History of Great Bidlake

A historic manor house with a long memory

Great Bidlake Manor is a historic Elizabethan manor house set on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon. It has remained in the Bidlake family for almost 750 years, something very rarely found among historic houses in England.

Rather than standing still, the house has evolved over generations, shaped by the people who have lived here.

Origins dating back to the 13th century

The history of Great Bidlake can be traced to 1268, when the land first appears in written records. By the 14th century, the name “Bydelake” is recorded, linking the house directly to the Bidlake family, who still own it today.

This long continuity gives the house a sense of quiet permanence that is hard to replicate.

An Elizabethan manor shaped over time

Much of Great Bidlake reflects its Tudor and Elizabethan past. Parts of the rooms used today, including sections of the kitchen and breakfast room, sit within spaces created during this period.

Above them, original features such as a barrelled ceiling remain, offering a subtle connection to the house’s earlier life.

Moments in history

Like many historic manor houses in Devon, Great Bidlake has seen moments of national history pass through its doors.

During the English Civil War, the house is associated with Royalist activity under the leadership of Captain Henry Bidlake, and King Charles I is reputed to have stayed here in July 1644 while travelling through the West Country. 

Later years brought their own chapters, from disputes over ownership to changes in the surrounding estate.

A house that has adapted

Great Bidlake has continued to adapt with the times.

During the First World War, the estate farm was run by women which was unusual for the period. During the Second World War, it hosted an evacuated school from Kent and the children left behind a Noah's Ark mural in the threshing barn that can still be seen today.

Over the 20th century, the wider estate became smaller, leaving the house surrounded by its gardens, fields and woodland on the edge of Dartmoor National Park.

A family‑owned manor on Dartmoor today

Today, Great Bidlake remains a cherished family-owned historic house, now welcoming guests as a luxury self‑catering manor while continuing its long history as a lived-in home.

It is not preserved as a museum, but used and enjoyed, just as it has been for centuries.

Part of an ongoing story

When you stay at Great Bidlake, you are stepping into a house that has been lived in for generations and you become part of that story too.

Great Bidlake is a member of the Historic Houses Association.