Castle Hill

Exceptional 50 acre garden surrounding magnificent Palladian house, including lavender edged herbaceous borders and a water sculpture, woodland walks with Daffodils, Bluebells, Camellias, Magnolias Azaleas, Eucryphias. Outstanding views, Temples and a sham Castle.

Castle Hill was built in 1730 as the Earl Fortesque's family home in North Devon. The Palladian House, in which his descendants, the Earl and Countess of Arran are living, is set in an 18th century parkland landscape with grass terraces and statues leading down to the river and lakes.

To the east side of the house is the Millenium Garden designed by Xa Tollemache, a Chelsea Gold Medalist. The large herbaceous borders are edged with box and lavender and an illuminated "topiary" water sculpture was designed and built by Giles Rayner in 2002. From there the path takes you to the formal terraced lawns in front of the house where the eye is then drawn across a small country road by a tree-lined avenue towards the Triumphal Arch built as an eye-catcher.

Follwing the path to the west of the house, the woodland gardens are reached where there are Camellias, Magnolias, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Hydrangeas and Eucryphias planted in abundance, together with many other beautiful shrubs abd rare trees growing both by the river, along an network of woodland paths and in the Easter Close. Many of the paths, some gentle, some steep, are punctuated with follies, and temples built by each generation of the Fortesque family. The final climb takes you to the Castle perched splendidly on the high hill behind the house with magnificent views to Exmoor, Dartmoor and Lundy Island.

Opening Times

2008 Opening: 01/02/2008 - 01/09/2008

Additional Images

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