Killerton House and Gardens

HOUSE

The Killerton estate is first mentioned in 1242. It is believed that the name originated with a family named Kildrington. In the Elizabethan period the estate was sold to the Acland family, who owned the adjoining property at Columb John. In the late 18th century Sir Thomas Acland, the 7th Baronet, decided to move the family seat to Killerton.

The architect of the new house was John Johnson, who was instructed by Sir Thomas to build a temporary residence until a more elaborate home could be built on he hill above the site. As it turned out, Sir Thomas's son died shortly after, in 1778, and he abandoned plans for a second mansion. The house was remodeled and expanded several times over the subsequent centuries, but it is essentially the same building that Johnson planned.

Pride of place in the interior is the Killerton costume collection. The first floor of the house is given over to the collection, which displays a fresh set of 7000 items each year.

The estate is immense, stretching to over 6400 acres, including working farms and 240 cottages. Of these, almost 30 are of medieval origin, including Marker's Cottage. The cottage boasts an excellent medieval painted screen with an unusual mix of secular and religious themes.

GARDENS

An 18 acre hillside garden within 4000 acres of woods, originally created at the time the house was built by Scotsman John Veitch. Veitch was an interesting character; the story goes that he walked from Edinburgh to London to look for work. He found employment as a nurseryman, and Sir Thomas Acland asked him to create a garden at Killerton, improving on the natural landscape.

Veitch and his son James created a network of woodland paths and planted varieties of foreign trees and shrubs, including Wellingtonia. Because of its mild climate Killerton was used as something of a trial ground for plants brought back from all corners of the globe, and many plants which are now found throughout the British Isles were first planted at Killerton.

Later the influential Victorian garden writer William Robinson had a hand in the design of the Killerton gardens. Killerton is famous for trees and shrubs. There are a series of terraced beds, with dwarf shrubs and copious rhododendrons. Circular walks through the woods provide for an enjoyable outing.

Above the house is a "clump" or hillfort dating to the Iron Age. The hill, also known as Dolbury, is reputed in folklore to be protected by the Killerton Dragon, which every night flies between Killerton and Cadbury Hill to keep safe a hidden treasure.

The estate at Killerton, as well as that at Holnicote, was given to the National Trust by Sir Richard Acland, whose left-leaning political beliefs precluded his ownership of such a vast tract of land.