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Overbecks
Overbecks
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Overbecks
Overbecks
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©NTPL/John Hammond
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The rejuvenator at Overbeck's, Sharpitor, Devon where the scientist Otto Overbeck lived from 1928 until 1937. He invented and patented the electrical rejuvenator which he believed could cure all ills.
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©NTPL/John Hammond
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Self-portrait of Otto Overbeck, dated 1902, the research chemist and linguist and artists at Overbeck's, Sharpitor, Devon where he lived from 1928 until 1937.
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©NTPL/John Hammond
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View over the Salcombe estuary from the garden at Overbeck's, Sharpitor, Devon where the scientist Otto Overbeck lived from 1928 until 1937.
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Overbecks
Overbecks
A brief drive to Salcombe to visit Overbecks is unlikely to disappoint. Overbecks is a large Edwardian House surrounded by beautiful sub tropical gardens with the most stunning views of the Salcombe Estuary. It is named after a previous owner, Otto Overbeck who has firmly stamped his personality upon the place.
Otto, a chemist by profession was also an enthusiastic inventor, artist and avid collector. The house has hugely benefited from this and it boasts fascinating collections of any number of diverse and interesting objects – from natural history to nautical history and many points in between … It is guaranteed you will discover something new at Overbecks and as I overheard another visitor commenting, time here is “ very well spent” in deed.
Enter through the shop to the large staircase hall where the large mahogany staircase is the focal point. You may well be lucky enough to hear the polyphon playing as I did – “Ave Maria” rang out clearly as I meandered through the house greatly adding to its atmosphere. This is a musical box on an extremely grand scale and rumour has it that Otto saw it in a pub and had to have it, so he swapped it for a modern gramophone and £5.
There is certainly that air of eccentricity about him; his most famous invention was the electrical rejuvenator, which was sold successfully until the 1950s and it is here you will come face to face with it. It was claimed that it could defy the aging process by the application of electrodes to the skin. An idea we are more at home with now rather than in the 1920s when Otto was promoting it.
There are interesting collections in every room and there is something here that will appeal to visitors of every age and curiosity.
For the more sensational there is a display of man and gintraps to denote a time when the gamekeepers on Lord Devon’s estate were able to take matters into their own hands with the likes of smugglers and poachers.
The handcuffs of John Lee of Babbacombe (the man they couldn’t hang) are also on show. Lee was sentenced to hang for killing his employer. However, the trap door remained firmly shut after three attempts, so his sentence was commuted to life. There is also, of course, a secret room at Overbeck’s and a resident ghost called Fred…
For those interested in all things sailing the Maritime Room celebrates Salcombe’s history as a prosperous port. In its heyday there could be as many as 95 ocean going vessels at anchor. The models, paintings and photographs record ships that were built, sailed and lost in these seas including a fascinating map of shipwrecks around the coast.
In the 1800s the local sailors took advantage of the triangular trade where its ships took salt from Cadiz to Newfoundland exchanging it for salt cod and then shipping it down to the Mediterranean where it was exchanged for fruit for the homeward journey.
Closer to home the natural history collection can be found on the stairs and along the landing. Here you can take time to test your powers of identification amongst the collections of stuffed animals, birds, eggs, fish, fossils, shells and insects, many of which are indigenous. These are fascinating to observe at close quarters where you can admire the detail of everyday living things and get a proper idea of their scale.
A new exhibition is in progress in the Overbeck’s room charting and commemorating its history as a hospital and convalescent home for wounded soldiers in the Great War. The times are seen through the life of a newly recruited nurse to the house called Annie Yeoman. She kept an autograph book and encouraged the men who stayed there throughout the war, to write in it. Their entries are very poignant with polite expressions of thanks intermingled with heartfelt pleas not to return to the front line.
The hospital was established as a memorial to the owner’son, Robert Humphrey Medlicott Vereker who died at the battle of Mons. This is an ongoing project and the property manager is keen to hear from any one who had a connection with the house at this time.
The garden is a particularly important feature at Overbecks and its views looking up the Salcombe Estuary and out to sea are quite breathtaking. If you are lucky enough to pick a sunny day the brightness and clarity of the light levels will reward you with crystal clear views that lift the spirits.
Salcombe is displayed below in all its glory and it is interesting to observe it from a different, altogether loftier perspective. The garden itself is protected by the shelterbelt of surrounding woodland and boasts many rare and exotic plants. It is separated into smaller more intimate gardens by stonewalls and terraces and it is easy to find a secluded spot of one’s own in which to enjoy a picnic or ice cream. There is a very relaxed air that pervades Overbecks and there is a danger that you might believe time really can stand still…
Opening Times
Saturday to Wednesday inclusive until the 2nd July and after 2nd September. From 3rd July to 2nd September, it is open every day.
Last open day for the Museum and Shop and Tea room is Sunday 1st November.
They are open fully from 11 to 5 - apart from the tea room that closes at 4.15.
As from the 2nd November the garden is open Monday to Friday but closes 25,26 December & 1st Jan 2010. (Garden closes at dusk if earlier than 5.00)
First published May 2009 By the Dart
