Cotehele is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

house with Tudor additions, situated in the parish of

Calstock Calstock () is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and a large village in south east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, on the border with Devon. The village is situated on the River Tamar south west of Tavistock, Devon, Tavistock and no ...

in the east of

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, England, and now belonging to the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

. It is a rambling granite and slate-stone manor house on the banks of the

River Tamar The Tamar (; ) is a river in south west England that forms most of the border between Devon (to the east) and Cornwall (to the west). A large part of the valley of the Tamar is protected as the Tamar Valley National Landscape (an Area of Outsta ...

that has been little changed over five centuries. It was built by the Edgecumbe family in 1485 after the original Manor House was pulled down. Sir Richard Edgecumbe came into the property after fighting for Henry Tudor in the

Battle of Bosworth The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field ( ) was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York that extended across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 ...

. He was gifted with money and the original Manor House and estate and then proceeded to build Cotehele.

History

The house was acquired by William Edgcumbe through his marriage to Hilaria, heiress of Cotehele. The house is one of the least altered of the Tudor houses in the United Kingdom. The outbuildings include a stone dovecote in a remarkable state of preservation. For centuries a second home of the Edgcumbe family, hosting a royal visit from King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

in 1788, it was the first property to be accepted by the Treasury in payment of death duty. The house and estate are now under the care of the

. Notable contents include the Cotehele cupboard and the

Cotehele clock The Cotehele clock is situated at Cotehele, Cotehele House, Calstock, Cornwall. It is the earliest turret clock in the United Kingdom still working in an unaltered state and in its original position. It was probably installed between 1493 and 1 ...

. The house contains many tapestries that came, along with much of the furniture, from

Mount Edgcumbe House Mount Edgcumbe House is a stately home in south-east Cornwall and is a Grade II listed building, whilst its gardens and parkland are listed as Grade I in the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. Mount Edgcumb ...

. Regrettably, some have had pieces cut out to fit them in their new locations.

The site

The house is a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

building, having been so designated on 21 July 1951. The house was probably founded around 1300 and various alterations were made in the early fifteenth century. Sir Richard Edgcumbe seems to have been involved in the first phase of development from 1486 to 1489, with his son Sir Piers Edgcumbe taking over for the second phase, from 1489 to 1520. The grounds stretch down to a

quay A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...

on the

where there is an outpost of the

National Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the Unit ...

. There are a number of formal gardens and a richly planted area in the valley; features include a medieval dovecote, a stewpond, a Victorian summerhouse and the eighteenth century Prospect Tower. The gardens and parkland are listed as Grade II* on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. The south west side of the estate is bordered by the Morden stream which joins the Tamar at the quay. The estate mill is fed by this stream. The mill was used to grind grain bought in Plymouth and brought up river on the barge ''Myrtle'', and also to drive a sawmill and a generator for electricity. The Grade II listed mill has been restored to working order, producing flour for use in the restaurant as well as for sale. In 2008 a 'Mother Orchard' of over 250 apple trees, mainly of West-country varieties, was planted. The 8 acre orchard site is divided into eating, culinary and cider varieties.

Cotehele's chapels

Cotehele House Chapel

In Cotehele, on the west side of Hall Court are the Vicarage and the chapel, the chapel is connected to the main building via a small passageway leading to the dining room. The patron saints are St. Katharine and

St. Anne According to apocrypha, as well as Christian and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, the wife of Joachim and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Bible's canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's na ...

. The chapel is among the oldest rooms in the house, alongside the Great Hall. In the chapel, there is a very rare and the original clock, still in operation today, it dates back to the

Tudor period In England and Wales, the Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603, including the Elizabethan era during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England, which began with ...

Cotehele Woodland Chapel

In the grounds of Cotehele, directly East of the House close to the

, lies a peaceful, basic chapel. inside there are pews going around the walls, two minister's benches and a very ornate table. the patron saints of the chapel are

St George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...

and St

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...

. The chapel was built by Sir

Richard Edgcumbe (died 1489) Sir Richard Edgcumbe (alias ''Edgecombe'', etc.) (c. 1443 – 8 September 1489) of Cotehele in the parish of Calstock in Cornwall, was an English courtier and Member of Parliament. Origins He was the son and heir of Piers Edgcumbe of Cotehele ...

between 1485 and 1489 as a thanksgiving for his escape from forces loyal to

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

in 1483.

The Edgcumbe Chapel

The Edgcumbe Chapel is located in the East of the Northern aisle at St. Andrew's Church

, it contains two monuments of the late 17th- century: to Piers Edgcumbe (1666) and to Jemima, Countess of Sandwich (1674). it is no longer a chapel, but used by ministers to store religious items.

Film location

Cotehele was used in the filming of

Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is an English theatre director and lyricist. He has been the artistic director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal Haymarket. He has dir ...

's 1996 film adaptation of ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

''. it was used for scenes taking place in the quayside tavern and the inside of Orsino's castle.

Gallery

File:Cotehele main building and garden.jpg, Main building and garden File:Cotehele_House,_The_Christmas_Garland_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1604452.jpg, Flower garlands at Cotehele File:Cotehele_House,_The_Christmas_Garland_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1604574.jpg, Flower garlands at Cotehele

References

External links

Cotehele information at the National Trust

Cotehele Mill information at the National Trust
* {{Authority control Gardens in Cornwall Grade I listed buildings in Cornwall Grade I listed houses Country houses in Cornwall National Trust properties in Cornwall Historic house museums in Cornwall Grade II* listed parks and gardens in Cornwall Hall houses