The Trust accepted the property from Major James Keith in 1952 and recreated the parterres under the direction of Dr JS Richardson in 1956-58.

The Great Garden dates back to 1675 when it was originally laid out by Sir Alexander Seton, a retired Court of Session judge in the reign of James VII/II. His head gardener had designed gardens at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and was similarly influenced by the French Palace of Versailles. In the 1950s Pitmedden was gifted to the Trust who re-created the garden based on 17th-century plans after it was ploughed up to grow vegetables during the Second World War and used as a kitchen garden for over 100 years. The gardens and pavilions are A listed.

Bust of Rt Rev Henry Phillpotts DD, Bishop of Exeter.

By Henry William Pickersgill, RA (1782-1875).

Plaster, 1816.

Henry Phillpotts (1778-1869), often called "Henry of Exeter", was the Anglican Bishop of Exeter from 1830 to 1869. One of England's longest serving bishops since the 14th century, Phillpotts was a striking figure of the 19th century Church.

Lanhydrock was built in 1630-42 for the Robartes family who rose from merchants and bankers to the peerage as Barons of Truro and then Earls of Radnor. The house was partly destroyed by fire in 1881 and was rebuilt by Richard Coad, an ex-pupil of George Gilbert Scott. Almost all that survives of the 17th-century interiors is the 116-ft long gallery and its superb barrel-vaulted ceiling containing 24 main panels depicting incidents from the Old Testament. Meanwhile, Coad’s neo-Jacobean interiors are a splendid expression of late Victorian comfort and prosperity.

Kedleston Hall is an extravagant temple to the arts. Commissioned in the 1750s by Nathaniel Curzon whose ancestors had resided at Kedleston since the 12th century. The house is framed by historic parkland and boasts opulent interiors intended to impress.

Designed for lavish entertaining, Kedleston Hall displays an extensive collection of paintings, sculpture and original furnishings, reflecting both the tastes of its creators and their fascination with the classical world of the Roman Empire.

Inherited by George Nathaniel Curzon, Viceroy of India between 1899 and 1905, the hall also houses the many objects he amassed during his travels in South Asia and the Middle East, and in his role leading British rule in India.