Simonsbath House

The house was built in the mid-17th century by the merchant, lawyer and philosopher James Boevey (1622-1696), the warden of the royal forest of Exmoor, and for 150 years his was the only house in the forest. During the second half of the 18th century and the early part of the 19th century, the wardens of the forest were the Acland baronets who leased the house, and it was licensed as an inn. the remaining portion of the former Royal Forest belonging to the Crown Estate, by John Knight of Worcestershire in 1818 for the sum of £50,000. He and especially his son Frederick, who assumed management in 1841, erected most of the large farms in the central section of the moor and built 22 mi of…

The house, which consists of several bays, has white painted walls and slate roofs. Outside are several agricultural buildings which have been adapted to provide accommodation. The interior includes a fireplace with a chamfered lintel which dates from 1654, panelling and a 17th-century overmantel with a painted coat of arms which was brought from Weare Giffard Hall, near Bideford, a secondary seat of the Earls Fortescue.