Lanhydrock

Lanhydrock was restored by Thomas Charles after a fire, in 1881, into a ‘an unpretentious family home’. I saw some pretty interesting things on display, including things I haven’t seen before.

The house is gorgeous and the estate looks amazing on a sunny day like the one we had when we’ve visited it.

There are some cows in the field going to the house. Both my husband and I got excited the cow was coming towards us to “greet” us. Well, she was not. She looked quite annoyed with our “hellos”, and passed along, going to her desired destination: the other field.

I love doors like these, with greenery on top. They are gorgeous.

This is made out of tin, that is unusual. It was a gift made by the working miners from Redruth as a thank you for Agar-Robartes Esq, whom established a Miners’ Infirmary at Redruth five years earlier, in 1869. It does have a nice story behind it, doesn’t it?

Victorian kitchens are one of my favourite parts when I’m visiting this kind of homes. Huge, light, airy, filled with all sorts of tins and moulds. I just love them.

This is a slow cooker. The food is put hot in the cast iron pot, the lid is put on top, and the pot is buried in the hay. The hay insulates the heat and makes the food cook slowly. This was new for me, I don’t remember seeing something like this before.

The next room was the pastry kitchen, with cold water running through these pipes, to keep the pastry cool. That sounds very useful when working with buttery pastry.

Nanny’s room, adjacent to the children’s room. Beside the nanny, there was also a nurse maid. Blanche Hester worked as a nanny for the family. When she married, the family attended the wedding, she went on to live on the estate and kept in touch with the family, including by writing letters when they were away. That shows that she was considered a sort of a member of the family and not just an employee.

One of the servant’s rooms. It looks very cozy.

One of the bedrooms the family had.

This bathroom looks so lush. It is so big.

The mirror is part of a gift to celebrate the wedding of Thomas Charles and Mary Dickinson in 1878. I think the mirror is stunning and I like the candles that make applying make up (or cosmetics) so much easier.

This beautiful ceiling is in the long Gallery, used for exercise and recreation. In Victorian times, it was used as a games room. They would play cricket, skittles, and badminton. It was also used for balls.

It is 35 meters long and the plasterwork dates back to the 1640s. Now it can’t be painted because the extra weight of the paint would put stress on the wires that hold the ceiling in place.

Lanhydrock is in Bodmin, Cornwall, PL30 5AD. The entry fee is £14.35 for adults, car park is £1 for one hour or £3 for all day (cash only). But both are free for National Trust members.