiations with the tenant and have a clear plan for the future before undertaking more maintenance work.”
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| The statement was penned by the public relations department of Teignbridge District Council. A director of the occupying tenants, Charles Hammond, says the statement makes sense but does not reflect the reality of the Council’s actions or lack of them. In particular it contains no time scale and does not take into account that this property would be difficult or impossible to sell quickly even in a normal property market. The comment also conveniently overlooks the rent paid to the Council, exceeding the cost mentioned, when many prospective tenants would baulk at the condition of parts of the building. |
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In a letter to the Council leader in August 2009 Charles Hammond commented on the timber frame that is hidden from inspection in the building, the listed features which are delaminating, the curved glass and the unused scaffolding that was erected in June 2008 and in place until November 2008. A reply from the assistant estates surveyor fails to address the safety issues mentioned in the surveyors’ report, see page on “Ties”. |
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