HARTLAND ABBEY- A DAY OUT FOR ALL THE FAMILY
We welcome visitors to our home and hope very much that you have an enjoyable time in this special place. There are important collections of paintings, fine furniture, porcelain, family memorabilia, early photographs, documents and seals which have accumulated over the generations. The museum, gallery of local art and gift shop are of great interest to visitors. Delicious light lunches and home made cream teas are served in the old kitchens in aid of St Nectans church. In good weather there is lots of seating in the courtyard. Hartland Abbey was built in the 12thC, in a very beautiful valley leading to the sea, for the canons of St Augustine of Hippo. In 1539 Henry VIII gave it to the Sergeant of his Wine Cellar, whose descendants live here today. It is the lived–in home of Sir Hugh and Lady Stucley and their family and visitors constantly remark on the welcoming and homely atmosphere, so often absent in many houses open today. It is fun for all the family with so much to see and lots of space for children and dogs! There are beautiful woodland and walled gardens and a lovely walk leading to a wild Atlantic cove and cottage, the location for Rosamunde Pilcher’s ‘The Shell Seekers’ in 2007 and most recently as ‘Barton Cottage’ in the BBC’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s ‘Sense and Sensibility’. The Abbey was rebuilt in the 18th and 19th centuries and it contains fascinating architecture and murals. Sir George Gilbert Scott, famous for St Pancras Station and The Albert Memorial amongst much else, was responsible for the Drawing Room, Dining Room and the famous Alhambra Corridor. The woodland gardens are full of colour with camellias, rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias and many bulbs flowering in spring followed by the wonderful collection of hydrangeas in summer. Winding paths, designed by Gertrude Jekyll lead visitors to the Bog Garden, Fernery and 18thC Walled Gardens, full of beautiful climbers, tender and herbaceous perennials and vegetables grown for the house and for sale. Much of these gardens had been lost since the first world war and have recently been restored. The woodland walk to the beach is a carpet of bluebells, primroses and wildflowers in spring. For 2010 we are opening a beautiful path to the Gazebo which had been lost in undergrowth since 1914! For OPENING TIMES and ADMISSION CHARGES please see our website www.hartlandabbey.com
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