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Mount Edgcumbe House is a
stately home 300px, Oxfordshire.html" ;"title="Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire">Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a To ...
in south-east
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, ...
and is a
Grade II listed building 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, H ...
, whilst its gardens and parkland are listed as Grade I in the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.
Mount Edgcumbe Country Park Mount Edgcumbe Country Park is a National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, grade I listed country park in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The country park is on the Rame Peninsula, overlooking Plymouth Sound and the River Tamar. The p ...
is situated in the parish of Maker on the
Rame Peninsula The Rame Peninsula () is a peninsula in south-east Cornwall. It is surrounded by the English Channel to the south, Plymouth Sound to the east, the Hamoaze to the northeast and the estuary of the River Lynher to the north-west. On a clear day, ...
, overlooking
Plymouth Sound Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a deep inlet or sound in the English Channel near Plymouth in England. Description Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point in Devon, a distance of abo ...
; its main entrance is in the village of Cremyll. From Tudor times, it was the principal seat of the Edgcumbe family, many of whom served as MP before Richard Edgcumbe was raised to the
peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...
as Baron Edgcumbe in 1742. His 2nd son, George, was advanced to the rank of
Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...
in 1789.


History

Sir Richard Edgcumbe built the original house between 1547 and 1553 and it is said to have served as inspiration for architect Robert Smythson's
Wollaton Hall Wollaton Hall is an Elizabethan country house of the 1580s standing on a small but prominent hill in Wollaton Park, Nottingham, England. The house is now Nottingham Natural History Museum, with Nottingham Industrial Museum in the outbuilding ...
. It was completely gutted during World War II by German bombs in 1941, with the restoration process beginning in 1958 at the 6th Earl's instigation. In 1971, the 7th Earl sold the estate to Cornwall County Council and
Plymouth City Council Plymouth City Council is the local authority for the city of Plymouth, in the ceremonial county of Devon, England. Plymouth has had a council since 1439, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1998 the council has been a unitary aut ...
, and it has been open to the public since 1988. Its interiors have been restored to 18th-century styles. The Mount Edgcumbe House estate continues to be jointly owned by
Cornwall Council Cornwall Council ( ), known between 1889 and 2009 as Cornwall County Council (), is the local authority which governs the non-metropolitan county of Cornwall in South West England. Since 2009 it has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary ...
and Plymouth City Council and is one of South East Cornwall's most popular historic tourist attractions. The Country Park, on the
Rame Peninsula The Rame Peninsula () is a peninsula in south-east Cornwall. It is surrounded by the English Channel to the south, Plymouth Sound to the east, the Hamoaze to the northeast and the estuary of the River Lynher to the north-west. On a clear day, ...
, is the earliest landscaped grounds in Cornwall and is very popular with walkers: one can walk from the Cremyll Ferry through the property to the villages of Kingsand and Cawsand. The Park, open to visitors every day all through the year from 8am till dusk, houses the National
Camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas in East Asia, eastern and South Asia, southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are ...
Collection. A classic car show is held annually in the grounds, hosted by the ''Friends of Mount Edgcumbe'' and a variety of other events, which include art classes with Louise Courtnell, theatre performances, and a forestry school, are also held there. However, the House and the adjoining Earl's Garden are only open to visitors during the summer months, from the beginning of April until the end of September. In 1986 Mount Edgcumbe was the camp site of the "Westcountry Jamboree", a large scout camp of Devon and Cornwall scouts hosting also international guests.


Historical features of interest

The gardens include the following features: Barn Pool, a sheltered deep water anchorage used by the Vikings in 997. Offshore is the wreck of the ship ''Catharina von Flensburg'', which went down in 1786. Barrow - a
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
burial mound, dating from about 1200 BC, re-used as a "Prospect Mound" in the 18th century. A prospect mound is an artificial mound, generally conical, placed within a garden or park to provide a viewing point to overlook the garden or park. Blockhouse, c. 1545 - a small fort built on the shoreline during King
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
's
Device Forts The Device Forts, also known as Henrician castles and blockhouses, were a series of artillery fortifications built to defend the coast of England and Wales by Henry VIII of England, Henry VIII. Traditionally, the Crown had left coastal defences ...
program, to defend the mouth of the Tamar and the Edgcumbe's town of Stonehouse opposite. Coastguard Station at Rame, originally a Lloyds Signal Station, where signalling was done from passing ships to the station by flags during the day and by lights at night; it became a radio station in 1905, then transferred to the Coastguards c.1925. Now run by the
National Coastwatch Institution The National Coastwatch Institution is a voluntary sector, voluntary organisation and registered charity, providing a visual watch along the United Kingdom, UK's coasts, and is not to be confused with Her Majesty's Coastguard, HM Coastguard. ...
. Cremyll Ferry c. 1204 - a major ferry crossing between Devon and Cornwall since medieval times. The ferry still operates a foot passenger service between Cremyll and Plymouth. The Deer Wall, c. 1695 - a stone wall with outer ditch protecting the
amphitheatre An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...
from deer, now incomplete. Deer on Rame Peninsula, In 1515 Sir Piers Edgcumbe was given permission by King Henry VIII to empark deer. Their descendants still roam freely throughout Rame. Folly, c. 1747 - an artificial ruin which replaced a navigation obelisk. The folly was built from medieval stone taken from the ruined churches of St George and St Lawrence, at Stonehouse. Formal Gardens, c. 1750 to 1820 - Italian, English and French style gardens. Recent additions to the grounds include the New Zealand and American gardens (1989) and the Jubilee Gardens (2003). St Mary's and St Julian's Church, first mentioned in 1186 and enlarged in the 15th century, the Church of St Mary and St Julian of Maker with Rame includes the Edgcumbe Chapel - Robert Edgcumbe, 8th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe was Patron of the Living. Milton's Temple, c. 1755 - a circular Ionian temple, with a plaque inscribed with lines from the poem ''
Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an Epic poetry, epic poem in blank verse by the English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The poem concerns the Bible, biblical story of the fall of man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their ex ...
'', "overhead up grew, Insuperable heights of loftiest shade....."
John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...
, (1608–1674). The Orangery, situated in the Italian Garden, this is thought to have been built as early as 1760. The building is now a fully licensed restaurant. Stables c. 1850 - The stables, dairy, smithy, sawmill and stores, all essential to the running of the Mount Edgcumbe estate. This area is now open to visitors.


References


External links


Official websitePlymouth City Council: Mount Edgcumbe WebsiteVisit Cornwall: Images of the house and parkThe Friends of Mount Edgcumbe
{{Authority control Gardens in Cornwall Country houses in Cornwall Historic house museums in Cornwall Grade II listed buildings in Cornwall Grade II listed houses