Grant boost for Brixham historic building

Repairs will help community project thrive

A historic farm building at Lupton House near Brixham is being repaired thanks to a grant from Historic England.

The £53,000 handout has been earmarked for the calves house, part of a 19th century farmstead which has been fenced off since it became unstable in 2022.

It's part of the Lupton Trust's volunteer-run garden project which began during the COVID-19 pandemic and will now make use of the restored building.

Rebecca Barrett, South West Regional Director at Historic England, said: “Our grant has helped to prevent the loss of one of the outbuildings of Lupton House and to give it a great new use supported by the local community and volunteers.  We wish the project every success”. 

And Janet Howard of the Lupton House Trust added: “Now that the calves’ house has been repaired, we can really focus on our community garden project once more. We would love to bring more people together through a shared love of nature, and with their support, we can reopen the plant centre and establish many more volunteering opportunities to support it”.

Lupton dates back to 1086, when the first acres of woodland were documented in the Domesday Survey, making it one of the oldest historic sites in Torbay. Lupton House was built by Charles Hayne, Sheriff of Devon, in 1769 and was altered and expanded by George Wightwick in 1843.