Bowhill: The Archaeological Study of a Building Under Repair in Exeter, Devon, 1977-95

Bowhill is a late medieval country house located about a mile to the west of the centre of Exeter and was probably built c. 1500 by Roger Holland (c. 1450-1506). Its original owners were two important country families - first the Hollands in the fifteenth century and then the Carews in the early sixteenth century, under whose ownership it remained until the 1930s. The house underwent periods of extensive development and at various times was used as a family home, tenanted property, botanical nursery and finally, briefly, as a restaurant, all of which entailed many destructive alterations. By the mid-twentieth century suburban development had engulfed the site. The Department of the Environment finally rescued the building in 1976. The subsequent phase of repair carried out first under the auspices of the Directorate of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings and then of English Heritage, lasting almost twenty years, provided the opportunities for the study of the building that is the subject of this book. This book is extensively illustrated.