D.N.R

Poltimore House is an 18th-century country house just outside Exeter, Devon.

The manor of Poltimore was from the 13th. to the 20th. century the seat of the Bampfylde family, which acquired the title Baron Poltimore in 1831. The house retains much of the fabric of earlier buildings on the site erected by the family. It is designated a Grade II* listed building. It fell into a dilapidated condition during the second half of the 20th century, but is currently undergoing a full restoration, funding having been received following its having been voted by the public a finalist in the first series of BBC Television's 2003 TV series "Restoration".

The Bampfylde family were bequeathed the manor of Poltimore in 1298 by William Pontyngton, a canon of Exeter Cathedral. There is no record of where the early manor house was located, but it is believed to have been situated in or near the village. There is no evidence of a previous house having occupied the site of the present one. Poltimore House was built by Richard Bampfylde (d.1595), who started the works in 1550.[1] There is no record of when the house was completed, although when Richard died in 1595, he bequeathed the house to his son, Amyas Bampfylde (d.1626), in his will. As Richard had been appointed Sheriff of Devon in 1576, it is likely that his grand house was complete by then. Two wings of his original house can still be seen in the present building. It is not known what form the original house took, whether it was just these two wings forming an "L", or if there was a third or even a fourth wing forming a courtyard in the middle. Later members of the family added to the building, the last major building works having been in 1908.