From Jane Austen to Queen Victoria, our Devon wedding venue has a fascinating history. So, we thought it was time to tell you a little bit more about Pynes House and how it came to be. We’re so excited to share some of our favourite stories with you and we hope you enjoy reading about them.
Royal Connections
Hugh Stafford built the original parts of the present house around 1700. In the mid-nineteenth century, Sir Stafford Henry Northcote (later the First Earl of Iddesleigh) extended the house to its present dimensions, adding the magnificent stone entrance hall and changing the main entrance of the house. It’s thought that these developments were largely influenced by the fact that Sir Stafford would soon welcome Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to stay at the house.
This royal visit was obviously a great honour for any house. The myrtle bush in the rose gardens is even believed to be from a clipping given to Sir Stafford by Queen Victoria, from her wedding bouquet. Royal brides of today all carry myrtle in their bouquets, taken from the bush at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight that provided the very myrtle for Queen Victoria herself. It’s also believed that Queen Victoria stayed in what’s now known as our Stafford Suite. So if you’re staying as a guest at Pynes House, you might just be lucky enough to stay in the Queen’s room itself – if only these walls could talk!
Literary Associations
Our Devon wedding venue also has close links with the world of literature and has played a part in one of the greatest novels of all-time.
The second earl, Walter Stafford Northcote, was a huge admirer of the literary talent of Jane Austen. He believed most fervently that his house was indeed the inspiration for Barton Park in Austen’s iconic work, Sense and Sensibility. This tale is still told in the local area and remains as popular as ever.
Jane Austen expert Anne-Marie Edwards agrees with this assessment in her own book, ‘In the Steps of Jane Austen’. Edwards says that yes, Barton Park is Pynes House. She believes it likely that Austen would have stayed at the house whilst holidaying in Devon. In the novel, the sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood wander the countryside that surrounds Barton Park. We invite you to follow in their footsteps.
Recent Years at our Devon Wedding Venue
We (Geoff, Heather, Kate and Jon) are the current owners of Pynes House. We have had the pleasure of bringing the house back to life since we took charge of it in 2011. The house that you see today is the result of loving restoration and years of hard work. Opening Pynes House up for weddings in 2014 was an obvious step for us and always part of our plan. We recognised that a beautiful old house like this needs a purpose beyond just a family home. Pynes House was built for entertaining and happy occasions – we couldn’t be happier to have our spacious rooms filled with laughter, happy chatter and clinking glasses throughout the year.
From the start, our aim has been to ensure the house becomes a valuable part of the community for generations to come. As with all historic homes, restoration, refurbishment and maintenance remains an ongoing project. Monies raised from weddings and other events all help to fund this vital work, keeping our beautiful venue open for years to come. So thank you to those who have chosen to call Pynes House their home, if only for a couple of days. The house was made for your laughter, joy and happiness and we’re excited for the years to come.
We’d love to share our knowledge with you if you’re interested in hearing more about the origins and history of our Devon wedding venue – just get in contact with us here. We also have extensive galleries of our beautifully restored bedrooms and State Rooms as well as the grounds and gardens on our website – click here to see them. To keep up to date with our news and events, follow Pynes House on Instagram and Facebook.