Important notice - The parkland and woodland are open for local visits. You will need to pre-book your car parking space, please visit the "what's on" section to book. (Last checked 25th Feb 2021)
Discover Knightshayes - a great post-war garden, 19th-century parkland and grand Gothic Revival architecture by Victorian visionary William Burges.
A rich and varied history
The house was built by Sir John Heathcoat Amory, the grandson of John Heathcoat, creator of the mechanised bobbin lace making machine and owner of a lace factory in Tiverton.
The foundation stone was laid in 1869, but it was not until 1873 that the elaborate interior designs were completed. William Burges, designer of Knightshayes, had a rocky relationship with the family and was fired half way through the project, leaving his imaginative vision incomplete.
Burges was replaced by another reputable designer, John Dibblee Crace, who turned out to be another ill-fated choice. Much of Crace's work was covered up by the family, but later restored by the Trust.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/knightshayes
Knightshayes Bolham, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 7RG
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Explore the outdoors at Knightshayes
There are acres of parkland to explore at Knightshayes. With acres of parkland and woodland, it's a great place for the whole family to explore with room to roam, ponds to peer into and plenty of hidden corners to discover.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/knightshayes/explore-the-outdoors-at-knightshayes
Photo: Chris' Buet https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4876945
Walks around Knightshayes
There's over 250 acres to explore on the Knightshayes estate. We've created some walking trails to help you find some of the best routes as well as some hidden gems.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/knightshayes/lists/walks-around-knightshayes
Devon Gardens Trust A late C19 formal terraced garden designed by Edward Kemp and associated with a house by William Burges, remodelled in the mid C20 with a mid and late C20 garden developed in adjacent woodland, set in a wider parkland landscape which has evolved since the late C18.
https://devongardenstrust.org.uk/gardens/knightshayes-court
Historic England - Knightshayes Court
Country House. 1869-1874 for Sir John Heathcoat-Amory, the grandson of John Heathcoat, the Tiverton factory owner, to the designs of William Burges. Designs for internal decoration partly Burges, but mostly to the designs of JD Crace, who replaced Burges in 1875. First class carved decoration by Thomas Nicholls. Smoking room of 1902 to the designs of Ernest George. MATERIALS: snecked red Hensley stone with Ham Hill dressings; red tiled roof; stacks with embattled stone shafts; some cast-iron rainwater goods. STYLE: early French Gothic.
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1384684
Historic England - Park and Gardens
A late C19 formal terraced garden designed by Edward Kemp and associated with a house by William Burges, remodelled in the mid C20 with a mid and late C20 garden developed in adjacent woodland, set in a wider parkland landscape which has evolved since the late C18.
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1000487
Wikipedia Knightshayes Court is a Victorian country house near Tiverton, Devon, England, designed by William Burges for the Heathcoat-Amory family. Nikolaus Pevsner describes it as "an eloquent expression of High Victorian ideals in a country house of moderate size." The house is Grade I listed. The gardens are Grade II* listed in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knightshayes_Court
Edward Kemp (25 September 1817 – 1 March 1891) was an English landscape architect and an author. Together with Joseph Paxton and Edward Milner, Kemp became one of the leaders in the design of parks and gardens during the mid-Victorian era in England.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Kemp_(landscape_architect)