Powderham Castle

Powderham Castle is situated 6 miles (9.7 km) south-east of Exeter in Devon on the western bank of the River Exe estuary, across which it faces the small river-side village of Lympstone. It is situated 1⁄₄ mile (0.4 km) north-east of the village of Kenton, where the entrance gates to the main approach road are situated. Building commenced, after 1390, by Sir Philip Courtenay (d.1406), the 5th or 6th son of Hugh Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon (d.1377). Powderham Castle remains in the ownership of his descendants the Courtenay family and has been, since 1556, the seat of the Earls of Devon, which title was de jure from that date held by the family but was not recognised legally until 1831. The castle was altered extensively in the 18th and 19th centuries, most notably by James Wyatt in the 1790s.