Hemerdon House
Late-18th-century Devon country house, still the Woollcombe family home, shown on guided tours on selected spring and summer afternoons.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Hemerdon House stands in parkland between the villages of Hemerdon and Sparkwell in the South Hams, near Plymouth. In 1790 Thomas Woollcombe, a Plymouth surgeon, bought half of the manor of Hemerdon and gave it to his daughter Maria. She married her cousin George Woollcombe two years later, and the couple soon began building the house.
The first building was a fairly modest square house, whose outline can still be traced. After Maria's father died in 1799 and left her money, the house was enlarged to the form it largely keeps today. Maria died in 1802, and in 1803 George bought the other half of the manor, which reunited an estate that had been divided and sold in 1687. The parkland, with a pond and a walled garden, was laid out in 1802.
The Woollcombe family has been recorded in Devon since the 12th century, and its members have served in the navy and army, the church, law, medicine and local government. The house has been lived in by the family for over 200 years and contains paintings, books and objects collected by successive generations, many of them acquired by George's brother Henry, a founder of the Plymouth Athenaeum and a patron of local artists.
Highlights
- Family-guided tour of the main rooms of a Georgian country house
- Paintings, books and objects collected by the Woollcombe family over generations
- Parkland with pond and walled garden, open on open days
- Still lived in by the family it was built for
Permanent exhibition
- Guided tour of Hemerdon House – A tour of the main rooms shows the artefacts, paintings and books collected by the Woollcombe family, set against local and family history from the late 18th century to the present.
- Operated by
- Hemerdon Estate
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £12.50 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 11 · Children under 12 are free if accompanied by an adult. |
The ticket covers the guided tour and the grounds. Card payments are not accepted. Members of Historic Houses enter free with their membership card.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: not available
- Accessible parking: no information
- 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
All ground-floor reception rooms are accessible to wheelchair users, but there is no wheelchair access to the first floor and no disabled toilet. Access to the grounds and parkland is limited, and visitors should contact the house for details. The terrain can be very uneven, and sturdy waterproof footwear is advised.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Trains serve Plymouth (about 7 miles away) and Exeter (about 40 miles away).
By car
Parking available
Visitors park, at their own risk, in the area opposite the front door; the gateway to the house is open on open days.
The house lies between the villages of Hemerdon and Sparkwell. Satellite navigation can be misleading on the last stretch, so the house publishes driving directions from Plymouth (via the A374, A3416 and A3417) and from Exeter (via the A38).
Get directionsAmenities & dining
Dogs on leads are allowed in the grounds.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 75 min |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Each tour lasts about 1 hour 15 minutes and takes up to 15 people. Booking is not needed unless the party has 6 or more, but a place can be reserved by phone or email. Parties of 6 to 10 should contact the house in advance, and groups of more than 10 can be arranged outside the public open days. Visitors should report to the house first to collect a route plan for the grounds. |
