On our last Devon trip we spent a day at Antony House, Torpoint. This 18th century mansion tells the story of a family caught up in the English civil war, a place which is still home to the Carew- Poles.
Before entering the house it was great to visit a small exhibition of some interesting artefacts, including one of Humphry Repton’s original ‘Red Books’, where he set out his assessment and vision of the gardens including some beautiful, if soemtimes fantastical, ‘before and after’ watercolour illustrations.
‘A house of silver grey stone, Antony is a beguiling mixture of the formal and informal. It’s believed to be one of the finest surviving Queen Anne buildings in the West Country.
View the outstanding collection of portraits, including works by Sir Joshua Reynolds and a famous painting of Charles I during his trial. There are also fine examples of period furniture, textiles and tapestries.
Breathe in the sweeping views as you explore the landscape garden, which includes a formal garden with topiary, modern sculptures and the National Collection of Daylilies.
The Woodland Garden, owned and run by the Carew Pole Garden Trust, also has outstanding rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias and camellias.
The magic of Antony was captured by director Tim Burton, as a film location for his blockbuster, Alice in Wonderland.’
The gardens and grounds are exceptional. The tree collection is especially interesting and I was pleased (and inspired) by their tree trail which gives few bits of information alongside each specimen – and there are plenty of these, many at or beyond maturity. The walks around the woodland garden are peaceful, with a selection of viewing and sitting points overlooking the nearby channel, and, when we visited, a superb collection of Rhododendrons and Azaleas in flower. I also loved the pond and some playful timber seats, which contrast with some very old wooden seats in the more formal garden spaces.
As you may have read earlier this week, in my post about my latest session at Blickling, I’ve made progress in getting a similar tree trail project going there, so am very thankful for the detailed information Antony provided on how they put theirs together.
Further information: National Trust website
Old School Gardener
Sorry I’ve been a bit lax in my original posting recently. It’s been a busy time and I added to my schedule a few sessions at an archaeological dig on the edge of Aylsham, the ‘Aylsham Roman Project’ next to a well known nursery, Woodgate.
Old School Garden 