Arlington Court
Encyclopedia
English country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
designed in a severe neoclassical style circa 1820, situated in Arlington
Arlington, Devon
Arlington is a village and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon in England. The parish includes the villages of Arlington and Arlington Beccott...
, near Barnstaple
Barnstaple
Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...
, north Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The house was built by Colonel John Palmer Chichester (1769-1823), and designed by a local architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Thomas Lee
Thomas Lee (Jnr)
Thomas Lee , the son of Thomas Lee of Barnstaple, Devon, was an English architect. He was educated at Barnstaple Grammar School and left to train briefly in 1810 at Sir John Soane's office, where his father no doubt placed him, but left for the office of David Laing...
. The Chichester family were minor Devonshire gentry
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
and a junior branch of the Chichester family of Raleigh and Youlston, Devon ( for the history of the wider family see Marquess of Donegall
Marquess of Donegall
Marquess of Donegall is a title in the Peerage of Ireland held by the head of the Chichester family, originally from Devon, England. Sir John Chichester sat as a Member of Parliament and was High Sheriff of Devon in 1557. One of his sons, Sir Arthur Chichester, was Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1604...
and Chichester Baronets
Chichester Baronets
There have been three Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Chichester, one in the Baronetage of England and two in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. One creation is extant as of 2008....
). The house was considerably expanded by John Chichester's grandson Sir Bruce Chichester in 1865. In 1876 the Arlington estate extended to some 5300 acres. Sir Bruce's unmarried daughter and heiress, Rosalie Chichester, donated the mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
together with 3500 acres (14.2 km²) on her death in 1949.
Today the house, together with the Chichester family's collection of antique furniture and an eclectic collection of family memorabilia, is fully open to the public.
The National Trust property
The National Trust markets the property under the name "Arlington Court & The National Trust's Carriage Collection". The property is home to its collection of over 50 horse-drawn carriages, ranging from the humble Hansom cabHansom cab
The hansom cab is a kind of horse-drawn cart designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from York. The vehicle was developed and tested by Hansom in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England. Originally called the Hansom safety cab, it was designed to combine speed with safety, with a low...
to the grandiose State Coach.