Early maps show an isolated farm called Rock above the woods to the west of the Plym, some distance north of Leigham House and immediately south of Eastover.
It wasn’t until the second half of the twentieth century that this rural tranquillity was shattered and the developers moved in. A delightful Georgian residence, later christened Briarleigh, had been built onto the old farm site at Rock, in appearance a little like a very small scale Saltram House, and it remained occupied until 1965. The Corporation bought the house and plans to demolish the building were suspended when it was apparently discovered that the building was scheduled as being of architectural significance. However in 1967 a decision was taken to demolish on the grounds that “the present state” of the building did not make it an appropriate prospect for restoration.
Briarleigh Close has since been constructed on a part of the original farm site.
