Killerton, near Exeter, has been transformed for Christmas with Wind in the Willows and Father Christmas arriving this week to begin the festive celebrations.
The recently uncovered house will be open from Saturday 25 November and will transport visitors into Kenneth Grahame’s mystical world of Toad, Ratty, Badger and Mole as the story of Wind in the Willows is told.
The four friend’s adventure will take place throughout the house, with the rooms in the Georgian mansion transformed into scenes from this much-loved tale of camaraderie and adventure. The magic will continue...
A project is underway at Knightshayes as part of an effort to create an archive of recorded memories from people who met and knew Joyce, Lady Heathcoat Amory. The team at Knightshayes are on a hunt to find anyone who might have known Joyce, visited her, met her, played golf with her or have any memories they’d like to share. The project will run alongside a larger project next year to celebrate Joyce and share stories about her life. As a generous and well known community figure in Tiverton, the team often hear of memories of local visitors and residents alike, but now would love to create...
Killerton has reached a fundraising milestone after supporters have helped raise £100,000 to put towards the roof conservation project.
The appeal, which was launched in January this year, asked supporters to help raise funds for vital roof repairs to help prevent damage to the much-loved house and collections. The project is now in its final stages and will see the roof being fully restored and conservation work undertaken on the stonework and parapets alongside the reinstatement of historic chimneys that had been previously removed.
Visitors to Knightshayes, Tiverton, on Saturday 9 September will be treated to free admission and the chance to experience behind-the-scenes tours and talks as part of the Heritage Open Day scheme. The National Trust team have seen the day as a great opportunity to champion the work their organisation does as a charity to help conserve special places like Knightshayes, and talk to people about how their support can help make a difference to their local National Trust property. There will be tours of both the house and the garden throughout the day that visitors can sign up to, and that...
Archaeologists working with the National Trust’s Killerton estate believe they may have found the location of the lost Killerton mansion that was started in 1775, but never completed. The lost house was re-discovered almost by accident. Rumours of the mansion, three times bigger than the surviving building at Killerton and more befitting of the Acland family’s wealth and status, have circulated for many years - but no-one has been able to find where the building work was located. All that has remained of the mansion are designs by renowned architect, James Wyatt, a few surviving records...
This half-term there are lots of family events on at Castle Drogo including crafty castle capers, a bird detective trail and meet the builder’s day. On Saturday 3 June from 11am-4pm Castle Drogo will be giving visitors the chance to get hands on and learn more about the ongoing building work to make the castle water tight.
In 2013 one of the largest projects ever undertaken by the National Trust began at Castle Drogo. The castle has suffered major structural problems ever since completion which has resulted in serious leaks and water penetration throughout the building. If...
Gardeners at three National Trust properties in Devon are celebrating a total of seventeen prizes across multiple categories, after a sweep of awards were won for rhododendron, magnolias, camellias and floral arrangements at the recent RHS Rosemoor Garden Show. Garden teams at Castle Drogo, Killerton and Greenway were thrilled to receive awards for their hard work nurturing the colourful flora, which visitors in Devon will be able enjoy when visiting the properties this season. Successes included ten prizes for Killerton, near Exeter, with four first prizes, three second prizes, two third...
Petrol heads can get their fill of vintage vehicles this spring at Killerton, when over 400 classic car enthusiasts take a pit stop in the historic parkland to showcase their polished pride and joys. The roaring event takes place on Sunday 14 May at the Killerton Estate, just outside of Exeter. With a backdrop arguably as beautiful as the auto motives, visitors can cruise into summer by admiring hundreds of classics while soaking up the surrounding cared-for landscape. Buttercup, a 1950’s yellow truck, will also be making a special guest appearance with the vintage vocal trio, ‘The Liberty...
Killerton House, near Exeter, has received a major £20,000 boost towards their overall fundraising target of £100,000 to plug the gaps in its leaking roof. Viridor Credits Environmental Company has awarded a grant via the Landfill Communities Fund to help to bring the historic roof scape back to life.
The £20,000 grant will fund rebuilding chimneys to their original heights and features, providing aesthetic value and symmetry to the mansion. Archive photographs of Killerton House have been carefully researched to inform the designs. Some chimneys will also be lined to allow the...
Broadclyst Community Primary School (BCPS) will welcome 60 new children to its reception class in September, and its sister school, Westclyst Community Primary School (WCPS) will gain 30 reception pupils.
The announcement of this week’s allocation of primary school places has confirmed that the very popular BCPS was once again oversubscribed. However, Cornerstone Academy Trust, which runs both schools and is currently building a permanent base for WCPS at nearby Hillside Gardens, is accepting another 30 children, across two reception classes, in extended temporary accommodation at...
