Appuldurcombe House

The stately ruin of Appuldurcombe House. Photo: Chris Cole

Appuldurcombe began as a priory in 1100 but it was extended in the 1770s by Sir Robert, Sir Richard’s father, though he never lived to see it completed. Sir Richard moved in with his new wife, whom he married ‘for love – and £80,000.’ It was later owned by Charles Anderson Pelham, Earl of Yarborough and the first commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron. The estate was sold in 1855, briefly and unsuccessfully the house became a hotel, then a college, then a monastery before troops were stationed there during both wars. Now the house, though its front aspect is glazed and roofed, is a shell.