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Boringdon Hall

Grade I listed hotel in Plymouth, Devon, England, UK

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionApr 13, 2026
Entity authorityQ4945152
Source-derived summary

Boringdon Hall is a 16th-century Grade I listed manor house, which is now a 5 star hotel with flagship Gaia spa - and MICHELIN starred Àclèaf restaurant in the parish of Colebrook, about two miles north of Plympton, Devon.

Description

The oldest parts of the present house were said by John Britton (1771–1857) to have been built about

the middle of the 14th century. Britton believed the main entrance porch, consisting of a semicircular arch with Norman-style cable mouldings, to be of ancient date, brought from some neighbouring church, or even Plympton Castle. Due to subsequent alterations the building is difficult to date accurately, and Nikolaus Pevsner states it to be "irritating for the historian" as it incorporates a multitude of imported period features and materials, giving it "a superficially convincing instant patina".

The house was described by Polwhele in the 18th century as "ruinous". In about 1800 the whole range east of the entrance porch was demolished, and by 1980 only the walls were standing. In 1986 the restoration of the building began on completion of which it has been used as a hotel.

The double-height great hall survives largely intact, and is situated to the left from the now-lost screens passage on entering the porch. Two double-height windows are situated on the south side of the Hall, whilst on the north side is the large granite fireplace, on the lintel of which is carved the arms of Parker, and above which on the chimney breast is a very large ornamental plaster depiction of the royal coat of arms of King Charles I (1625–1649), dated to 1640. On either side of the arms are larger-than-lifesize female figures, to the viewer's left, Peace, and to the right the figure of Plenty, holding a cornucopia.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Boringdon Hall” as grade I listed hotel in Plymouth, Devon, England, UK. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Boringdon, Hall and Grade.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1771, 1857, 1800, 1980—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Boringdon, Hall and Grade providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Boringdon Hall”, the useful work is to connect “grade I listed hotel in Plymouth, Devon, England, UK” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4945152. Authority coordinates are 50.402, -4.057. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1771, 1857, 1800 and 1980.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

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Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Boringdon Hall” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.