Knightshayes Court
Close to the small town of Tiverton in the county of Devon, in the valley of the river Exe, stands Knightshayes Court. Today the house is owned and maintained by the National Trust, but the ornate décor is a testament to the over-the-top Victorian gothic designer William Burges.
Knightshayes Court was commissioned by John Heathcoat, a politician and descendant of the powerful lace merchants from the Midlands who moved their family business and workforce down to Devon in 1816. Few mansions are better named: Heathcoat allowed the Victorian designer William Burges to run wild with an opium-induced haze of ideas involving knights in shining armour, gothicism and monasticism. The interior décor is heavily supplemented by the medieval stylings of the Arts & Crafts and Pre-Raphaelite movements of the 19th century. Burges’ fantasy culminates in the Great Hall, which has all the features of the middle ages style, including a minstrels’ gallery.
Luckily, Heathcoat subsequently commissioned Crace, the man responsible for Brighton Pavilion and Longleat House, to lighten the mood. The fine garden features a topiary clipped into animal shapes, and extensive woodland lies further afield. The site also includes a restaurant, gift shop and plant centre.