Hartland Abbey: a surprise at every turn
It was August when I visited Hartland Abbey in North Devon. I’d done my homework — the estate’s extensive website had given me a sense of the history — and I arrived with a bundle of expectations. The house wasn’t yet open, so I set out on the walk to the beach. It was longer than I had anticipated, but shaded by woodland, which on a hot summer’s day felt like a gift.
When I returned, something unexpected caught my eye: girls wandering the grounds in what looked remarkably like my old summer school uniform. Hartland has been used as a filming location for Malory Towers, a series of books I adored as a child, but I hadn’t expected to see anyone in costume (did they get free entry?) Inside the house, photography wasn’t permitted as it is still lived in by Lord and Lady Stucley. A good excuse for another visit, as I never seem to remember places without the help of photos!
The gardens too surprised me: a woodland walk filled with giant gunnera and hydrangeas, eventually led me across a road and into the walled garden. Originally the kitchen garden, I was surprised at just how far from the house it was.
No longer a place for vegetables, it has been transformed into an exuberant cutting garden. The V-shaped site slopes steeply on both sides of a central path, making clever use of sun and drainage. Whatever the secret, it works: the garden was a riot of flowers, alive with colour, scent, and the hum of bees. A few more benches wouldn’t have gone amiss — it was the sort of place you want to linger in.
Beyond this, a smaller garden offered a quieter, more reflective mood. A greenhouse brimming with pelargoniums instantly took me back to my grandmother’s windowsills.
Hartland is a place which can involve a fair bit of walking — not somewhere to rush, and best enjoyed in good weather (but not too hot!) I left with the sense that I must return, in another season perhaps, though I suspect nothing could quite match the sheer abundance of high summer in that walled garden. Half a day felt too short; to do justice to the house, grounds, and beach, a full day is surely needed.