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Broadway House is a family home and business with a warm and friendly environment. We provide high quality bed and breakfast accommodation in the historic port of Topsham, Near Exeter, in Devon.

Bed and Breakfast

The house has been converted recently to provide bed and breakfast accommodation. We have six en-suite rooms available with TV, washbasin, shower and WC. Many of the rooms are quite large and spacious, so they usually contain a lounge area as well as a table to work from. Tea & coffee facilities are provided in all rooms. Should you be feeling hungry then try our award winning restaurant with its cookies, cakes & cream-teas or even a mid-day meal. For an evening meal why not try one of the many local restaurants.

Guests can come to breakfast at any time between 8:00am to 10:00am with no prior arrangement necessary. Breakfast is served in the Georgian Tearoom and includes a full English breakfast, a choice of cereals and freshly squeezed orange juice

Georgian Tearoom & Licensed Restaurant

The award winning Tearoom is situated on the ground floor of Broadway House and is open from 9:30am-5:00pm daily. The restaurant provides fresh home-cooked food with Roast Lunch served on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Should you require a Sunday roast then booking is advisable because we are often fully booked.

On Saturday mornings, come to Topsham and visit the local market in the town hall - followed by coffee and a cake at the Georgian Tearoom. All of the cakes and cookies are homemade, baked in our kitchens.

During the afternoons, come in for a late lunch or a cream tea. We use a traditional family farmhouse recipe for the scones which are baked daily in our kitchens when warm from the oven they're amazing! These are served with West Country clotted cream and homemade jam.

During the summer months we have a walled flower garden so guests can sit outside in the Sun.

Broadway House

Broadway House is a grade II*, fine, three-storey, five-bayed red brick Georgian house, built in 1776. There is a modillion cornice and a very fine Ionic doorway. The house is set back behind a small garden with a good wrought-iron gate and railings, brick piers and walls, all of the same date. All the ground and 1^st floor rooms have plaster cornices. There is a wide staircase with three slender turned balusters to each tread and a mahogany handrail. The embossed and coloured panels in the hall, possibly 17^th C Spanish, are said to have been brought from another house in Topsham in the 19^th C.

Pictures of the entrance hall.

A Little History

The house was described in 1842 by Mr FWL Ross, then resident: "The house I live in, decidedly the best in the town, was built by an Oporto merchant of the name of Fryer in 1776, the ground before occupied by a large old house whose dark mullioned windows and Gothic porch were the dread of every schoolboy after dark. The builder found the cost, upwards of £3,000 exceeded his intention and consequently beyond his means. He sold to the last proprietor who enjoyed it for forty years. I purchased it in 1830 from his widow." At one time Mr. Ross kept a museum of natural history, possibly in a small building on the south side.

Topsham and the Local Attractions

Topsham is 2 miles from the centre of Exeter. It is a town (just!) with a village atmosphere. There are many antique shops and tea shops as well as the other regular shops. There are no large stores, but many pubs and restaurants - a popular place for evenings out attracting people from a wide area. The harbour was once very important in this country for the import of cotton and because of this has always had strong maritime links. There are a large number of Dutch houses from that time which can be seen along the strand which looks out over the river. There are several quays along the river in Topsham, most of which are silted up now, but these are still used by leisure craft. Topsham is a very popular place for yachting and the river has many boats and yachts which are moored along the river here.

Devon is in the heart of the West Country, famous for its cream and cider. Because of it's mild weather and rich red soil Devon's milk is very creamy (rivalled only by jersey) and is therefore ideal for making clotted cream - the richest of creams. In the autumn the apples are harvested to make cider which in recent years has become a very popular drink.

In the centre of Devon is Dartmoor, ancient common ground which has maintained its natural and unspoilt look for generations. In the North is Exmoor, Barnstaple and Clovelly. On the south coast there are many famous beaches such as Dawlish, Torquay, Paignton, Exmouth, Sidmouth and others. Many of these have direct trains from Topsham - the journey from Exeter to Torquay is Amazing, it follows the Exe Estuary to the sea passing Powderham Castle with its deer and then follows the coast all the way to Torquay. Devon has many historical houses to visit, most of which are maintained by the National Trust, and there are numerous theme parks, sites of natural beauty and many towns, villages and museums worth seeing. Devon's attractions

Transport Links

Broadway House is but 200yds from the local train station (Topsham) which has regular services (approx half hourly) from Exeter St David's and connects direct from there to London Paddington. There is easy access from the M5, and the house is on a major city bus route (The T bus). For guests with a car, we have off street private parking for up to five cars.

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If you're reading this then thank you for taking the time, we look forward to your visit.