Arlington Court and the National Trust Carriage Museum, Devon

Earlier this year, I visited Arlington Court and the National Trust Carriage Museum in Devon. It was a few months ago, but I wanted to share the experience with you, as it was a really fun day, and it is well worth a visit!

If you visit Arlington, you won't be able to miss the resident peacocks!

The house was built in 1823, and extended in 1860, but the estate itself was in the Chichester family for over 500 years, before being given to the National Trust in the 1940s. The outside itself certainly doesn’t give anything away, but the interior is full of the family’s collections. The collections include model ships, shells, taxidermy, and a large selection of pewter.

The hall of Arlington Court

The grounds and gardens of Arlington Court cover around 30 acres, and include the formal Victorian garden, with a conservatory rebuilt in 2012, and the walled garden which was reinstated in 2003. A short walk from the house is St James church, which was largely rebuilt in the Victorian period. It's a lovely little church, and well worth taking a trip to. 

The interior of St James Church

There are many great things about Arlington Court, a personal favourite thing for me was the bat-cam room in the cellars. A simple idea, but a great one, giving a glimpse into a species of animal that is present at many historical sites, but often gets little attention.

Visiting in May meant that the Victorian Garden was in full bloom

A short walk along from the house is the National Trust Carriage Museum. It houses nearly 1000 items, the highlight of which is undoubtably the Speaker’s State Coach. 

The granary at Arlington Court, which stands on carved toadstools

Arlington Court is now only open at the weekends over the winter. It is definitely worth a trip, but with its extensive grounds and gardens, I would recommend that you go on a day with good weather, or wait until the Spring (although that’s no guarantee for a sunny day!). Located just to the east of Exmoor, there is plenty to do in the area. 

For more information about Arlington Court, visit http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/arlington-court/

York Art Gallery

York Art Gallery and Exhibition Square (©York Museums Trust)

York Art Gallery, part of York Museums Trust, reopened on the 1st August 2015 after a major redevelopment, spanning over 2 years, and costing £8 million. I first moved to York in 2013, and left this June, so I never had the opportunity to visit whilst I lived there, even though I only lived around the corner, and studied at King’s Manor, right next door. Recently, I went back to York, and one of my priorities was visiting the newly opened gallery. I am really glad that I had the opportunity, as the redevelopment has been very successful. 

The gallery originally opened in 1879 for the Second Yorkshire Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition, and in 1892, it became the City Art Gallery. The gallery’s collections and exhibitions are varied, and include more than 2,000 ceramic works, a number of Italian Old Masters, and artworks depicting York, including L.S. Lowry’s paintings of Clifford’s Tower (on display until March 2016). They also have the largest collection of William Etty works, and his statue stands at the front of the gallery, in Exhibition Square.

The newly refurbished gallery has a number of different spaces, filled with different artworks from its collections, and loaned from elsewhere. The renovation celebrates the architecture of the building, including its original Victorian features, and many rooms are flooded with natural light. Instead of listing off all of the exhibitions and displays, here are just some of my favourites, and some highlights from the collection.

One of the most unique aspects of the gallery is the Centre of Ceramic Arts (CoCA), which displays the Trust’s collection of British studio ceramics. It includes a 17 metre long ‘Wall of Pots’, which is organised and curated by colour, creating a rainbow across the length of one of the rooms. I found myself spending more time considering the colour, form and technique of ceramics than ever before. It is a unique way of displaying such a collection, but works incredibly well.

In the same space is the Anthony Shaw collection, displayed in a domestic style, echoing his London home. I personally really liked the domestic aspect to the display, which raised questions, for me, about the functions of ceramics, and what they mean and represent in the home. It also offers a glimpse into Shaw’s mind, and his ideas behind collecting in the way that he did. It automatically also becomes a more relaxing environment (although I was worried I was going to knock a piece over!). 

