Arlington Court

Hello friends, I'm continuing to share our time in Britain as we celebrated our Golden Anniversary.  We spent our first two weeks in the Lake District and Scotland and now we are spending our second two weeks in Devon and Cornwall.  Come along with us today as we visit Arlington Court.  It is raining, but don't worry we have our brollies.  I hope you have your rain gear for when we exit the car.  

Driving along the roads in Devon is like a fairy tale.  Lovely thatched roof cottages dot the lanes as we travel to visit Arlington Court. 

We know the gentle rain showers provide the hill and dales with their lush green portrait.  

Hurry along with your brolly as we check in to tour Arlington Court.  The Chichester family has made this their home for 11 generations.  The National Trust now takes care of this lovely property and its collections.

Looking down the path we get a view of this lovely home that was built in three phases.  The neo-classical block was designed by Thomas Lee for Colonel John Chichester.  It replaced a Tudor home that had major structural issues.  Unfortunately the Colonel died before its completion in 1823.

His son John inherited the estate from his father.  He was given the title of baronet and was therefore known as Sir John.  

Sir John married Caroline Thistlethwayte in 1838.  They soon began decorating the interior of the home.  Join us as we go inside. 

The entrance foyer is quite grand.

The lovely plastered ceilings get my attention right away in the dining room.

The table is set for dinner.  Can you stay and join us?

The Copeland china certainly looks lovely on the table.  As well as the Mappin and Webb LTD. silver.

Each generation of Chichesters left their mark on the interior.  It's quite grand, but it has a comfortable feeling.

Gazing out the window it's still raining, but lovely.

There are always lovely flowers in all National Trust properties.

Perhaps you would like tea.  

The Boudoir has beautiful old silk hangings in the back that are over 200 years old.  They are now working on restoring them after removing the intricate woodwork that surround them.

There are extensive collections of the generations in a separate room.  Very much like a museum.

Going upstairs we learn more about the Chichester family.

Francis Chichester was a sailor and an aviator.  

Sir Francis Chichester was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for being the first person to sail alone around the world by clipper route in nine months and one day!

Arlington Court brings together 11 generations and collections.

The last person to live in Arlington Court was Rosalie Chichester born in 1865.  She gave Arlington Court to the National Trust in 1948.  She also gave land in Woolacombe and Mortehoe in 1908.  She passed away in 1949 and in her will bequeathed the rest of her property to the National Trust. 

Coleton Fishacre

Hello friends, we are continuing our recollections of our trip to Britain to celebrate our Golden Anniversary.  Today we are visiting Coleton Fishacre located in Dartmouth in Devon England.  It's only five miles away from Greenway, holiday home of Agatha Christie.  I hope you visited my post There .  So join us as we travel to another exciting property in Devon.

Can you see the water in the above photo?  It's looking toward the western end of the English Channel.  We drive the very narrow road and reach the car park.

After parking the car we need to go check in. Notice all the lovely blossoms still showing their pretty color in the fall. There is a tearoom that we must stop in and have some lunch.  I hope you will join us.

Grayden enjoyed the Hanity Pie.

I chose the Broccoli and White Bean soup.  It was served with a wonderful whole wheat bread along with that wonderful delicious English butter.  Oh how I love English butter!

After lunch we started our tour of Coleton Fishacre.  This wonderful home is full of Art Deco furnishings.  It was home to the D'Oyly Carte family of Gilbert and Sullivan fame.

The Arts and Crafts home was built in the mid 1920's.  Rupert D'Oyly Carte and Lady Dorothy saw this site on a sailing trip and decided to buy it and build their country home here.  The family enjoyed the property close to the sea for sailing trips and swimming in the Pudcombe Cove.  The National Trust acquired the property in 1982.  I love the stonework and the gardens that surround this home. 

You can see the lovely stonework and the slate roof tiles.  Also to the left is a huge fig tree!  I do enjoy seeing the creeping vines climb English homes, but always wonder if the tentacles disturb the mortar.

Making sure there are pollinators in this garden, a home was built for them.

Let's go inside this interesting home.  

A lovely arrangement greets us in the entryway.

The home is full of many items from the 1920's.  It just occurred to me next year this would make most of these collections to be 100 years old!

Such a large toiletry case. 

 

One area of the home that I really enjoyed was the kitchen or should I say kitchens.

In a home as large as this they certainly had help to maintain the home.  Here before the kitchens was a room for the servants.  These house dresses, as my Nanny would call them, look familiar.  Maybe made from feed sack material. 

Such a beautiful Aga stove!  Bread right out of the oven--Yum!

Another stove and nice prep area for evening meals.

I love this old cabinet.  Would you like some tea?

Or coffee if you prefer.

Or maybe you'd like a cocktail.  

Beautiful crockery to make meal planning easier.

A drying room nearby to dry linens and other essentials.  This home has it all for the families that lived here.

The gardens are so lush. There are rare and exotic plants from around the world at Coleton Fishacre.  Fall is a wonderful time to visit here.  Thank you for coming along with us as we travel!  Look at this sight as we were leaving.

Devon, you are certainly a lovely spot on this planet! ♥