|
|
North Devon Castles, Cathedrals,
Monuments,
Stately Homes & Palaces
|
|
Since the stone age, man has been
creating majestic structures that we still marvel at
today.
Whether you are interested in ancient monuments,
battlefield sites, re-enactments,
Roman and Norman forts and castles, Stately Homes, Country Houses, Historic
Cathedrals, Ruined Abbeys etc, this is the page that
should give you the information you need.
Here we try to list properties in
private ownership but open to the public (even if only
occasionally) as well as those in the care of the
National Trust or English/Scottish Heritage.
|
 |
We know that not all the
properties in North Devon are listed.
Please help us
make this guide comprehensive by giving details of
missing attractions
here. |
|
|
|
|
|
Watermouth Castle
near Ilfracombe,
Devon, EX34 9SL
Tel: 01271 863879
Owned and managed by a family providing a host
of fun and entertainment for your family. Within
the Castle there are five themes of
entertainment. The Castle, Edwardian history you
can touch, see and hear. Dungeon labyrinth,
there is something different round each corner.
Courtyard houses the famous Magical
Multi-Coloured Fountain Show. Merry-go-land, rides
and games in a tranquil setting. Gnome land a
village full of little people. An all-in
admission price covers all attractions except
antique coin operated machines, shop goods and
catering outlets.
|
|
Okehampton Castle
Okehampton
Tel: 01837 52844
E-mail:
customers@english-heritage.org.uk
Web:
www.english-heritage.org.uk
Located just 1 mile south west of Okehampton
town centre, is the ruins of Okehampton Castle,
one of the largest of its kind in Devon.
|
|
[back to top]
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Churches Conservation
Trust
Stndrd2address
Tel: 0 Fax:
0
E-mail:
central@tcct.org.uk
Web:
www.visitchurches.org.uk
Organisation dedicated to the preservation of
England's Churches. Here you will find a handy
search facility to locate Churches in the area
you plan to visit.
|
|
Hartland Abbey
Cuckoo Wood Cottage, Hartland, Bideford, Devon,
EX39 6DW
Tel: 01237 441264
E-mail:
admin@hartlandabbey.com
Hartland Abbey lies across a narrow, sheltered
valley which winds its way to the spectacular
Atlantic Coast only a mile away. Within a
designated ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’
visitors may wander freely around the beautiful
gardens and grounds which lead to the rocky
cove. Peacocks and bantams roam at will whilst
donkeys and Black Welsh Mountain sheep graze the
Old Deer Park. Hartland Abbey is the lived-in
family home of the Stucley family. Although it
was built in the 12th century, remaining as a
monastery for 400 years and passing through the
female line three times, it has never been sold.
Consequently, it contains collections of
pictures, furniture and porcelain which have
accumulated over many generations. The story of
the Abbey mirrors local and national history at
every turn. It has a friendly and lived-in
atmosphere, so often absent in many of our
nation’s historic houses, a point continually
remarked upon by those who visit us.
|
|
[back to top]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Arlington Court
Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 4LP
Tel: 01271 850296
Fax: 01271 851108
E-mail:
arlingtoncourt@nationaltrust.org.uk
|
Regency house with
interesting collections, set in extensive
estate.
Nestling in the thickly wooded valley of the
River Yeo lies the 1125ha (2700 acre)
Arlington Court estate.
At its centre stands the intimate and
intriguing home of Miss Rosalie Chichester,
who lived here for 84 years until 1949.
Crowded with treasures amassed from her
travels, the house contains model ships,
tapestry, pewter and shells. |
|
Arlington Court -
Photo:
Linda Bailey
CCL |
|
Arlington Court -
Photo:
Neil Kennedy
CCL |
|
In the basement, from May to September, visitors
can view Devon’s largest colony of Lesser
Horseshoe bats via the ‘batcam’.
The stable block houses one of the best
collections of 19th-century horse-drawn vehicles
in the country and offers carriage rides around
the grounds.
