Coleton Fishacre D’Oyly Dawdle
1.
From the car park go through visitor reception and past the café. Follow the
waymarked trail around the parameter of the garden on the left up a slope.
You’ll be given a property leaflet showing information to help you explore the
route.
2.
Keep following the trail behind the D’Orly Cartes Arts and Craft house, which
was built in 1926 by Oswald Milne. This path has views of the sea open up on
the right before you enter a wood. As you emerge from the woods you enter
a valley pasture known as Cathedral Bank. Take a look at the spectacular sea
views to your right of Eastern Black Rocks.
3.
Continue to walk along the path until you reach a flight of steps on the right
leading to the Summer House. Before going down the steps you may like to
continue ahead to reach Scout’s Cap where you can sit on a bench and enjoy
unspoilt coastal views. Return the way you came and bear left down the
steps until you reach the wooden summerhouse.
4.
Continue downwards to the bottom of the valley known as Bottom Glade,
where numerous tree ferns are growing. Cross a wooden bridge. You can turn
left through a gate for some 50 metres or so to look at Pudcombe Cove, which
consisted of a tidal swimming pool and a changing room for the family to use
when they were staying at the house. The island in front is the Mewstone.
Nowadays access is closed due to coastal erosion. Return the way you came
and continue up the tarmac path until you reach a flight of steps on your left,
these are waymarked.
5.
Go up the stone edged steps which are clearly way marked going through
Newfoundland and Bluebell Wood. The area known as West Bank offers
superb views of the garden. Being an area of unimproved grassland, during
the spring and summer months it’s covered with a wide diversity of flora and
fauna, especially butterflies.
6
Continue to walk along the grass paths, again these are well waymarked.
Take the time to see the setting of the house to the right where you’ll see the
formal gardens with terraces, a bowling green lawn and the rill garden.
There’s also a naturally fed stream that goes through the centre of the garden.
7.
Continue along the path until you come to another waymarked sign on the left
with a wooden bench on it, keep left and you should reach a gate which leads
to the car park.
Features
The ‘London commute’
Built by a wealthy family with time to enjoy life, Coleton Fishacre was designed by
architect Oswald Milne, in a simple style inspired by the 19th century ‘Arts and
Crafts’ movement. However, the house was also every inch a modern building,
with Art Deco interiors planned for comfortable living.
Travelling down from London, Rupert D’Oyly Carte would join his family every
weekend. The D’Oyly Cartes spent much of their time outdoors, planning the
gardens or out sailing.
The house was a great place for entertaining and the house would often have been
full of weekend visitors.
The D’Oyly Carte Company
Owners of Claridge’s and the Savoy Hotel in London, the D’Oyly Carte family were
perhaps best known as proprietors of the opera Company named after them.
It was Richard D’Oyly Carte who first brought together W S Gilbert and Arthur
Sullivan and who in the 1870’s formed a company to perform their comic operas,
intended to appeal to families. HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, The
Mikado and many other operettas became hugely popular as the company
performed across Europe.
The company was active until 1982, and with a brief revival from 1988, finally
closed in 2003
Pudcombe Cove
Perfect for parties, boating and relaxing, the cove with its secluded pebbly beach,
was a powerful attraction for the location of the house. A narrow path zigzagged
down from the garden to a concrete sun-bathing platform and changing house.
Tucked around to the east, amongst the rocks, was the bathing pool, formed of
enclosing concrete walls and filled and washed clean by the incoming tides.
Designed for fun, it has had its day and is now being taken away by the sea.