Hartland Abbey and Gardens

Hartland Abbey was founded in 1157 in a narrow, wandering valley running inland from the Atlantic coast. It was dissolved in 1539 having survived longer than any monastery in the country. The house has descended to the present owner through a series of marriages and remains a family home.

The Abbey contains important pictures, furniture and porcelain collected over many generations including portraits by Reynolds, Gainsborough, Hudson, Ramsey and Kneller. There is furniture by Jupe, Hepplewhite and Chippendale, embroidery, fascinating architecture and murals. Visitors can also see Victorian and Edwardian photographs depicting social scenes from the 19th Century, Hartland village life and the Sudanese Campaign of 1898. The Museum contains family memorabilia and early documents from 1160AD.

The Abbey features in Simon Jenkins' "1000 Best Houses" and has been used extensively as a film location, most recently in 2005 for a new production of Rosamunde Pilcher,"The Shell Seekers".

Gertrude Jekyll's winding paths lead through woodland gardens of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and hydrangeas to the Bog Garden, the recently restored Victorian Fernery and the 18th century Walled Gardens. Mixed borders, tender and rare plants and vegetables flourish in the south-facing gardens. The woodland walk, carpeted with bluebells in the spring leads to a spectacular Atlantic cove with views of Lundy Island.