The 17th century Devon home that inspired a smoking ban and lives on only inside the Country Life Archive

In the late 1960s, smoking in public spaces was de rigueur, so it would have come as a surprise to many to read a November 1969 newspaper article about a proposed and experimental smoking ban at a National Trust property called Sudbury Hall, in Derbyshire.

The reason behind the ban was the installation and trial of new, super-sensitive smoke detectors. If only a few visitors lit up beneath the high-tech devices, the local fire brigade would be immediately alerted and dispatched.

Devon’s Dunsland House was the catalyst for this dramatic turn of events. Situated 15 miles north-west of Okehampton, Dunsland was a rare example of an extended and improved provincial property — with the newest part, built by Arscott Bickford, dating to around 1690. It featured exquisite wood panelling and artisan plasterwork, and had been passed down through the same family for centuries until, in 1945, it appeared on the market for the first time in its history.

As to be expected at the end of the Second World War, the house and 91 acres of land took a while to sell — eventually being auctioned for just £7,250 (about £248,510 in today's money) in late 1947. At the time of the sale, the agents, Jackson-Stops and Staff, declared the house to be in need of ‘considerable repair and redecoration’.

However, the new owner paid little attention to crumbling Dunsland House, concentrating his efforts, instead, on plundering the 91 acres of woodland for its timber.

Concerned for the historic property, the local planning authority asked architect Philip Tilden to make a visit and assess the situation. Tilden had been much sought after in the 1920s, redesigning Chartwell for the Churchills, Port Lympne for Philip Sassoon, and working with Gordon Selfridge on designs for his eponymous London department store, and country estates.

However, by the end of the decade, Tilden’s star had waned. He retreated to Devon where he continued to practice, eventually buying a 15th-century manor house called Wortham, and painstakingly restoring it back to life.

Tilden found Dunsland in a terrible state. In the final chapter of his autobiography, he described the scene that greeted him: 'Two great slate tanks had been fitted at some time above the main staircase to collect rainwater from the roof. The bottom had fallen out of one of the tanks, and whenever it rained all the water from the roof cascaded down the stairs.'

There was only one thing to be done, abandon Wortham and buy the stricken Dunsland from its lazy owner.

According to an article in Country Life, Tilden and his wife lived in 'appalling conditions of discomfort' while they worked to make the most valuable parts of the house watertight and habitable. Sadly, poor health halted Tilden in his tracks and, in 1954, he was forced to offer the house and its land to the National Trust.

The Trust continued with the restoration works — using a sizeable grant from the Ministry of Works — and in 1967 celebrated with a concert held in the 17th-century, panelled Justice Room.

Things came crashing down just four days later when, on November 18, the entire building was consumed by fire. The cause was never established, but it likely won't come as a shock to you to read that smoking is not permitted inside any Trust house.

The Country Life Image Archive contains more than 150,000 images documenting British culture and heritage, from 1897 to the present day. To search and purchase images directly from the Image Archive, please register here.