Summary
Arlington Court is a comfortable Regency manor set in lovely Devon countryside
near Barnstaple. The Arlington estate houses the National Trust collection
of historic carriages.
The House
Arlington Court was built around 1820 by local Devon architect Thomas Lee for
John Chichester. Lee designed a stuccoed Regency house in the style of
an intimate villa. The Arlington estate was in the hands of the Chichester family
from the 17th century until the death of Rosalie Chichester in 1949.
The interior of the house is crammed with a ecclectic mix of
period furniture and unusual items collected by the Chichester family over
the years. The bulk of the collections were the work of Rosalie Chichester,
an inveterate traveller. Among the larger and more unique collections are model
ships and a wide variety of shells, but there are a huge number of other objects,
including stuffed birds, pewter plates, and tea caddies, as well as unsual
curios gleaned by Rosalie Chichester on her travels across the globe.
The entrance to Arlington Court is fairly subdued, but this gives
onto a grand staircase hall, which takes up fully one-third of the interior.
Cannon from Sir Bruce Chichester's ship Erminia stand guard over the
staircase, and everywhere are display cases full to bursting with curios and
objet d'art.
The Grounds
The estate at Arlington is vast, stretching to over 2700 acres. Within the
estate boundaries are a Victorian garden, a walled kitchen garden, a heronry,
a horseshoe bat colony (viewable in season via 'Bat Cam'), and woodland
and field walks. Horse-drawn carriage rides (extra charge applies),
allow visitirs a different way to explore the grounds nearer the house.
In a whimsical touch, the horses that pull the Arlington carriages are all
named after characters from the novels of Charles Dickens. Throughout the
season visitors can take special carriage driving lessons as well.
The Stable Block is home to the National Trust's collection
opf historic horse-drawn carriages. There are over 50 carriages in the collection,
ranging from an ornate State Coach to a more practical Hansom cab.
Arlington Court for Families
Our children, aged 5 and 11 at the time of our visit, loved the carriage ride
at Arlington, despite the fact that the day was wet and windy. It was a big
thrill for all of us to skittle along behind a team of horses as we toured
the Arlington estate. Our children also enjoyed discovering the unusual creations
to be found along the sculpture trail.
What you will see:
An elegant Regency house
National Trust's horse drawn carriage collection
Bat colonies
ecclectic collections of Rosalie Chichester
Sculpture walk and a variety of signposted country walks
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