Sharpham House stands high above a great looping bend of the River Dart near Ashprington, a few minutes from Totnes, and it is one of the finest houses in the West Country. Building began around 1770 for Captain Philemon Pownoll of the Royal Navy, to a design by Sir Robert Taylor, and after Pownoll’s death in 1780 his daughter saw the work through. The result is Grade I listed, and its centrepiece is an oval cantilevered staircase that rises three floors beneath a domed ceiling — a piece of engineering Pevsner rated among the most spectacular and daring later 18th-century staircase designs anywhere in England. Guests tend to stop talking when they first walk in, which is exactly the right reaction.
The setting is no less remarkable. The house sits within an estate of several hundred acres in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with gardens and parkland dropping away to the water; the park and gardens carry their own historic registration, and the formal gardens were laid out in the middle of the last century by Percy Cane for Maurice and Ruth Ash, whose names two of the rooms still carry. The wider estate has long been associated with Devon winemaking, and the walks down through the woods to the river are the sort of thing guests remember years later. Down at the water’s edge sits the Bathing House, a small Georgian hideaway that makes an unreasonably romantic first night.
Sharpham has belonged to the Sharpham Trust since 1982, a charity whose work connects people with nature and mindfulness, and every wedding here helps fund that. It also explains why the house opens for only a few weddings each year, on exclusive use, for up to 120 guests. There are 5 rooms licensed for civil ceremonies, among them the Music Room and the Ruth Ash Room, 24 bedrooms sleeping up to 37, and outside caterers are welcome alongside the house wine list, and a marquee or tipi can go up on the lawns if you want more room than the house alone provides.
Where the band plays
A Palladian villa is a sequence of beautifully proportioned rooms rather than a single hall, and that shapes the music more than anything else here. Good ceiling heights and hard floors flatter a band that plays with restraint — a four-piece sounds superb in these rooms, while a large line-up with horns will simply overwhelm them. A dancefloor is provided, and it is worth agreeing with the house which room the evening lands in before you finalise the size of the act. If you are going bigger, the marquee on the lawn is the honest answer.
Sound, timings and access
A river valley carries sound a surprising distance after dark, and Sharpham sits above open water in a protected landscape, so ask specifically about sound limits and any restrictions on amplified music outdoors. Better to know at the enquiry than on the day. Evenings have generally run to midnight, once to 11.30pm, which gives a band a proper two-set night and leaves the close of the evening in the right place.
Access is along a private drive through the estate, straightforward in daylight and slower in the dark, so it is worth passing that on with the booking and getting gear in before dusk.
Bands available in Devon and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Devon.
- Devon Wedding Bands
- Events Bands in Devon
- Tribute Acts in Devon
- Devon Wedding DJs
- Corporate Entertainment in Devon
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.