Coleton Fishacre facts for kids
Coleton Fishacre is a beautiful country home and garden located near Kingswear in Devon, England. It covers about 24 acres (9.7 hectares) and is designed in the Arts and Crafts style. Since 1982, this special place has been looked after by the National Trust, a charity that protects historic places and natural beauty.
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The House at Coleton Fishacre
The house at Coleton Fishacre was built between 1923 and 1926. It was designed as a country getaway for Rupert D'Oyly Carte and his wife, Lady Dorothy Carte. The architect, Oswald Milne, made sure the house followed the ideas of the Arts and Crafts Movement. This meant focusing on simple designs and excellent craftsmanship.
Even though it used older design ideas, the house also had a modern feel for its time, especially inside. The interior shows off the Art Deco style, which was very popular then. The house is built from local stone with a special slate roof. It's so well-designed that it was featured twice in Country Life magazine! The property even stretches all the way down to the sea.
Lady Dorothy Carte eventually made Coleton Fishacre her main home. After her divorce in 1941, her daughter, Bridget D'Oyly Carte, took care of the house. Her father, Rupert, would visit often from London. Bridget sold the house in 1949 to Rowland Smith, who owned a hotel. He and his wife, Freda, looked after the property until Rowland passed away in 1979. Today, the house is a Grade II listed building, which means it's an important historic building that needs to be protected.
The Garden at Coleton Fishacre
The garden at Coleton Fishacre is truly amazing! It stretches down a narrow valley, called a "combe," from the house all the way to the sea at Pudcombe Cove. Lady Dorothy Carte was the one who first planted this garden. She filled it with rare and exotic plants.
Many of these plants usually need a warmer, subtropical climate to grow. But here, they thrive because the Gulf Stream ocean current brings warm water close to the coast of Devon. Lady Dorothy was known for finding these unusual plants during her travels around the world. The Cartes had a team of six gardeners to look after this huge garden, which was more staff than they had for the house! The garden is also a Grade II* listed site, meaning it's a very important historic garden.
Coleton Fishacre and the National Trust
The National Trust took over Coleton Fishacre in 1982. They bought it as part of their "Project Neptune," which aims to protect the coastline and complete the South West Coast Path. The garden was opened to visitors right away. However, the house was rented out for a while. Finally, in 1999, the National Trust opened the house to the public as well. Now, everyone can visit and enjoy this beautiful historic home and its stunning gardens.
See also
- D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
- Gilbert and Sullivan
