MANSION SOLD FOR £40

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21698, 13 January 1934, Page 3 (Supplement)

MANSION SOLD FOR £4O

HOUSE OF 37 ROOMS ANCIENT EXETER TREASURES

The ancient mansion called St. Loye, for many years the residence of the Bishop of Exeter, was sold by auction to an Exeter workman in November for £4O. It has 37 rooms. Some of the rooms have 16th century flooring, and there are archaeological treasures in the grounds which, however, have not been sold with the house.

Mr. Ernest Baker, the purchaser, stated that the bidding began at £5. " I have already sold £25 worth of Tudor flooring and other properties," he added, " and I hope to make my purchase-price several times over by selling the house piecemeal. "An ancient stone archway is to be sent to London, and a stone cross in the grounds, wnich is so old that its age is uncertain, is to become the property of antiquarians, priceless old Tudor panelling will be moved to the Exeter Guildhall. The whole property is to be demolished in three months." The writer stood in the middle of a group of local residents who have lived in Exeter all their lives and came in crowds to see the end of the old house. " It is sad to see it go," one of them, a solicitor, whose family have lived in the town for generations, said. ."St. Loye has been connected for years with the cathedral and its affairs, and has been lived in continuously up to now. Wo regarded its treasures as a part of Exeter. At the bottom of the grounds, not included in the sale, of course, are the ruins of the old church."