Wortham Manor: Into the Future

Wortham Manor is a medieval and Tudor house sitting in its own large grounds, surrounded by rolling Devon countryside. This year the house has been closed for major improvement works to improve its sustainability and futureproof it for generations to come. Landmark's Surveyor, Graham Watts, fills us in on what to expect when the building reopens in December.

In January 2024, this creaky and often-draughty manor house closed for extensive and important improvement works, with the aim of bringing it up to modern standards of sustainability and heat efficiency. From now on, if things go bump in the night, we can safely say it’s not down to the plumbing.

Here’s an update from our surveyor Graham Watts, on what we can look forward to when Wortham Manor reopens this winter:

Greener Energy  

‘Environmental sustainability is at the heart of these works, and the transformation to greener energy is its driving force.  The failing heating system was a mix of old air source heating supplement by electric night store heating and an inefficient form of electric underfloor heating. This has now been replaced with one thousand metres of boreholes, forming the ground source heating system. New cast iron radiators, some weighing 300kg, have been winched up onto the first floor to form the new sustainable hot water and heating system.’   

Improving draughts while allowing the property to breathe 

‘The three principal arched doors have been upgraded to help prevent heat loss, and the west gable end wall has been repointed to help dry out the building, because a drier wall performs thermally better than a saturated wall (a bit like clothing - when you get wet, you feel cold). The chimney to the west ground floor bedroom has had a chimney sheep inserted to help reduce drafts.’ 

New electrics 

‘The electricians found the electrics to be in a very poor condition. The old mineral insulated cables were damaged and, in many areas, unusable. There was a significant need to reestablish the layout of furniture, which also required changes to the electrical layout.  The old range LPG cooker has been replaced with electric, because electric is better than bottled gas. We can also install at least one electric car charging point.’   

Resolved plumbing  

‘Historically, the property was split into three flats, and when the Landmark Trust took over Wortham in 1990 a decision was made to turn it back into one dwelling sleeping fifteen people. The original plumbing was designed to serve the property for the next thirty years, and guests often complained of strange creaking and hammering noises in the night. Thankfully, this should now be resolved thanks to the almost complete replumbing of the property. The water storage, both hot and cold, is now located in the nearby barn.’ 

New bathrooms 

‘We’re treating Wortham Manor to new bathroom facilities, with new water-saving showers being installed as part of the works to conserve resources. We’ve redesigned the chapel bathroom, and also added an additional bedroom to the ground floor, with its own en suite.’  

Refurbed and refurnished  

‘Decoration work is well underway now throughout the house, using traditional craft skills and materials to repair its wood and walls. The kitchen has had new worktops made from sustainable wood, the lighting has been improved throughout, and each room has been redecorated and refurnished using carefully chosen second-hand furniture. On the first floor there’s now a cosy sitting room with wood-burning stove.'  

The onsite building work is now complete at Wortham Manor, and Landmark's Operations team are busy cleaning and refurnishing the property, ready to welcome Landmark guests back in December 2024. Be among the first to see it by booking your stay.