Arlington Court and the National Trust Carriage Museum

About the museum

Arlington Court was the home of the Chichester family, who held the estate for more than 500 years. In 1790 Colonel John Chichester had an older house, thought to have begun as a Tudor hunting lodge, remodelled by the architect John Meadows. The result had structural problems and lasted only about thirty years, so the family built a new neo-classical house lower down the hill to a design by Thomas Lee, finished in 1823. Colonel Chichester died just as the work was completed and never lived there.

His son, Sir John Chichester, and his wife Caroline finished the interiors from 1838 using the London firm Crace & Son as designers. Parts of these schemes survive intact in the Dining Room, Ante Room and Boudoir. The house was planned with a large servants' area, bigger than the part used by the family, with the kitchens in the basement. Later generations added to the building over about 150 years, and the rooms hold the family's collections of pewter, shells and other items, along with a pen and ink drawing by William Blake.

The National Trust acquired the house in 1949. The National Trust Carriage Museum, also on the estate, shows more than 40 horse-drawn vehicles, from state coaches built for the nobility to humble carts used on the estate. Around the house are a formal Victorian garden with a conservatory and walled kitchen garden, a lake and a wider estate of about 2,600 acres, partly a deer park, with more than 25 miles of paths.

Highlights

• Regency mansion of the 1820s with surviving Crace interiors
• National Trust Carriage Museum with more than 40 horse-drawn vehicles
• Craven State Chariot, a rarely used 19th-century state carriage in original condition
• Pen and ink drawing by William Blake in the collection
• Victorian garden with conservatory and a 2,600-acre estate with deer

Permanent exhibitions

• Arlington Court house – The 1820s family house with surviving Crace interiors and collections of pewter and shells and a drawing by William Blake.
• National Trust Carriage Museum – More than 40 horse-drawn vehicles, from state coaches to servants' carts, displayed in the estate's former stable block.

Founded

1823

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

Prices are for the whole property (house, Carriage Museum and garden) without Gift Aid; with Gift Aid the adult price is £19.80, the child price £9.90 and the family price £49.50. National Trust members enter free. Car parking is free for members; others pay £1.30 for one hour, £2.60 for two hours or £5.20 for the day.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Ramped access leads to the ground floor of the house, and there is sloped access to the bat cam and reading room. A lift serves the Carriage Museum. Paths include loose gravel and slopes, so parts of the grounds are only partly accessible, although the garden has level access. Wheelchairs can be borrowed from visitor reception, the house and the Carriage Museum, two Trampers can be hired by phoning in advance, and a shuttle buggy runs most days. Accessible toilets and a Changing Places facility are next to the main toilets by the tea-room, with further accessible toilets near the house and in the Carriage Museum. There is designated parking and a drop-off point behind visitor reception. An induction loop and large-print guides are available. A visual guide and an AccessAble guide are published.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

Natural play areas open all year have sit-on diggers, balance beams, a mud kitchen, a log stack climber, willow domes and climbing bars. Seasonal trails, such as a scarecrow trail in autumn and a story trail at Christmas, and family activity days run during the year. Accessible toilets with baby-changing facilities are near the house and in the Carriage Museum.

Getting there & parking

From Barnstaple take the A39 for 8 miles and turn right at the brown sign; from South Molton take the A399 to Blackmoor Gate and turn left onto the A39 towards Barnstaple. Do not follow sat nav into unmarked lanes, which are dead ends for residents and deliveries. The what3words address of the car park is ramble.aced.deals. Cyclists should expect steep sections on all routes, and the estate tracks are not suitable for road bikes.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The Old Kitchen Tea-room serves hot and cold drinks, snacks, light meals and cakes, and there is a coffee shop. The shop sells gifts and souvenirs, and a second-hand bookshop is in the visitor reception building. Four electric vehicle charging points are in the visitor car park and bike racks are outside visitor reception.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit