Lanhydrock

Lanhydrock (Cornish: Lanhydrek) is a civil parish centred on a country estate and mansion in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The parish lies south of the town of Bodmin^[1] and is bounded to the north by Bodmin parish, to the south by Lanlivery parish and to the west by Lanivet parish. The population was 171 in the 2001 census.^[2] The Parish Council meets every two months in Lanhydrock Memorial Hall^[3]

Lanhydrock ecclesiastical parish is in the Deanery and Hundred of Pydar and in the Bodmin Registration District. The parish is in the Diocese of Truro and is now part of the Bodmin Team Ministry^[4]

The parish church is dedicated to St Hydrock and stands in the grounds of Lanhydrock House. Parts date back to the late 15th century and the church has a chancel, nave, north and south aisles and three-stage battlemented tower with one bell.^[2]

Lanhydrock House

The great house stands in extensive grounds (360 hectares or 890 acres) above the River Fowey and it has been owned and managed by the National Trust since 1953.^[5] Much of the present house dates back to Victorian times but some sections date from the 1620s. It is a Grade I listed building^[6] and is set in gardens with formal areas. The hill behind the house is planted with a fine selection of shrubs and trees.

Lanhydrock estate belonged to the Augustinian priory of St Petroc at Bodmin but the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the 1530s saw it pass into private hands. In 1620 wealthy merchant Sir Richard Robartes acquired the estate and began building Lanhydrock House, designed to a four-sided layout around a central courtyard and constructed of grey granite. Robartes died in 1624 but work on the building was continued by his son John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor, a notable public figure who served as Lord Privy Seal and Lord President of the Council.

During the 18th century the east wing of the house was demolished leaving the U-shaped plan seen today. In 1881 a major fire destroyed the south wing and caused extensive damage to the central section. Of the main house only the north wing, with its 29 m Long Gallery, and the front porch building survived intact, though the original gatehouse also dates back to the mid 17th century.

Recent history

Most of the current building, therefore, dates from late Victorian times. The second Lord Robartes (later the 6th Viscount Clifden) rebuilt the house to meet the needs of his large family, appointing local architect Richard Coad to design and supervise most of the work. Coad had previously (1857) worked as assistant to George Gilbert Scott on earlier work at Lanhydrock.

In 1953 the house and approximately 160 hectares (400 acres) of parkland were given to the National Trust by the 7th Viscount Clifden. The public tour is one of the longest of any National Trust house and takes in the service rooms, nurseries and some servants' bedrooms, as well as the main reception rooms and family bedrooms. In 2004 it was one of the Trust's ten most visited paid-entry properties, with over 200,000 visitors.

In 1872 Lord Robartes MP of Lanhydrock, Bodmin, was listed in the top ten land holdings in Cornwall with an estate of 22,234 acres (89.98 km²) or 2.93% of Cornwall.^[7]

Lanhydrock was the main setting for a 1996 film version of Twelfth Night directed by Trevor Nunn, and starring Helena Bonham Carter as Olivia.

On 12 June 2008 Lanhydrock hosted an episode of BBC TV's Antiques Roadshow, which was first aired on 12 October 2008 (part 1) and 30 November 2008 (part 2).

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