Lost manor house unearthed in Devon
A long-lost manor house in East Devon has been unearthed by archaeology students and volunteers.
Remains of the Columbjohn- a mansion that was once at the heart of the National Trust's Killerton estate- have been discovered, including a cobbled courtyard, two buildings, parts of a demolished outer wall and what's thought to be a sunken garden.
The lost Elizabethan manor house swapped hands between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War and even hosted Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.
The project to unearth it was led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter, working in partnership with the National Trust, and alongside their Heritage Archaeology and Ranger Team.
A range of historical artefacts were also discovered, including 17th century coins, musket balls, keys and a twisted glass stem.
Guided by previous geophysical and earthwork surveys, the team opened five different trenches and two test pits to locate the manor house.
Dr Susan Greaney, who led the project for the University of Exeter, said: “The substantive parts of Columbjohn are likely to date from 1580–90, when Sir John Acland is known to have purchased the manor and built a large Elizabethan mansion on the site.
“However, the only standing remains today are an outer gatehouse and some nearby farm buildings.
"After the family relocated to the main house at Killerton, and the manor was demolished in the early Victorian period, the location and layout of the house were entirely forgotten.”
Guided by previous geophysical and earthwork surveys, the team opened five different trenches and two test pits to locate the manor house.
Dr Barbara Wood, National Trust Cultural Heritage Curator, said: “We knew that the original house bought by Sir John Acland was somewhere at Columbjohn and it’s amazing to have the location finally found.
"The two were joined by an avenue of trees and the family would have regularly walked between them.
"We’re delighted that so many visitors have seen the excavations underway, and we hope that many more will continue to take the walk between the site of the old house and the new.”
Now that the house has been rediscovered, the archaeologists can begin to piece together the more detailed phasing and layout of the house.