Mount Edgcumbe House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Edgcumbe House |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Official name: Mount Edgcumbe House | |
| Designated | 21 July 1951 |
| Reference no. | 1160959 |
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Mount Edgcumbe House is a beautiful old mansion located in south-east Cornwall, England. It is considered a very important historical building, known as a Grade II listed building. Its amazing gardens and parkland are even more special, listed as Grade I in the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.
The house is part of Mount Edgcumbe Country Park. This park is found on the Rame Peninsula, which is a piece of land that sticks out into the sea. It looks out over Plymouth Sound, a large natural harbor. The main entrance to the park is in the small village of Cremyll.
For hundreds of years, since the time of the Tudors, Mount Edgcumbe House was the main home of the Edgcumbe family. Many members of this family became important politicians, serving as Members of Parliament. Later, in 1742, Richard Edgcumbe, 1st Baron Edgcumbe was given a special title, becoming a Baron. His second son, George Edgcumbe, 1st Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, was made an Earl in 1789.
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The Story of Mount Edgcumbe House
Sir Richard Edgcumbe started building the original house between 1547 and 1553. People say that its design might have inspired another famous house, Wollaton Hall. Sadly, during World War II, German bombs badly damaged the house in 1941.
The good news is that the house was rebuilt! The restoration work began in 1958, thanks to the 6th Earl. In 1971, the 7th Earl sold the estate to Cornwall County Council and Plymouth City Council. Since 1988, Mount Edgcumbe House has been open for everyone to visit. The inside of the house has been carefully restored to look like it did in the 1700s.
Who Owns Mount Edgcumbe Today?
Today, the Mount Edgcumbe House estate is still owned together by Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council. It is one of the most popular historical places to visit in South East Cornwall.
The Country Park is the oldest designed landscape in Cornwall. It is a favorite spot for walkers. You can walk from the Cremyll Ferry all the way through the park to the villages of Kingsand and Cawsand. The park is open every day of the year from morning until evening. It is also home to the National Camellia Collection, which is a special collection of camellia plants.
Fun Events at the Park
Many events happen at Mount Edgcumbe. Every year, a classic car show is held in the grounds. This show is put on by the Friends of Mount Edgcumbe, a group that helps support the park. Other activities include art classes, theater shows, and even a forestry school.
While the park is open all year, the house itself and the Earl's Garden are only open during the summer months. You can visit them from the beginning of April until the end of September. In 1986, Mount Edgcumbe was also the location for a big scout camp called the "Westcountry Jamboree."
Interesting Historical Spots
The gardens and park at Mount Edgcumbe have many cool historical features. Here are some of them:
- Barn Pool: This is a calm, deep part of the water. Vikings used it as a safe place to anchor their ships way back in 997. There's even a shipwreck offshore from 1786, called the Catharina von Flensburg.
- Barrow: This is an ancient burial mound from the Bronze Age, around 1200 BC. Later, in the 1700s, it was used as a "Prospect Mound." A prospect mound is a small, artificial hill built in a garden or park. It gives you a great view of the surrounding area.
- Blockhouse: Built around 1545, this was a small fort right on the shoreline. King Henry VIII had it built as part of his Device Forts program. Its job was to protect the mouth of the River Tamar and the nearby town of Stonehouse.
- Coastguard Station at Rame: This building was first a signal station for Lloyds, where ships would communicate using flags during the day and lights at night. It became a radio station in 1905 and then a Coastguard station around 1925. Today, it is run by the National Coastwatch Institution.
- Cremyll Ferry: This ferry has been an important way to cross between Devon and Cornwall since medieval times, around 1204. The ferry still operates today, carrying people between Cremyll and Plymouth.
- The Deer Wall: Built around 1695, this stone wall with a ditch was meant to protect a special garden area from deer. It is not complete anymore.
- Deer on Rame Peninsula: In 1515, King Henry VIII gave Sir Piers Edgcumbe permission to keep deer in the park. The descendants of these deer still roam freely throughout the Rame Peninsula today.
- Folly: Around 1747, an artificial ruin was built here. It replaced an old navigation tower. This "folly" was made from stones taken from the ruined churches of St George and St Lawrence in Stonehouse.
- Formal Gardens: These beautiful gardens were designed between 1750 and 1820 in Italian, English, and French styles. More recently, New Zealand and American gardens were added in 1989, and the Jubilee Gardens in 2003.
- St Mary's and St Julian's Church: This church was first mentioned in 1186 and made larger in the 1400s. It includes the Edgcumbe Chapel. The Edgcumbe family has a long history with this church.
- Milton's Temple: Built around 1755, this is a round temple with columns. It has a plaque with lines from the famous poem Paradise Lost by John Milton.
- The Orangery: Located in the Italian Garden, this building might have been built as early as 1760. It was likely used to grow citrus trees. Today, it is a restaurant.
- Stables: Built around 1850, these buildings were essential for running the Mount Edgcumbe estate. They included stables for horses, a dairy, a blacksmith's shop, a sawmill, and storage areas. This area is now open for visitors to explore.
