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Cornwall is blessed with beautiful country estates, so if you are a member, make sure you bring your National Trust card to visit Lanhydrock House near Bodmin.
This imposingly attractive grey granite family home is originally Jacobean, with some internal plasterwork remaining from 1642. Destroyed by a fire in 1881, inside was re-furnished in ornate high-Victorian style, so there is plenty for you to see.
In an ‘upstairs downstairs’ arrangement, you see both sides of life, upstairs obviously the most elegant, but downstairs equally fascinating. Fifty-four rooms are open to visitors, so it is a substantial day out which is good value for money.
The remarkable 35-metre Long Gallery with painted Old Testament scenes and a remarkable plaster ceiling survived the fire. It is extremely imposing and also has a Steinway piano you can play. There are substantial historic kitchens to see, too.
The gardens present beautifully. Awash with colour, they consist of thirty acres of woodland planted in semi-formal Cornish fashion, with sweeping views.
The grounds are especially exquisite in spring, carpeted with beautiful bluebells, charming camellias, magnificent magnolias and slightly later, richly-coloured rhododendrons.
Approached via a long tree-lined drive, this is probably the finest country house in Cornwall, one not to be missed.
