Killerton is an 18th-century house in Broadclyst,

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal c ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, England, which, with its hillside

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

and estate, has been owned by the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

since 1944 and is open to the public. The National Trust displays the house as a comfortable home. On display in the house is a collection of 18th- to 20th-century costumes, originally known as the Paulise de Bush collection, shown in period rooms. The estate covers some 2590 hectares (25.9 km², 6400 acres). Included in the estate is a steep wooded hillside with the remains of an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post- ...

on top of it, known as Dolbury, which has also yielded evidence of Roman occupation, thought to be a possible fort or marching camp within the hill fort. Killerton House itself and the Bear's Hut summerhouse in the grounds are Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

s. The gardens are Grade II* listed in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

History

The manor of Columbjohn in the parish of Broadclyst was purchased by Sir John Acland, MP and

High Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative ...

. Shortly afterwards, in 1612, the adjoining estate of Killerton was purchased by his nephew Sir Arthur Acland of

Acland Acland is an English surname. The Aclands of Devon (often Dyke Acland: see Acland baronets, Dyke Acland baronets) were an influential family, whose name was derived from Acland near Barnstaple. Notable people with the surname include: * Alexande ...

in the parish of Landkey. The present Georgian Killerton House was built by the 7th baronet, Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, in 1778. The chapel was built in 1738 to the designs of

Charles Robert Cockerell Charles Robert Cockerell (27 April 1788 – 17 September 1863) was an English architect, archaeologist, and writer. He studied architecture under Robert Smirke. He went on an extended Grand Tour lasting seven years, mainly spent in Greece. ...

. The garden was created in the 1770s by John Veitch, one of the leading

landscape design Landscape design is an independent profession and a design and art tradition, practiced by landscape designers, combining nature and culture. In contemporary practice, landscape design bridges the space between landscape architecture and gard ...

ers of the time. It features

rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nativ ...

magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

herbaceous border A herbaceous border is a collection of perennial herbaceous plants (plants that live for more than two years and are soft-stemmed and non-woody) arranged closely together, usually to create a dramatic effect through colour, shape or large scale. ...

s and rare trees, as well as an ice house and early 19th-century

summer house A summer house or summerhouse has traditionally referred to a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather. This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden ...

. The surrounding parkland and woods offer a number of circular walks. Plans attributed to

William Sawrey Gilpin William Sawrey Gilpin (4 October 1762 – 4 April 1843) was an English artist and drawing master, and in later life a landscape designer. Biography Gilpin was born at Scaleby Castle, Cumbria on 4 October 1762, the son of the animal painter Sa ...

(1762-1843) for a new drive from Killerton to Columbjohn (1820) were not implemented; a short play about of the meeting between Veitch and Gilpin was commissioned by The

in the gardens of Killerton in mid 2016. Killerton was given to the National Trust by British politician Sir Richard Dyke Acland, 15th Baronet in 1944, and in September 2015 the National Trust commissioned a short drama to be staged on the site entitled ''The Gift'', written by Eileen Dillon, telling the story of Sir Richard's decision to hand over his estate.

The lost house

In 2016 an archaeological dig discovered what is believed to be a footprint of an intended replacement home to the current Killerton. Reports believe that this is what has been known in history as the lost house of Devon, of 240 years, designed by architect

James Wyatt James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to 1806. Early life W ...

. It is within the grounds a shortish walk from the current site, and its existence was obscured by a

copse Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, which is called a copse, young tree stems are repeated ...

that looks to have been deliberately planted to hide it. The National Trust has placed woodwork in the four corners of what is believed would have been the corners of the intended property. They have also placed a door and frame on what they believe would have been the entrance to the intended billiard room. Killerton's information boards on the site state that there is an intention for further archaeological digs in the future.

References

External links

Killerton information at the National Trust
*
Wikidata list of paintings on show at Killerton House
{{Authority control Hill forts in Devon Roman fortifications in Devon Gardens in Devon Country houses in Devon Grade II* listed buildings in Devon Grade II* listed parks and gardens in Devon National Trust properties in Devon Veitch Nurseries Museums in Exeter Historic house museums in Devon Fashion museums in the United Kingdom Grade II* listed houses Roman fortified camps in England