Clare Twomey’s ‘Manifest: 10,000 Hours’, specially commissioned for the new gallery, is incredibly effective. It fills the mezzanine space, echoing the white space and light created by the Victorian roof. Also in the room is Grayson Perry’s ‘Melanie’, one of ‘The Three Graces’, created in 2014. Both pieces, and others in the exhibition, make you question the role of ceramics, and appreciate them for pieces of art, as well as a traditional craft, something that is often forgotten in a more traditional display of ceramics. Throughout the gallery, I also appreciated the ability to walk around many of the works, and being able to view them from all angles.

Manifest: 10,000 Hours, Clare Twomey (©York Museums Trust)

Downstairs is an exhibition titled ‘A Picture of York’, which contains a variety of artworks depicting York itself. The Trust has a collection of 4000 pieces of work like these, and the room highlights some of the most important pieces. The three L.S. Lowry pieces depicting Clifford’s Tower are also brought together, but make sure you visit soon, as it is planned that they will only be on display together until March 2016.

Without a doubt, my favourite space in the gallery is that created by York based artist Mark Herald: ‘The Lumbar Room: Unimagined Treasurers’. It has been curated by Herald, with objects from York Museum Trust’s collections, and his responses to them. As a result, the room is full of unusual objects, and is a mix between museum exhibition and artwork, creating a modern cabinet of curiosities of Yorkshire. Next to The Lumbar Room is The Studio, a space full of different materials that is used for activities and school visits. During our visit, it was open for anyone to use and enjoy. It doesn’t feel like a classroom, and invites visitors to create their own responses to the gallery.

There are many more rooms and exhibitions that I haven’t mentioned, including works from two hundred years of British Art, and the Lycett Green collection, which brings together works from the Renaissance to the 19th century.

The gallery has a great variety of works, of different mediums, and from throughout the centuries. I felt like I also gained a real understanding of the story behind the background of the collection, and the importance of art, and the gallery itself, to York’s culture, and its community. The gallery has a very inviting atmosphere, and the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Every detail of the refurbishment has been considered, from the design, to the curation, to the visitor experience. The Museum Gardens have also been renovated to the rear of the gallery, but thanks to the 'Great British Weather', the rain put me off exploring, so I will have to take a look at them the next time I am in York.

The gallery’s website includes lots of useful information about visiting. I would personally recommend parking in Marygate Car Park, as it is just around the corner. If you are getting a train or bus to York, the train station is a five minute walk on the other side of the river (local tip- there is a footbridge across the river from one end of Margate carpark right into the train station itself), and busses stop regularly outside the gallery. There is a cafe in the gallery, with a wide selection of high-quality food and drink, but it is in the centre of York, so there is plenty of choice and other options nearby. 

The gallery has something for everyone, with collections spanning 600 years. One of the best things about it, is its success in representing art created in York and throughout the region, and celebrating the best of York’s culture.

In my mind, it is one of the best cultural attractions in York, and will no doubt remain so for many years to come.

More information about York Art Gallery can be found at: www.yorkartgallery.org.uk


Unfortunately, I was too busy and taken in by the artworks to take any photographs, and so in this post, all images are from the York Museums Trust. 

A la Ronde and Killerton House, Devon

A couple of months ago, we were having some lovely weather here in the South West, and my family and I decided to head down to Devon for the day. We started the morning at A la Ronde. 

This is one of the most unique National Trust properties I have ever visited. Overlooking the River Exe, the 16 sided house was built in the 18th century for two spinster cousins on their return from the Grand Tour.

A la Ronde, Devon

The house inside is really quite remarkable. Every corner of it is still filled with objects from the cousins' journeys around Europe, although it has been altered in layout since that time.

A clever use of space on the ground floor of A la Ronde

The house on the inside has plenty of rooms to explore, including the drawing room, with its unusual artworks by the cousins, and the 'Octagon', the green hallway with eight doors.

