A visit to Canonteign estate : Homes of Edward Pellew part 3
Actually it is a moot point whether Canonteign was really ever a 'home' for Edward and Susan Pellew. Though the land was acquired and the house built mainly by Susan's oversight since it was she who supervised and dealt with much of the process of what became their official seat as Lord and Lady Exmouth, it was never really their home other than in an official sense since they preferred to live at the much more modest house they had in Teignmouth and Canonteign became the home of Pownoll Pellew, his wife Georgina and their family.The estate is now open to the public and the stunning waterfall and lakes are nature reserves and there is a pirate ship ...under the cut for pics and notes about my recent visit:
One of the prettiest places in the world!
This was Susan Pellew's verdict on the house and estate she was purchasing on her own and Edward's behalf and about which she wrote enthusiastically to him at Easter 1814.
I hope I shall soon be able to get the land we have in view.We may soon secure enough to amuse you and to supply the house with hay and oats. I have found a place likewise where you may build a billiard room if you like and I have several little things in contemplation to amuse you that will be useful and improve the premises which I assure you are very delightful already and one of the prettiest places in the world.
I was lucky to be able last week to visit the Canonteign estate and see the waterfall, lakes and landscape which are indeed very lovely. The house is now a separate entity and business and cannot be visited via the estate although it too is accessible to the public and hosts weddings and etc I did not get to visit the house this time so could not check whether a billiard room was built in Ned's time or indeed subsequently but the grounds of the estate are worth Lady Pellew's enthusiasm - they are indeed delightful.
The entrance and restaurant and shop etc are all in the courtyard and former stable block
which is one of the original elements surviving from the first Edward Pellew's time.Those who reach the top of the waterfall get this magnificent view in which the stable courtyard can be seen in the distance:
and the waterfall - a feature developed by the third Lady Exmouth, wife of Ned Pellew's grandson in part to give employment to out-of -work tin miners - is said to be England's highest though on the day we visited it was not running as strongly as might have been due to the dry September.
There are a number of lakes which range from those which were the tranquil source of peace and rest that Susan hoped they might be to newer ones put in to encourage wildlife by the present (10th) Lord Exmouth while he still owned the property before 2002.
The walks round them are very beautiful
Some of the other buildings from the time of Edward and Susan Pellew survive, including a stone built kennel where the hunting hounds were kept which has been rebuilt and there are also some contemporary additions including some excellent climbing and playing equipment, one of which is a pirate ship ! (One can imagine that the estate's first owner finds that irony particularly amusing given his first command of the aptly named Hazard when the pirates he was intended to chace outran him).
Several of the lakes have a small deck built over one section with benches to rest on
(And to judge by the people there when we visited also to eat ice cream !) and one with a small blue rowing boat moored there somehow looked as if it was just waiting for a white haired grandfather and some of his 22 grandchildren to come down for an adventure.
and elsewhere the pet rabbits and black swans are a small reminder of a menagerie that once included those famous oriental quadrupeds amongst others.
For anyone interested in Ned's history this is a good place but it is actually a lovely day out for anyone if you find yourself in Devon and with a few hours to spare.They even have Ned tshirts of dubious artistic merit - as hopefully modelled already or soon by our own noble captain anteros_lmc.
The cream teas are rather good too.
One of the prettiest places in the world!
This was Susan Pellew's verdict on the house and estate she was purchasing on her own and Edward's behalf and about which she wrote enthusiastically to him at Easter 1814.
I hope I shall soon be able to get the land we have in view.We may soon secure enough to amuse you and to supply the house with hay and oats. I have found a place likewise where you may build a billiard room if you like and I have several little things in contemplation to amuse you that will be useful and improve the premises which I assure you are very delightful already and one of the prettiest places in the world.
I was lucky to be able last week to visit the Canonteign estate and see the waterfall, lakes and landscape which are indeed very lovely. The house is now a separate entity and business and cannot be visited via the estate although it too is accessible to the public and hosts weddings and etc I did not get to visit the house this time so could not check whether a billiard room was built in Ned's time or indeed subsequently but the grounds of the estate are worth Lady Pellew's enthusiasm - they are indeed delightful.
The entrance and restaurant and shop etc are all in the courtyard and former stable block
which is one of the original elements surviving from the first Edward Pellew's time.Those who reach the top of the waterfall get this magnificent view in which the stable courtyard can be seen in the distance:
and the waterfall - a feature developed by the third Lady Exmouth, wife of Ned Pellew's grandson in part to give employment to out-of -work tin miners - is said to be England's highest though on the day we visited it was not running as strongly as might have been due to the dry September.
There are a number of lakes which range from those which were the tranquil source of peace and rest that Susan hoped they might be to newer ones put in to encourage wildlife by the present (10th) Lord Exmouth while he still owned the property before 2002.
The walks round them are very beautiful
Some of the other buildings from the time of Edward and Susan Pellew survive, including a stone built kennel where the hunting hounds were kept which has been rebuilt and there are also some contemporary additions including some excellent climbing and playing equipment, one of which is a pirate ship ! (One can imagine that the estate's first owner finds that irony particularly amusing given his first command of the aptly named Hazard when the pirates he was intended to chace outran him).
Several of the lakes have a small deck built over one section with benches to rest on
(And to judge by the people there when we visited also to eat ice cream !) and one with a small blue rowing boat moored there somehow looked as if it was just waiting for a white haired grandfather and some of his 22 grandchildren to come down for an adventure.
and elsewhere the pet rabbits and black swans are a small reminder of a menagerie that once included those famous oriental quadrupeds amongst others.
For anyone interested in Ned's history this is a good place but it is actually a lovely day out for anyone if you find yourself in Devon and with a few hours to spare.They even have Ned tshirts of dubious artistic merit - as hopefully modelled already or soon by our own noble captain anteros_lmc.
The cream teas are rather good too.