National Trust Knightshayes - Tiverton

Breathtaking gardens are worth exploring an hour or 2 with many well-planted crosses along, but a simple walk around them. the spring blossoms were beautiful. house is worth visiting in the inner, and volunteer staff very helpful. the gardens were the highlight.

Beautiful house set in amazing garden's. A real gem of mid Devon. Lot's of interesting artifacts to observe on your tour of the house. The national trust staff where very knowledgeable and gave us great insight into the history of the house. We'll worth the time to visit if your in this area.

This was out first visit and we will be back. Lovely grounds. House is lovely with friendly volunteers. We will definitely be back when they open the upstairs rooms. Lots of people walking their dogs. Toilets were clean. Coffee shop looked lovely and busy. A few steep-ish inclines but not too bad. Few steps here and there.

A 19th century house, set in beautifully landscaped grounds. Google Maps seemed to be trying to take me in the wrong direction, into a no through road; I followed the old NT road sign which took me straight to the actual entrance. Watch out for a very narrow road. The car parking is a bit confusing if you've not been there before. There are several smaller parking positions, but the main car park is at the top of the hill behind the house. Don't forget to use your membership card to validate the parking. There are a few picnic areas before going into the main part of the property, and took advantage of one of these; very tranquil. The entrance exit, cafe shop are in what was once the stable yard area. It's been refurbished in a way that still allows you to imagine what they once looked like. The house is a short distance from the entrance, along a well made path; there are a few benches to stop on along the way if you need. For those less mobile, there is an electric buggy service that can carry up to 4 people. The house itself is a solid structure, built with money made from lace during the early part of the Industrial Revolution. The guides will provide an excellent understanding of the interior decorations, which were primarily driven by the male members of the family. There are some particularly interesting features, especially the wall paper, ceiling decorations, and wood panelling, which show off the specific skills. At the moment, visits to the upper levels of the house are limited; unfortunately, we missed the last one for the day. Outside of the house, there are some great views across the valley to Tiverton. I belive that the large factory in the distance was built by the family that originally owned Knightshayes, although it's a private business now. There are very enjoyable walks in the grounds and one of the largest walled gardens in the NT portfolio. The volunteers here seem to keep in particular good condition, and it certainly seems to be highly productive. Overall, a very pleasant day out.

Lovely gardens to explore. Be sure to see woodland gardens. The house is very much the gothic style even the family redecorated it after spending thousands in today's money on the design. Be sure to have a coffee in front of the stables especially in the sun.