Lanhydrock House

Somehow, in all of our trips to Cornwall over the past 20+ years, we have never visited the National Trust property, Lanhydrock House! My Mum and Dad used to take the girls when they were little, and I know how much they all enjoyed it. I remember Tiegan giving me a detailed description of the kitchens! 😀 Anyway, today, we finally got to see it for ourselves. It was so worth a visit - and the forecast rain 🌧 held off, which was a bonus!

The Lanhydrock estate comprises the house, gardens, and extensive parkland. The estate was owned by the Glynn, Lyttleton, and Trenance families from 1543 until 1621, when it was acquired by Richard Robartes, the wealthiest man in Cornwall. He had made his money through supplying fuel for the tin industry and, later, by money lending. The Robartes family remained the owners of Lanhydrock until they gifted it to the National Trust in 1953.

Today, the house is presented as it would have been in its late Victorian and Edwardian heyday, when it was the home of Thomas, 2nd Lord Robartes, his wife Mary and their ten children, who were looked after by a staff of eighty!!

The rooms visitors see today were largely created after a devastating fire in 1881 had severely damaged much of the house. Lord Robartes instructed his architects to rebuild in a traditional Jacobean style to match the age of the original building, but according to a strict Victorian moral code, which segregated public and private areas, master and servant, young and old, male and female. Every function was given its own room - from Nursery Scullery to Lamp Room, Meat Larder to Prayer Room. Lanhydrock's Victorian kitchens, nursery suite, and staff quarters remain among the best preserved in Britain, offering a fantastic insight into a lost world, both above and below stairs.

We were particularly taken with all the gadgets found throughout the house, especially the collection of unusual time pieces and weather forecasting machines. I really liked the furniture and accessories in the arts and crafts style.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Lanhydrock. We will definitely return as there was far too much to take in in one visit.Read more