Sir Francis Peek in the 19th Century owned the Combpyne Rousdon Estate. He built, what has been known locally as, Allhalows School, a magnificent building overlooking Lyme Bay.
There are several stories handed down about the building of the Dower House Hotel:
One is that he built a turret look out (you can see it to the right of the building); because his daughter had lost her betrothed to the sea and she insisted on keeping a look out for him.
Another is that the wreckers had a hand in supplying building material for the house. An Italian ship, carrying marble, became wrecked in Charlton Bay, (the bay below Allhalows). A road had to be built down the cliff face to retrieve this marble. Allhallows has an extensive marble main staircase which is still there to this day.
The Dower House was originally the Dowager house - A dowager is defined as a woman with title or property derived from her late husband. Local belief is that Sir Francis Peek built the house for his mother-in-Law, perhaps to keep her out of the main house.
The Dower House became a rectory in the 1880s.
When the main building became a private exclusive boy’s boarding school, the Dower House became the headmaster’s residence. The young newcomers had to spend a period of time living in the Dower House under the control of the Headmaster’s wife until they became disciplined. Later when girls were accepted at the school, the 6th form girls boarded at the Dower House.
In the 1990’s the Dower House was converted into a 10 bedroom hotel.
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