Cotehele

Cotehele is one of the least altered medieval and Tudor houses in England, set high above the River Tamar in east Cornwall. The National Trust property dates from the 15th century and retains its original Great Hall, complete with a whale’s jawbone flanking the doorway. Inside, rooms are hung with tapestries and furnished with arms, armour, pewter, brass, and old oak furniture. A rare Tudor clock from around 1489 - believed to be one of the oldest unaltered domestic clocks in the country - is still in working order.

The 14 acres of gardens include formally planted terraces, a Valley Garden with a medieval stewpond and dovecote, and two orchards planted with heritage varieties of Cornish apples and cherries. Below the gardens, a wooded valley leads down to a Victorian watermill and traditional workshops beside the Morden stream.

The estate stretches across 1,300 acres with miles of footpaths through woodland and along the riverbank. At Cotehele Quay on the Tamar, an outpost of the National Maritime Museum houses the restored Tamar sailing barge Shamrock, and a discovery centre covers the river’s trading history. The combination of architecture, gardens, and riverside landscape makes Cotehele one of the most complete historic estates in Cornwall.