Cotehele and Antony
The National Trust has two major properties in South-East Cornwall: Cotehele and Antony. Cotehele overlooks the valley of the Tamar River north of Saltash and Antony stands beside the banks of the Lynher River, close to Torpoint.
Cotehele is an ancient and romantic house, garden and estate hidden in woodland above the Tamar. Owned by the Edgcumbe family for nearly 600 years, it is now looked after by the National Trust. Exploring Cotehele’s many and various charms provides a full day out for the whole family.
The house is one of the least-altered Tudor houses in the country. Built in granite and slatestone, the interior - unlit by electricity - houses furniture, textiles and tapestries. The Great Hall has a spectacular arched roof and collections of armour. The chapel contains the oldest working domestic clock in England.
Outside, the house is surrounded by formal gardens and terraces, an orchard and a daffodil meadow. The informal valley garden contains exotic and tender plants that thrive in the mild Cornish climate. Remnants of an earlier age include a medieval stew pond and dovecote, a 15th-century chapel set on the bluff above the river and an 18th-century ornamental tower with fine views over the surrounding countryside. Cotehele Mill is an old corn mill, which has been restored to working order and produces flour which can be bought by visitors.
A walk through the garden leads down to Cotehele Quay, which was a busy river port in Victorian times. Today the quay has found new life through the re-use of its old buildings, eg the Edgcumbe Arms licensed tea-room and the Quay Museum (updated and re-opening in summer 2008). As a living reminder of those days the restored Tamar sailing barge Shamrock is moored here. There is much for everyone to enjoy but particularly for families - picnic areas, children’s menus, children’s guide books and estate trail quiz, tadpoles in the ponds in spring, the view from the Prospect Tower, exploring the woods and valley pathways, browsing in the shop and gallery as well as the house.
The house is open daily except Fridays (but open Good Friday) from 15th March - 2nd November 11 - 4.30. The garden and estate are open daily all year. The mill is open daily from 15th March - 2nd November; shop, refreshments, plant sales and gallery open daily 17th February - 23rd December. Dogs on leads are welcome on the estate walks.
Antony is the ancestral home of the great Cornish family of Carew and the family still lives in the house, which contains a wealth of paintings, tapestries, furniture and embroideries. The house, now owned by the National Trust, is a superb example of an early 18th century mansion and is set off by the delightful formal gardens housing the national collection of daylilies, fine summer borders, sculptures and a knot garden. The grounds were laid out with the assistance of Humphrey Repton in the late 18th century and lead down to the woodland garden, with glimpses of river, moorland and churches through the trees.
Antony Woodland Garden is not owned by the National Trust but is free to members of the Trust on the days that the house is open. It covers more than 100 acres, bordered by the estuary of the Lynher River. Hundreds of varieties of camellias (including the national collection of camellia japonica), magnolias, azaleas and rhododendrons produce outstanding floral displays.
Antony House and Garden is open 24th March - 30th October on Tuesdays Wednesdays and Thursdays and Bank Holiday Mondays from 1.30 - 5.30, plus Sundays in June, July and August. The restaurant & shop open at 12.30. Antony Woodland Garden is open 1st March to 30th October, daily except Mondays and Fridays, 11 - 5.30.
Visited together, the house and woodland garden provide a wonderful day’s outing, with picnic areas and the National Trust restaurant catering for lunches and snacks. Antony provides a peaceful haven of tranquillity, a chance to relax, unwind and enjoy the superb landscape.