Indio Monastery

Indio House stands half a mile south of Bovey Tracey church, across the River Bovey in Devon. The present mansion was rebuilt in 1850 on land once held by St John’s Hospital in Bridgwater from 1216. Earlier records suggest it began as a grange farm rather than a priory. The historian Sir William Pole noted in the 17th century that John Southcott built a fine house here after the Dissolution. The estate passed through several families, including the Southcotts and later the Bentincks, who made it their seat. The house is worth visiting for its layered history and the figures connected to it. John Southcott, Clerk of the Peace for Devon, acquired Indio after the Dissolution and built the first substantial residence. His descendant Thomas Southcote married three times and had connections to prominent Devon families. The Bentinck family later owned the estate; Captain John Albert Bentinck served in the Royal Navy and sat in Parliament. The house also hosted Josiah Wedgwood in 1775, who criticised the nearby pottery works. Visitors find a Grade II listed mansion set in a quiet riverside landscape. The building retains its 19th-century character with historic interiors. The River Bovey flows nearby, and the wider parish of Bovey Tracey offers walking routes through the surrounding countryside. The house itself is not open to the public, but its exterior and setting provide a glimpse of Devon’s past. The estate remains a quiet reminder of the area’s historical connections to monastic lands, pottery production, and aristocratic families.