Brunel's Torquay dream home to get 'outstanding' makeover

'It's something he would have tipped his stovepipe hat to'

A luxurious retirement home that Brunel never saw will be restored to its former glory after a plan to turn it into new homes was given an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

“This is something I think Brunel would at least have tipped his stovepipe hat to,” said developers’ agent Ian Jewson.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel wanted to retire to the house now known as Brunel Manor, high above the Teignmouth Road on the outskirts of Torquay. But the great engineer never saw the house or its gardens, as they were not completed until after his death in 1859.

The land was sold to new owners, who constructed Brunel Manor on the foundations.

Now they have fallen into disrepair, and have been plagued by vandals despite constant security patrols.

Brunel built dockyards, the Great Western Railway, a series of steamships and numerous important bridges and tunnels. His designs revolutionised public transport and modern engineering.

His ship the SS Great Britain, the first propeller-driven, ocean-going iron ship, was the largest ship ever built when it was launched in 1843, and is now a tourist attraction in Bristol.

Local Brunel landmarks include the Royal Albert Bridge across the Tamar at Plymouth and the ill-fated atmospheric railway project between Exeter and Newton Abbot.

Brunel is said to have fallen in love with South Devon while recuperating in Teignmouth after an accident.

In 2002 he was placed second - behind Winston Churchill - in a BBC poll to find the 100 Greatest Britons.

Now developers ATA Estates have been given permission to begin work on his landmark listed building off Teignmouth Road. They plan to create nine homes in Brunel Manor itself and nine more in Brunel Court and Brunel Lodge on the same site.

There will also be nine additional new-builds.

The site was used between 1963 and 2021 by the Woodlands House of Prayer Trust as a conference and Christian meeting centre. Modern additions included extensions to the original building, a tennis court and a swimming pool.

Some of the ‘unsympathetic’ additions will be knocked down, as will the pool.

Brunel Manor’s grounds are listed on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the site includes two listed flights of steps.

Mr Jewson told Torbay Council’s planning committee that the development would secure the long-term future of Brunel Manor as well as providing much-needed homes for Torbay. “It is something that everyone involved should be proud of,” he said. 

Mike Cowdery of the Torquay Neighbourhood Forum said: “We were impressed by the desire to retain and restore many of the characteristics of the main building, and to remove the conference centre.”

Cllr Katya Maddison (Independent, Shiphay) said: “It’s an outstanding site that deserves an outstanding scheme. It is nice to see some flair and ambition.”

And Cllr Andrew Strang (Conservative, Furzeham with Summercombe) added: “This is a fantastic site, and the main building is absolutely stunning.

“This scheme is incredibly sympathetic, with the buildings restored to how they were intended to be by Brunel.”

The planning committee voted unanimously to approve the scheme.