This Arts & Crafts home built by the D’Oyle Carte family not only displays mid 1920’s craftsmanship from its architectural spaciousness to the tiles surrounding the frilled bedroom sinks but also views down through the garden to the sea. Filled with minimalist art deco design: furniture, fabulous fabrics, artefacts, even a coat, and a carpet over which, perhaps, soho slinky evening dresses paraded. The house was sold to a Hampstead motor dealer and Torquay hotelier in 1949 but before being purchased by the National Trust in 1982 was a B&B. No doubt a gem in which to stay and, for many of us, it retains memories from a distant day.
Beware the three-cornered leek, beware the white flowers that ingratiate, they will invade wild flower meadows fine and then your borders undermine. Amongst peonies peeking through hazel coils, tulips of darkest night, artemisia, cushion spurge, and other plants to delight about the tight clipped sculptured shrubs and blossoming cherry trees above. A seat in dappled shade to watch the garden guardians as they plant and tweak, below a closed sign and curved stone steps, where primroses peak. Wrapped books for sale; take a lucky dip, it may be young Alan Titchmarsh or Jamie Oliver ‘receipt’. In borders and corners patterned, dark and shapely leaves display below a smattering of fiery red where a mahonia breaks shadow play.
Look back and admire the house and garden set below the landscape where farmed animals grow. Foliage of every shape, size and colour, spread about the path on high and stem extraordinary, an Agave Americana family of five, give way to views across the combe and up the other side, to where azaleas and rhododendrons of vivid colour reside.
By a seat robins twitter seeking crumbs while above the woodpecker drums. But here mimosa, myrtle and Billbergia, growing in crooks of Mousehole trees. Birds of Paradise with King Proteas have protection from shutters of palm leaves. The sea is glimpsed between the trees from every view but some paths are closed to recover from me and you. Back to the bowling green and formal terracing of lawns, borders and retaining walls of stone, below the towering pines an iron gate to a balcony and ship’s bell, a private zone. To upper flagstone terrace, from millstone with art deco design, pots of Aeonium Zwartkip, a sun trap and fine place to dine. On towering walls a curved window, around which jasmine entwine.
Leading to staddle stones, ponds, an otter, a dial with distant cities direction, dry borders of cacti, succulents and Californian perfection. Listen awhile to the rill’s cascading stream falling between piers of stone to left and right from walled herbaceous garden downhill, past azaleas orange and arum lilies white.
Under trees of bronze, past duck house and through ponds of light to the sea and steps so deep, the family and servants carrying picnics must have had mountain goat feet. Camellias pink, rhododendron red, and sweet scented yellow; giant ferns and bamboo grove, under bridges rustic, down to a trickle, flowing past English bluebells to Pudcombe Cove. Pass pink flowers of Indian Rhubarb before climbing up through sloping field and path for tea where robin, bluetit and chaffinch pick up morsels beside the glass. So much to see a return project in another season would please me. And if you would like to know more below is linked Coleton Fishacre’s history to explore.
Coleton Fishacre’s history | Devon | National Trust
The paradise estate on Devon coast tinged with tragedy – Devon Live
Text & Photos by Sarah Herring.