 Cotehele
Snuggled into the Tamar valley, within a maze of winding narrow lanes, Cotehele
stands virtually untouched by time. The Tudor house, began in 1485 by
Sir Richard Edgcumbe, appears somewhat dour and foreboding initially,
but it was more important at that time to provide a family home with
adequate defensive measures, rather than to be concerned about whether
it was cosmetically pleasing. Built from brown and grey slatestone rubble
with coarse granite dressing stones, this large house is laid out in
several ranges around three internal courtyards.
The estate came to the Edgcumbes through marriage in 1353, and remained
with the family for nearly six centuries. In 1947 the National Trust acquired
Cotehele in lieu of death duties, but the family had long since moved
to their principal seat at Plymouth. Sir Richard's grandson built the
new family home at Mount Edgcumbe in the middle of the 16th century, with
his inherited wealth, and before the end of the 17th century Cotehele
had been virtually abandoned as a home.
Apart from a few improvements in the first half of the 17th century, and the re-modelling of one wing
200 years later, the fabric of the house is pure Tudor. This is nowhere
more apparent than in the magnificent Great Hall, the hub of medieval
life, which was commonly used for both domestic and business purposes.
In the Chapel a clock, installed by Sir Richard when he first built
the house, remains in its original position and is still in working
order. This is considered to be the earliest domestic clock in England.
Many other features of Cotehele draw the visitor into this period,
but the furnishings are mainly of a later origin.The beautiful grounds
just beg to be explored, and yet more surprises await the adventurous.
In the colourful terraced gardens an old domed-roof dovecote is now
inhabited by a 21st century family of doves. Following the woodland
walk brings the hiker to the Quay, where a restored Tamar sailing barge
is berthed, and a group of interesting Quayside buildings house an art
and crafts gallery. Further on still and another range of agricultural
buildings have been converted to local craft workshops, and a restored
water mill occasionally bursts into action with corn-grinding displays.
As one of only a few surviving houses that have remained traditionally
medieval, Cornwall is fortunate to have such a superb example as Cotehele
featuring among the varied heritage of the county. Even today there
is no electric light in the house, and the dark passageways leading into
the many dimly-lit rooms provide the visitor with atmospheric glimpses
of life among the land-owning gentry of the Middle Ages. |
