Trerice
The Elizabethan manor house of Trerice is situated at Kestle Mill, three miles from the town of Newquay. The house was rebuilt by Sir John Arundel in 1571 on the site of an medieval house.
Trerice was owned by the Arundell family for over four hundred years. Sir John Arundell inherited the estate from his father, also Sir John, who was Esquire of the Body to King Henry VIII and recieved a knighthood from him after the battle of the Spurs.
During the Civil War another Sir John Arundell was the commander of Pendennis Castle, and the family recovered their position after the Restoration of the Monarchy. The house passed in 1802 to the Acland family of Killerton in Devon.
In 1953 Trerice became the property of the National Trust. The wide front of the building is impressive with a Dutch gabled facade, which is unusual in Cornwall and probably reflects Sir John Arundell's service in the Low Countries for Queen Elizabeth I.
The house boasts a collection of high quality English furniture, clocks, needlework and Stuart portraits. The Great Hall boasts an elaborate plaster ceiling and a minstrel's gallery. The drawing room on the first floor has an elaborate overmantel.
The gardens have an old Cornish apple orchard and contain many rare and unusual plants, shrubs and climbers. There is a shop at Trerice, plant sales and a museum located in the hayloft of the Great Barn.
Image courtesy of Cornwall Digital
Opening times
15 July - 10 Sept daily except Sat)Oct - Nov 11am - 5pm. Last admission half an hour before closing.