The Grade II* Oldway Mansion in Paignton, Devon was built in 1873 and modelled on Versailles.
Photo: Oldway Mansion. Photo Credit: The Victorian Society.
Grade II*-listed, 1870, G.S. Bridgman, remodelled 1900-04
Oldway Mansion was commissioned by the American industrialist, Isaac Singer, in 1870, when he determined that the existing house on the site was ill-suited to his requirements and needed to be replaced. The local architect G.S. Bridgman was commissioned to draw up plans for the site in the French Renaissance style, and these were completed later that year, but when Isaac’s son, Paris, inherited the estate, the house was not to his taste, and he moved to refurbish the interiors and completely rebuild the south facade. The largely Edwardian house that stands today is attributed to Achille Duchenne, and is reputed to be influenced by the Hotel de Crion, the Place de La Concorde, and the Pavillion Francais at the Petit Trianon in Versaille. The exterior is unusual for an English country house, and the interiors are similarly unique, with an imperial staircase leading up to a ballroom on the east side and a gallery based on the Hall of Mirrors on the west, but it suffered from the same pressures, and soon needed to be sold. The building was used as council offices from 1946 until 2007, when the local council announced its intention to sell the building, and its future is now uncertain, though the community feel strongly that it should remain as a public space.
Status Update / March 2026
The local authority committed to a comprehensive restoration of the building in 2024, having secured £8 million of funding from central government. The first phase of the project commenced in 2025, and involves a dry rot survey, emergency roof repairs, 3D modelling of the building structure, and urgent repair works. A conservation architect has been appointed and work to secure the building’s future is well underway. However, with the cost of fully repairing the building forecasted at approximately £54 million, a co-investment and delivery approach will be needed to bring it back into regular use.