Once considerably larger, Bickleigh now comprises a group of buildings from various periods. A Norman motte castle of the late 11th or early 12th century was dismantled in the mid 12th century. During this time a small stone chapel was built in the bailey. In the 15th century the Courtney family built a mansion on the site and incorporated some of the earlier buildings. The Carew family then lived there for over two centuries. Following the Restoration, a typical Devon farmhouse of cob and thatch was added.