Just a small selection of the shells housed in A la Ronde

You may have heard of A la Ronde because of its famous Shell Gallery, with its 25,000 shells. Unfortunately, you can no longer see it up close, as it is has been closed off to visitors for the past twenty years. The only ways of viewing it now are using a mirror in the entrance hall, or on a screen at the end of the tour. You can actually view the 360 picture online at: http://www.rodedwards.co.uk/files/20634/alarondeshellgallery/A_La_Ronde_Shell_Gallery.html. 

As is probably obvious from the image above, as picturesque as A la Ronde is (and as nice as the cake is!), it is not a full day's visit. As we were travelling back up to North Somerset, we decided to spend the afternoon at Killerton House, another National Trust property. If you want to stay in the area, there is plenty to do, and Exeter is only a short drive away.

Killerton House is an 18th century property, originally built as a temporary home for the Acland family. There are relatively few rooms open in the house, as the first floor is used as a temporary exhibition space, and currently houses 'The F-word: the changing language of fashion'.

Killerton House Library

The rooms downstairs are well presented, and the library is very inviting, with a great selection of books on local social history that can be browsed. I personally think that it is important that the rooms are used as much as possible, and to me it just makes sense that libraries have books in that you can read! Making them relevant to the property that they are in is a very simple idea, but one that is not actually put into practice that often.

The garden at Killerton is full of colour, and I thought that having interpretation boards describing the plants and the plans for the rest of the year was brilliant. 

Killerton Chapel

Within the grounds is Killerton Chapel, a mid-Victorian building. Built of volcanic trap aslar (known as Killerton stone), the exterior doesn't really give much away, so the dramatic interior was quite a surprise. On reflection, there are a lot of clues to the nature of the interior, such as the rose window in the west end.

Interior of Killerton Chapel

The whole day was really great, but if you visit, be aware that each properties on their own is a half-day, and you should plan around that. There is plenty to do in the area around Exeter however, so you won't struggle to fill up the day.

For more information about A la Ronde, visit: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/a-la-ronde/

For more information about Killerton, visit: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/killerton/

Montacute House, Somerset

With the nights drawing in, I thought that this was the perfect time to reflect upon some visits that I've made over the past couple of months to historic houses, galleries and other, equally exciting, places. As I've mentioned before, moving to the South West of England has meant that there are plenty more places to explore, some of which I've never heard of before!


One of these is Montacute House, which I visited in June this year. It's a fantastic National Trust property, and well worth a visit! It is an Elizabethan Renaissance mansion, completed in 1601. It was one of National Trust's first great houses after being saved in 1931 by Ernest Cook.

The house itself is great to walk around, with a fascinating range of objects and paintings to discover. If you think it looks familiar, it has appeared several times on screen. Most recently, it has doubled as Greenwich Palace in Wolf Hall (BBC).

Quite often when visiting properties such as this one, rooms are closed without explanation, and it is difficult to understand the changes that they're making. At Montacute, however, there were interpretation boards dotted around to describe changes and renovation that was taking place. It meant that you were able to experience much more of the property, and see different phases of building and decoration too! It would be really great to see this being done at more properties.

Another great thing about Montacute was how open it was. Instead of being limited to one strip of carpet, you could move around the rooms much more freely, and had the chance to look at all of the fascinating objects on display.

One of the highlights of our visit was the National Portrait Gallery exhibit. It contains over 50 Tudor and Jacobean portraits, and was curated with the help of Bristol University students. Whilst I was aware of the exhibition before my visit, I was pleasantly surprised by the range and quality of the collection. I also think that it's fantastic to see portraits of this importance being exhibited in Somerset, and what's more, in a very appropriate setting.

After spending the morning at the house, we decided to head into the village. I would highly recommend doing so, as the village, built almost entirely of local hamstone, is a quintessential English village (and has a couple of very nice pubs too). The church, extensively restored in the 1870s, is also worth a visit.

Montacute House is probably one of the best presented National Trust properties that I have visited in recent years. The staff are very welcoming and knowledgable, and the range of collections, and how they are presented, is fantastic. It's safe to say I'll be returning next year!

For more information about Montacute House, visit: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/montacute-house/