Hartland Abbey

Hartland Abbey stands in the village of Hartland in Devon. It began as an Augustinian abbey founded in 1157 and consecrated in 1160 by Bartholomew Iscanus, later Bishop of Exeter. The Botreaux family of Cornwall gave land and advowsons to the abbey, and King Richard I confirmed its property in 1189. After the Dissolution in 1539 Henry VIII granted the site to William Abbot, who turned the abbot’s lodging into a mansion. The present house still shows Tudor wainscoting and later Gothic additions. The house was enlarged in 1705 by John Meadows, who added two wings and worked on Eggesford House. In the 19th century Sir George Stucley remodelled the interior with George Gilbert Scott, installing Elizabethan panelling, linenfold screens and murals by Alfred Beer. Scott also created a porch and bay windows, while Gertrude Jekyll designed the gardens. The estate has been used as a filming location for Treasure Island, Sense and Sensibility and The Night Manager. Visitors find a family home filled with historic interiors. The dining room has Elizabethan panelling and the drawing room displays linenfold screens and painted murals. A staircase window shows a wedding window by Alfred Beer, and the main passage echoes the Alhambra Palace. The gardens laid out by Jekyll offer paths between herbaceous borders and lawns. Hartland Quay Hotel on the estate has hosted film crews, adding another layer of interest to the visit.