Built in 1888 as a private residence the house was originally called Redholme and surrounded by Woodland. In 1902 it was purchased by Henry and Hester Julian, who were married on 30th October 1902 at St. Mary Magdalene church, Torquay.

Hester was the daughter of William Pengelly, a famous archaeologist who excavated Kent's Cavern in 1846. In Torquay Museum there are rooms named after the Pengelly family.

Henry Forbes Julian was a metallurgist who visited Victoria Falls before they had been seen by many white men. He was a consulting engineer in mines at Barberton, Johannesburg and Kimberley in South Africa, where they mined precious metals. He also crossed the Atlantic thirteen times.

Hester spent her time writing and entertaining many famous people to tea, which included poets, writers, public figures and bishops, and also King George V and Queen Mary. Her letters are documented in the Torquay Museum, where there is also a model of Hester at her writing desk.

On 14th April 1912, Henry Forbes Julian died a hero on the Titanic. Hester received a sympathy letter from George V and Queen Mary:

"His Majesty sincerely sympathises with you in your irreparable loss, and feels deeply for you and all those to whom the loss of the Titanic has been a cause of great sorrow. The King remembers very well his visits to your house in Torquay and how much also he was interested in the geological collections."

Hester died in 1934 and Redholme was sold. Between 1940-1964 it was divided into self-contained flats. In 1964 it was converted into a hotel and in 1967 was sold and renamed the Newlyn Hotel. The hotel was sold again in 1998 to its present owners John and Barbara Eggleston.

In 1998 a gentleman visited the hotel for an evening meal, his name was Pengelly, a distant relative of Hester and was surprised with the connection the house had with his family.