Coleton Fishacre

During an Eden Project staff field trip, I had the opportunity to visit a beautiful private estate and garden. Coleton Fishacre House was built in 1926 and designed in the popular Arts and Crafts movement for the D’Oyly Carte family. The house was designed by Oswald Milne (1881 – 1967), assistant to the famous Lutyens who built Caslte Drogo near Drewsteignton.

The gardens are mostly informal, in a winding woodland style with breathtaking views of the Pudcombe Cove. The D’Oyly Carte family even built a tidal sea-water bathing pool at the bottom of the cove, though I did not take a dip. The garden contained plants from the Mediterranean, South Africa, and New Zealand which seem to thrive in the sheltered environment.