The 12ha (30 acre) gardens are largely informal
but include a small Victorian garden with
conservatory and ornamental pond, leading to a
partially restored walled kitchen garden.
Wonderful walks take in historic parkland grazed
by Jacob sheep and Shetland ponies, leafy
woodlands and a lake with heronry and bird hide. |
|
|
Hartland Abbey
Cuckoo Wood Cottage, Hartland, Bideford, Devon,
EX39 6DW
Tel: 01237 441264
E-mail:
admin@hartlandabbey.com
Hartland Abbey lies across a narrow, sheltered
valley which winds its way to the spectacular
Atlantic Coast only a mile away. Within a
designated ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’
visitors may wander freely around the beautiful
gardens and grounds which lead to the rocky
cove. Peacocks and bantams roam at will whilst
donkeys and Black Welsh Mountain sheep graze the
Old Deer Park. Hartland Abbey is the lived-in
family home of the Stucley family. Although it
was built in the 12th century, remaining as a
monastery for 400 years and passing through the
female line three times, it has never been sold.
Consequently, it contains collections of
pictures, furniture and porcelain which have
accumulated over many generations. The story of
the Abbey mirrors local and national history at
every turn. It has a friendly and lived-in
atmosphere, so often absent in many of our
nation’s historic houses, a point continually
remarked upon by those who visit us.
|
|
Chambercombe Manor
Chambercombe, Ilfracombe, Devon, EX34 9RJ
Tel: 01271 862624
An 11th Century Manor House that was mentioned
in the Doomsday Book. Come and see the Haunted
Room, experience the Secret Passage or just
stroll in the 4 acres of beautiful gardens.
Cream Teas, Morning Coffee and Light Lunches
available at Lady Jane's Tea Rooms.
|
|
Tapeley Park
Westleigh, Bideford, Devon, EX39 4NT
Tel: 01271 860528
With four distinctly themed areas, much of it
worked on organic principles and set in a
thirty-five acre site, Tapeley Garden is home to
a rich and fascinating variety of flowers,
shrubs, vegetables and wildlife. Features:
Italian Terrace Borders, traditional walled
Kitchen Garden, Lake with massive Thuja Plicata
trees, Granite Labyrinth. Falconry Displays each
Sunday at 11:30am and 3:30pm, weather
permitting. Animals including Highland Cattle,
Peacocks and Berkshire Pigs. Tea Rooms - light
lunches and teas. Children's Play Area 'hidden'
in the Wild Garden. Plants Sale Area.
|
|
Watersmeet House
Lynmouth, Devon, EX35 6NT
Tel: 01598 753348
Web:
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
A fishing lodge, built c.1832 in a picturesque
valley at the confluence of the East Lyn and
Hoar Oak Water, and now a NT shop, with
refreshments and information. The site has been
a tea-garden since 1901 and is the focal point
for several beautiful walks.
|
|
Docton Mill & Gardens
Lymebridge, Hartland, Bideford, Devon, EX39 6EA
Tel: 01237 441369
E-mail:
john@doctonmill.freeserve.co.uk
Less than a mile from the sea, nestling in one
of Devon's outstanding beauty spots lies Docton
Mill. The mill itself, mentioned in the Doomsday
Book, has been restored along with its waterways
and now generates electricity for the house. The
internationally renowned garden blends with
natural landscape. Eight acres of sheltered
wooded valley with millpond, trout stream
crossed by footbridges and smaller streams. The
encompassing bog garden is exceptional. Docton
is situated close to the famous Spekes Mill
waterfall and to Hartland Quay with its
fascinating rock formations.
|
|
Broomhill Sculpture
Gardens
Stndrd2address
Tel: 01271 850262
60 sculptors - 300 sculptures - 10 acres of
garden in one of Devon's most glorious valleys.
Award winning restaurant. New works are
continually being added to the ever-changing
Sculpture Garden. The Art Gallery shows a richly
varied program of around eight exhibitions each
year.
|
|
|
New Members required for this section!
To join or recommend an establishment to
us, please
contact Tourist Net UK
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
