Lanhydrock is a property with a mansion and gardens in a larger estate located in Cornwall, and it is managed by the National Trust. I visited the property last week, and in addition to the visit to the house, and a very quick walk around the garden, I participated in the Halloween activity "Penny Dreadful Halloween Experience". This was my first visit to Lanhydrock.
The day ended up being very rainy and windy, and there was about a ten-minute walk to the house from the parking. It's down a hill and quite open to the elements except for a line of a few trees. There are some good views with autumn colour.
The gatehouse came into view, and this was surrounded by lines of sculpted yew trees and the house at the back.
The gatehouse has a small exhibition on the first floor.
After the gatehouse visit, I went into the main house to see the other exhibit
The house is mainly Victorian, but parts date to the 1600s. There was a fire, and the house had to be rebuilt. The last owners of the property often opened the house to visitors, and some of the rooms were used as a show-house. Lady Robartes (Mary Clifden) was instrumental in making this a show house with some history about the different rooms.
The first room to see was the Inner Hall, and it included a lot of different personal items from the Victorian age. The mosaic floor was installed by them.
We watched a video at the start explaining the house's history in the drawing room, which was where the women went to chat after withdrawing from dinner.
Then, we explored other rooms.
This long room has been broken up by different screens to create a unique space with different trinkets to sit in and enjoy.
The only room to escape the fire that destroyed much of the house was the Long Gallery. The room was set up to be used for entertaining guests and included some of the family's prized possessions, such as rare books. The ceiling, which is one of the highlights of the house, dates from the 17th century and covers the Testaments in the Bible and Gensis themes.
The next room is the Morning Room, which has tapestries hung in it; these were put in just after the house was restored.
After exploring the house, we went to the "Penny Dreadful" experience. We were given a Victorian penny in order to "buy" the "Penny Dreadful". These were short stories for people to purchase, and the stories were of a horror nature with highwaymen, serial killers, and other gruesome tales. Lanhydrock created their own story about buried treasure and five graves. We went to three different rooms to be told the tale from costumed "Victorian" characters.
After the experience, this part of the house also had a couple of rooms to see, which were decorated with candles for Halloween.
The weather was rainy off and on during the visit, but we made the most of it.
The second attraction here was to visit the kitchens. The kitchens and the different rooms that make up a working kitchen for a large estate. The kitchens included the bakery, pastry area, buttery, scullery, and other rooms.
I had a very quick wander around the gardens. There is a church next to the house, and this is how the estate gets its name. I didn't visit the church on this visit. There were beautiful autumn colours on display in the gardens.
I enjoyed visiting Lanhydrock and seeing the Halloween experience, which was unique. Hopefully the next visit to Lanhydrock will be on a sunny day.
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