Lanhydrock

A beautiful house & garden in Cornwall

It's our last day in Cornwall and we're very sad to be leaving this beautiful place. The holiday could not have been better and although it's been showery the past couple of days, it hasn't stopped us getting out and about.

After packing up the car we said goodby to our hosts Alan and Mike (Sue was at work) and called into Bodmin to a highly recommended bakery to get some cornish pasties to take back to Geoffrey. Then we drove on to call in for a look at Lanhydrock house and garden before leaving Cornwall.

Barb at Lanhydrock House

"Call in" probably doesn't quite describe the five hours we ended up spending there. It was magnificent and worthy of a detailed inspection of both the house and the lovely gardens. In fact there was only time to see the nearby formal gardens....there is much much more. In fact they hire out bicycles so you can cycle through the bike paths around the gardens because they are so extensive.

and that's just the gate house

Sisan chats to the butler

It is quite some way from the carparking area to the house. so we waited for the motorised buggy to take us down. Even the gatehouse is impressive and the house!....well it is just gorgeous too! Fifty rooms are open to tourists but there is still much more than that.It was a bit like Audley End in Essex in that we got to see the old kitchens and servants quarters as well as the main reception rooms and bedrooms of the masters of the house.

anyone for a roast?

The scullery

the lumber room....the family travelled a lot (with just a few cases!)

Everything was beautifully maintained and it looked as if the family had just stepped out for a moment and left it just the way it was, frozen in a bygone time.
Once a busy household with nine children, it ended up being handed to the National Trust as there were no heirs to inherit the property and title.What a shame!

now that's a dining room

table set for dinner

the heir's sitting room

the nursery

victorian dolls house

the little girl's room

the schoolroom

The National Trust and English Heritage who keep these beautiful old properties open to the public and maintained in their former glory are to be congratulated. It would be a crime to see these places fall into disrepair and crumble into ruins. All that history would be lost. The volunteers, some of whom even dress in period costume to lend authenticity, really know their stuff and are only too willing to share their knowledge about the estate and the family who lived there and the staff who worked there.

the mistress' bedroom

her private sitting room

the reception room

the other end of the reception room

looking out on the gardens from the library

the huge library

We ended up have lunch in the converted old stables. It was a simple meal (there is also a restaurant inside the main house), but we know there's pasties for tea so we didn't want a big meal anyway. It was lovely looking out over a wonderful open vista of the vast estate gardens.

The formal gardens are set out with precision around the main house, but beyond them are other gardens with flowers, herbs and  the kitchen gardens supplying produce for the house.
In the flower garden, they have  helpfully provided maps of the plants so you identify what the flowers and shrubs are. I have developed such an enthusiasm for the gardens here. The climate lends itself so well to beautiful flowers and I just love all the cottage gardens and hanging baskets of flowers to be seen when we're just driving around the villages.

formal gardens

the chapel behind the house

the avenue of trees to the carpark

Susan caught the buggy up to the carpark, but I decided to walk up as there was quite a queue. By the time I'd reached the top of the long avenue of trees I was hot ,sweaty and puffing. The buggy option was a good one. We soon cooled off and got underway for the journey home. Luckily we didn't leave a day earlier and get caught in the traffic heading to the Glastonbury Festival which is on this weekend just a few miles from where Geoffrey lives. We had a good clear run through and were home in time for tea.