Lanhydrock House and Gardens

This wonderful Victorian country house with its large gardens and wooded estate was owned by the prior of St Petroc of Bodmin until the 1530's.It then changed hands many times until it was bought by Sir Richard Robarts, a rich local merchant, who's father was a successful Cornish moneylender, in 1620.

Sir Robart and his son John completed the new house in a traditional way with 4 sides and a courtyard and for the next 335 years many of the owners who lived there became M.Ps. Little changed over the following two centuries apart from demolition of the east wing in the 1780's. This gave it the U shape today. But as time went on the house fell into disrepair and was unoccupied for long periods of time.

In the mid 19th century the 1st Baron Robarts of Lanhydrock decided to make this his home and had it modernised into a country house but 20 years after the work was done a fire swept through the south and west wings and both were destroyed . Luckily the north wing with the long gallery survived.

The house was rebuilt by the Barons son, Thomas, and later was given to the National Trust along with 400 acres of grounds.