Trelissick House

IanH
IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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edited April 2017 in General Chat #1

I see that tonight's Antique Roadshow is based at this house. It's a house that we have often peered at from a distance, from the NT gardens.

Didn't know that the Trust had now been given the house. Looks like it needs a lot of work.....I wonder when it will open to the public?

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  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited April 2017 #2

    It's open now, Ian have a look at the NT website for details. Haven't been in the house itself yet because we always have the dogs with us, but the grounds are interesting. We go for the woodland walk every time we're down here! smile

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited April 2017 #3

    Excellent. Will be on our list to visit next time we make the long trek down there.

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,042 ✭✭✭
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    edited April 2017 #4

    Think it's close to King Harry Ferry? We haven't been in because of dogs. 

    Another interesting one, if you can get in is Godolphin House down near Heston. NT use it as holiday accommodation, but if it isn't booked, you might be able to look around. The Godolphin Estate is lovely, lots of nice walks, lots of history. The house was used as Trenwith in the first Poldark series. Very old, has Elizabethan gardens at the side. The Godolphin family owned a horse known as the Godolphin Arabian, from which early Thoroughbred breeding was started, along with a few other stud horses.laughing

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited April 2017 #5

    That's correct - the house is within about 400 metres of the ferry and the woodland walk, which you can take dogs on, passes the ferry landing itself. smile

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited April 2017 #6

    Ian, don't expect to see much in the house. It's being restored and just a couple of ground floor rooms are open, no special things to view yet but the terrace outside has views to the sea. The gardens and walks are what most people enjoy on their visits.

    TDA you can take the dogs anywhere at Trelissick except the formal gardens, there's a nice courtyard cafe, dog water bowls provided and an art gallery, we take it in turns for that and the shop which sells plants. The rest of the estate has lots of lovely walks, some to the river and beach others in woodlands.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited April 2017 #7

    A view of the house and the walk towards the beach.

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited May 2017 #8

    Hi Brue - yes, we've often walked in the gardens, but it's always felt like the house was 'out of bounds' to us in the distance. It will be nice to be able to walk up to it and even see a bit of it.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited May 2017 #9

    I'm not sure if the family still have an apartment there, most of the house contents were sold off so whatever the Trust does will just be "dressing" but it's a nice old building. You can walk down the previously private path in my photo and enjoy the terrace.

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,042 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2017 #10

    Did anyone ever visit Trevarno down near Heston? Not NT, but a really lovely garden. It closed due to some sort of inheritance wrangle a few years ago, a great shame, as it really was a lovely visit. Craft workshops and Helton railway project is still going, but no entry to garden now.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited May 2017 #11

    Yes, we've visited there in the past. Sorry to see it go. Must try Godolphin sometime. Tend to gravitate between Trelissick and Trebah. I like Trengwainton too, dogs welcome there. smile

  • RKJ52
    RKJ52 Forum Participant Posts: 130
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    edited May 2017 #12

    It is open but the NT have an awful lot of work to do. Apparently the NT were given the house and estate with proviso the family stayed in the house and maintained it. The family were the Spodes of the pottery fame. They had one of largest Spode collections and a couple of years ago sold the lot at auction raising several millions. I was told they then just quit the house and the NT were left with a lot of work to do. It was fairly empty the last time I went, but the grounds themselves are well worth a visit.

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited May 2017 #13

    I do wonder sometimes, whether the NT are just used by some of these families. Often, they are left living in the house (or at least, having apartments there) while the NT foot the bill for all the maintnance and upkeep.

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited May 2017 #14

    I also think that the NT waste an awful lot of money on refurbishing properties.

    They spend a fortune on a paint that perfectly matches what was on the walls hundreds of years ago. Or they have carpets specially woven, to look like one that was once there.

    When these houses were occupied, they constantly evolved and often used the latest materials available.

    Most (if not all) visitors would simply not notice if modern equivalents were used and it would not detract from the visitor experience.

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