Cornwall Culture

Pencarrow House

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Approaching along the magnificent mile-long carriage drive, you immediately get an inkling of the historic and horticultural treasures waiting to be discovered as you wind through an Iron Age Fort flanked by rhododendrons, hydrangeas and conifers. At the end of the driveway the grand Georgian house sits in a stunning historical garden. Pencarrow has been the home of the Molesworth family and their descendants since Elizabethan times. Explore the 50-room mansion on a guided tour and be treated to a look around a superb collection of pictures and antiques. The house is still privately owned and lived-in by the Molesworth-St Aubyn family, and back in 1882 Sir Arthur Sullivan stayed here and composed the music for Iolanthe. Not only is Pencarrow steeped in history, it is also somewhat of a horticultural hotspot. Surrounding the Palladian mansion are formal Italian and American gardens, a lake, a large Victorian rockery, acres of parkland, and woodlands abound with more than 700 varieties of rhododendrons. Bluebell Sunday, at the break of May, is a popular festival to celebrate such a prolific show of bluebells, but this is far from the only event on Pencarrow's busy events calendar. Boasting a blanket of snowdrops more abundant than almost any other Cornish Garden, there is a special winter opening to show them off on February's Snowdrop Sunday. Other events include summer concerts, jazz festivals, Christmas crafts fairs and an annual Wedding fair. All of Pencarrow's vibrant gems are easily accessible along well-maintained footpaths, and being a dog-friendly patch you can enjoy some truly beautiful walks with your four-legged companions. In fact don't leave pets or kids at home -with an imaginative children's play area, a Cornish slate Wendy House, self-pick soft fruits and colourful peacocks strutting their stuff, there is much to enjoy for all the family. With so much to discover you're bound to need a break, so put your feet up in the courtyard and relax with a cream tea or light lunch in the stunning 17th Century tearooms.

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