Knightshayes Court

Over het museum

Knightshayes Court was built for Sir John Heathcoat-Amory, an MP for Tiverton and the grandson of John Heathcoat, who had invented a lace-making machine and run a lace factory in the town. The architect William Burges was commissioned in 1868 and the foundation stone was laid in 1869. It is the only complete country house that Burges designed. Its red stone walls, steep roofs, large chimneys and carved gargoyles and beasts, made by Thomas Nicholls, show the Victorian Gothic Revival style.

The family found Burges’s planned interiors too extravagant and parted company with him before the work was finished. The decoration was completed by John Dibblee Crace, although the plan and some features of the house are by Burges. Burges also designed the stable block, finished in 1872, an entrance lodge and the walls of the kitchen garden.

The Heathcoat-Amory family lived at Knightshayes for about a century. During the Second World War the house served as a rest home for American airmen. The last owners were Sir John and Joyce, Lady Heathcoat-Amory, a champion golfer and respected gardener. After Sir John died in 1972 the house passed to the National Trust, and Lady Heathcoat-Amory continued to live in the east wing until 1997. Today visitors can see the house, the Garden in the Wood, the restored Victorian kitchen garden and 262 acres of parkland.

Hoogtepunten

• Gothic Revival house by William Burges with medieval-style Great Hall and gargoyles
• Garden in the Wood with a notable botanical collection
• Victorian walled kitchen garden restored in 2001
• Parkland with veteran trees and one of the country’s important collections of Douglas fir
• Stables of 1872 with a café and second-hand bookshop

Vaste collectie

• The house – A Gothic Revival house by William Burges with a medieval-style Great Hall, carved gargoyles and rooms decorated by John Dibblee Crace, including the family’s private rooms upstairs when the first floor is open.
• Gardens and parkland – The Garden in the Wood, a restored Victorian walled kitchen garden and 262 acres of parkland with veteran trees and Douglas firs.

Opgericht

1972

Beheerder

National Trust

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices are standard admission without Gift Aid and apply from 1 March 2026; with Gift Aid the adult ticket costs £19.80, the child ticket £9.90 and the family ticket £49.50. Entry is free for National Trust members. Parking is free for members; non-members pay £1.30 for one hour, £2.60 for two hours, £3.90 for three hours and £5.20 for four hours.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The ground floor of the house is step-free; the first floor is reached by stairs, and a photo album serves as a virtual tour for visitors who cannot climb them. The Formal and Woodland Garden is partly accessible, with a hard, step-free path around much of it, but there are slopes, gravel paths and steps down to the terraces, and a step-free route is marked on the visitor map. The cobbled stables courtyard has a slight lip into the café. Two manual wheelchairs, including all-terrain chairs, can be borrowed free if booked in advance, and a volunteer-run shuttle buggy runs from Visitor Reception to the house. Adapted toilets are at the Stables and opposite the house entrance, and baby changing is available in both places. Induction loops are fitted at the tills, and sensory bags are available at Visitor Reception. The lower part of the main car park is reserved for Blue Badge holders, and there is a drop-off point at the house. Assistance dogs are welcome throughout.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk
• Verschoonruimte
• Speeltuin / speelhoek

Free family trails run during school holidays, and an object spotter trail is offered in the house. A woodland adventure play area is on Douglas Fir Walk, and the café has children’s lunch boxes and high chairs. Most garden paths are suitable for buggies, but pushchairs must be left outside the house. Small balance bikes are allowed, but scooters and pedal bikes are not allowed in the gardens, and ball games are allowed only in the parkland.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The estate is 7 miles from the M5 (exit 27, A361); turn off the A396 Tiverton to Bampton road at Bolham and follow the brown signs. The sat nav postcode given on the National Trust page is EX16 7RH. National Cycle Network route 3 runs through the grounds, and the centre of Tiverton is under 2 miles away.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel

Stables Café serving lunches, cakes, ice cream and children’s lunch boxes; shop, plant centre and second-hand bookshop in the stables. Picnics are welcome and rugs can be borrowed. Dogs on short leads are allowed in the parkland, gardens, café and shops.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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