Thatched and vegetated
Thatched cottage at Lanhydrock Gardens, Cornwall
Some background information:
This thatched cottage in the garden of Lanhydrock House was built in 1735. It was home to the head gardeners at Lanhydrock until 1885, when it was last occupied. Afterwards it used to be a tearoom as well as a store for garden equipment. But since it was already standing empty for some years, in 2009 it was agreed to put the history of Lanhydrock Gardens on display there.
Lanhydrock House is a great mansion, which stands in extensive grounds above the River Fowey, south of the town of Bodmin. It’s a Grade I listed building owned and managed by the National Trust since 1953.
Much of the present house dates back to Victorian times but some sections even date from the 1620s. Lanhydrock estate once belonged to the Augustinian priory of St Petroc at Bodmin but the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the 1530s saw it pass into private hands. In 1620 wealthy merchant Sir Richard Robartes acquired the estate and began building Lanhydrock House, designed to a four-sided layout around a central courtyard and constructed of grey granite. Robartes died in 1624 but work on the building was continued by his son John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor, a notable public figure who served as Lord Privy Seal and Lord President of the Council. After John Robartes’ death in 1685 his heirs Charles Bodville Robartes (1660 to 1723), 2. Earl of Radnor, and Henry Robartes (1695 to 1741), 3. Earl of Radnor, chose different places of residence over Lanhydrock House and therefore the building and the estate subsequently almost went to rack.
The next heir Mary Vere Robartes, the great-granddaughter of John Robartes, even considered to completely tear down Lanhydrock House. But in 1788 her oldest son George Hunt began to restore the building. He bequeathed the estate to his niece Anna Maria Hunt, who used to stay there quite often. At the suggestion of his mother her son Thomas James Agar took over the Robartes’ coat of arms in 1822 and became 1st Lord Robartes. He also accepted responsibility for Lanhydrock and its further renovation.
On 4th April 1881 all efforts seemed to be destroyed, when a large fire fully devastated the southern wing and partially also the western wing. But in the following years Thomas Charles Agar-Robartes, the 3rd Lord Robartes and then head of the household, let everything rebuild once again. Already in 1885 the family Agar-Robartes was able to permanently move into the house. In 1899 Thomas Charles Agar-Robartes also inherited the title 6th Viscount Clifdon from his kinsman Leopold Agar-Ellis, 5th Viscount Clifdon, who died without issues.
All nine children of Thomas Charles Agar-Robartes grew up at Lanhydrock. After the oldest son Tommy died in 1915 on Flanders fields due to a gunshot wound, the second oldest son Francis Gerald inherited both titles as well as Lanhydrock estate. In 1953 the house and approximately 160 hectares (400 acres) of parkland were given to the National Trust by Francis Gerald, 3rd Lord Robartes and 7th Viscount Clifden. The public tour is one of the longest of any National Trust house and takes in the service rooms, nurseries and some servants' bedrooms, as well as the main reception rooms and family bedrooms. In 2004 Lanhydrock House and Gardens was one of the Trust's ten most visited paid-entry properties, with over 200,000 visitors.
In 1996 Lanhydrock was the main setting for a version of “Twelfth Night” directed by Trevor Nunn with Helena Bonham Carter playing the leading role.
The most significant aspects of the garden at Lanhydrock House in Cornwall are its site, design and plant collection. The garden's design relates to the house and its Victorian restoration. It was laid out along mid-19th century lines by George Truefitt to complement the style of the house and to provide a pleasure ground for the family.
The formal structure of the box hedging and topiary yew trees that surround the house contrast with the more natural planting beyond.
While the design of the garden and its planting of forest trees and hardy hybrid rhododendrons and camellias remain typically Victorian, the planting has been continually developed, first between the wars by the family and later by our garden team who have grown a significant magnolia collection.
Thatched and vegetated
Thatched cottage at Lanhydrock Gardens, Cornwall
Some background information:
This thatched cottage in the garden of Lanhydrock House was built in 1735. It was home to the head gardeners at Lanhydrock until 1885, when it was last occupied. Afterwards it used to be a tearoom as well as a store for garden equipment. But since it was already standing empty for some years, in 2009 it was agreed to put the history of Lanhydrock Gardens on display there.
Lanhydrock House is a great mansion, which stands in extensive grounds above the River Fowey, south of the town of Bodmin. It’s a Grade I listed building owned and managed by the National Trust since 1953.
Much of the present house dates back to Victorian times but some sections even date from the 1620s. Lanhydrock estate once belonged to the Augustinian priory of St Petroc at Bodmin but the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the 1530s saw it pass into private hands. In 1620 wealthy merchant Sir Richard Robartes acquired the estate and began building Lanhydrock House, designed to a four-sided layout around a central courtyard and constructed of grey granite. Robartes died in 1624 but work on the building was continued by his son John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor, a notable public figure who served as Lord Privy Seal and Lord President of the Council. After John Robartes’ death in 1685 his heirs Charles Bodville Robartes (1660 to 1723), 2. Earl of Radnor, and Henry Robartes (1695 to 1741), 3. Earl of Radnor, chose different places of residence over Lanhydrock House and therefore the building and the estate subsequently almost went to rack.
The next heir Mary Vere Robartes, the great-granddaughter of John Robartes, even considered to completely tear down Lanhydrock House. But in 1788 her oldest son George Hunt began to restore the building. He bequeathed the estate to his niece Anna Maria Hunt, who used to stay there quite often. At the suggestion of his mother her son Thomas James Agar took over the Robartes’ coat of arms in 1822 and became 1st Lord Robartes. He also accepted responsibility for Lanhydrock and its further renovation.
On 4th April 1881 all efforts seemed to be destroyed, when a large fire fully devastated the southern wing and partially also the western wing. But in the following years Thomas Charles Agar-Robartes, the 3rd Lord Robartes and then head of the household, let everything rebuild once again. Already in 1885 the family Agar-Robartes was able to permanently move into the house. In 1899 Thomas Charles Agar-Robartes also inherited the title 6th Viscount Clifdon from his kinsman Leopold Agar-Ellis, 5th Viscount Clifdon, who died without issues.
All nine children of Thomas Charles Agar-Robartes grew up at Lanhydrock. After the oldest son Tommy died in 1915 on Flanders fields due to a gunshot wound, the second oldest son Francis Gerald inherited both titles as well as Lanhydrock estate. In 1953 the house and approximately 160 hectares (400 acres) of parkland were given to the National Trust by Francis Gerald, 3rd Lord Robartes and 7th Viscount Clifden. The public tour is one of the longest of any National Trust house and takes in the service rooms, nurseries and some servants' bedrooms, as well as the main reception rooms and family bedrooms. In 2004 Lanhydrock House and Gardens was one of the Trust's ten most visited paid-entry properties, with over 200,000 visitors.
In 1996 Lanhydrock was the main setting for a version of “Twelfth Night” directed by Trevor Nunn with Helena Bonham Carter playing the leading role.
The most significant aspects of the garden at Lanhydrock House in Cornwall are its site, design and plant collection. The garden's design relates to the house and its Victorian restoration. It was laid out along mid-19th century lines by George Truefitt to complement the style of the house and to provide a pleasure ground for the family.
The formal structure of the box hedging and topiary yew trees that surround the house contrast with the more natural planting beyond.
While the design of the garden and its planting of forest trees and hardy hybrid rhododendrons and camellias remain typically Victorian, the planting has been continually developed, first between the wars by the family and later by our garden team who have grown a significant magnolia collection.