Arlington Court Devon
Arlington Court near Barnstaple in north Devon is one of the most unusual and most rewarding National Trust properties in the southwest, a Regency house of modest exterior containing an extraordinary collection of objects assembled by Miss Rosalie Chichester across six decades of collecting until her death in 1949 and bequeathing the entire estate to the National Trust. The combination of the eclectic and personal character of the collection, which encompasses model ships, shells, pewter, costumes and an enormous array of objects with no common theme beyond Miss Chichester's enthusiastic acquisition, and the Victorian stables housing the national carriage collection creates a destination of remarkable individuality.
The house reflects Miss Chichester's complete control of her environment across her long life, every room arranged according to her own taste and sense of order in a way that has been preserved by the National Trust as she left it. The experience of moving through rooms saturated with the accumulated objects of a single passionate collector is quite different from the polished presentation of great houses assembled for their architectural quality or art historical importance, and the personal character of Arlington Court is its greatest appeal.
The Victorian stables of Arlington Court house the National Trust's carriage collection, over fifty vehicles from horse-drawn carriages and coaches to fire engines and estate vehicles, providing one of the most comprehensive collections of historic carriages on public display in Britain. The park and woodland walks provide excellent walking in the typical north Devon countryside.