The house dates back to the 17th century but much of it had to be rebuilt after a disastrous fire in 1881 destroyed all but the entrance porch and the north wing, which includes the magnificent Long Gallery with its extraordinary plaster ceiling depicting scenes from the Old Testament. A total of 50 rooms are on show today and together they reflect the entire spectrum of life in a rich and splendid Victorian household, from the many servants’ bedrooms and the fascinating complex of kitchen, sculleries and larders to the nursery suite where the Agar-Robartes children lived, learned and played, and the grandeur of the dining room with its table laid and ready.

Surrounding the house on all sides are gardens ranging from formal Victorian parterres to the wooded higher garden where magnificent displays of magnolias, rhododendrons and camellia climb the hillside to merge with the surrounding oak and beech woods. A famous avenue of ancient beech and sycamore trees, the original entrance drive to the house, runs from the pinnacled 17th century gatehouse towards the medieval bridge across the Fowey at Respryn.

The house is open from 18 March until 31st October exc Mondays. The Garden is open all year. Charges for this Cornwall attraction are house £9 for an adult, garden £5.

Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lanhydrock

^{Information by kind permission of Hudsons Historic Houses and Gardens - www.hudsonsguide.co.uk}