34 NATIONAL TRUST
We are lucky to have six beautiful National Trust properties in the area. With subtropical gardens, historic houses and hidden dens there’s plenty to see and explore. Our two nearest properties are Coleton Fishacre, where visitors can travel back to the jazz age and Agatha Christie’s Greenway, the best-selling author’s holiday retreat.
Coleton Fishacre (just above Kingswear) started life as a simple green valley. In the early 1920s, on a sailing trip around the coast, Rupert D’Oyly Carte (of Gilbert and Sullivan and the Savoy Hotel fame), and his wife looked up to this nook on the coastline and fell in love. They decided to build a country home here and created stunning gardens so they could entertain their London friends, sail and swim from the cove at the bottom of the garden. Look out for a bell on the side of the house which used to ring to call the family in from the cove at meal times. The house itself has an elegant art deco interior and it’s easy to get a feel for the era as you wander through the rooms accompanied by the sound of jazz music. The RHS accredited garden with wide
Greenway House is nestled in amongst the trees on the banks of the River Dart, and it’s easy to see why Agatha Christie fell in love with this beautiful cream mansion back in the 1930s. She and husband Max Mallowan made it their holiday home and would spend summers and Christmas- es here with friends. The family were big collec- tors and the house is packed full of antiquities. Five generations collected over 11,000 objects including books, silverware and china pilled up high in the cupboards. During the Second World War Greenway was requisi- tioned by the Government and used first to house child evacuees and then by the US Coast Guard. A frieze painted around the library walls by Lieutenant Marshall Lee is still there today. Outside there are characterful walled gardens with a restored peach house
sea views is a particular and much admired feature of this house at all times of the year.
Address: Brownstone Road, Kingswear, TQ6 0EQ Transport: By car: From the Higher Ferry head up the road until you see a right turn to Kingswear then turn left at the toll house. From the Lower Ferry, follow the road out of Kingswear, turn right at toll house. On foot: A short detour from the most-walked stretch of the South West Coast Path. Access from the Path only when garden is open. Proceed to Visitor Reception on your arrival. Facilities: Café, shop, toilets. Dogs welcome in the garden on a lead. Small charge in car park for non-NT members. Opening Times: 10.30am - 5pm. Closed weekdays November - January. For full details go to
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ coleton-fishacre
Why not... Visit Coleton Fishacre
by foot from the South West Coast Path
and vinery. The famous boathouse which was the scene of the crime in ‘Dead Man’s Folly’ is a short walk down the garden path. Address: Greenway Road, Galmpton, TQ5 0ES Transport: By boat (best option): Regular boat trips run from the quay in Dartmouth. Call Greenway Ferry Service on 01803 882811. By car: Spaces in the small car park (charges for non-NT mem- bers) must be reserved in advance. Contact the National Trust. On foot: A delightful two hour walk along the Dart Valley Trail. Facilities: Café, shop, toilets. Dogs welcome in the garden. Opening Times: 10.30am - 5pm. Closed weekdays November - January. For full details go to
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/greenway
Why not... Get the ferry from
Dartmouth to Greenway
then walk the scenic route back via Kingswear.
(see adverts opposite)
Geograph-6857024-by-AJD
Geograph-4505309-by-Martin-Dawes
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
