Caerhays Castle
OS Grid ref:- SW975414
Caerhays Castle nestles in a sheltered valley overlooking Porthluney beach. on Cornwall's beautiful Roseland Peninsula.
The castle was converted from a medieval manor house in the early nineteenth century by John Nash, architect of London's marble arch.
In the Early Middle Ages, the estate belonged to the Arundell family. The earliest recorded mention of the name occurs in 1259 when it was referred to Karihaes.
In about 1379, it passed through marriage to the Trevanion family after the marriage of Robert Trevanion to Johanna Arundell, daughter and heiress of Rudolph Arundell of Caerhays. John Trevanion inherited the estate in 1703 after which he improved the manor house existing on the site and developed gardens. With the death of William Trevanion in 1767, the male line of the Trevanion family became extinct, and the estate passed to his sister's son, John Bettesworth.
The castle was used as the setting for Manderley in the TV production of Daphne du Maurier's novel 'Rebecca'.
The castle's garden covers almost 120 acres (0.49 km2), and is traversed by four named routes (Red Route, Blue Route, Yellow Route, and the Green Route). They are navigated by trails, grassy paths, and steps.
The gardens gardens are the creation of the Williams family, who owned the castle from the mid nineteenth century and consist of tall flowering trees and shrubs, set amidst beech and pine woodland.
The garden is now home to 600 varieties of plants, including trees and shrubs, such as azaleas and camellias. By 1917, it had over 250 types of rhododendron. The garden hosts the largest collection of magnolias in England.
Holders of the NCCPG National Magnolia and Podocarpus Collection and the original home of the famed x williamsi camellias, Caerhays still have many original plants collected in China in late Victorian times which grow alongside more modern hybrids.
Mostly all of the properties at the nearby twin hamlets of East and West Portholland are owned by the Caerhays Castle Estate. Recently declared National Heritage Assets, the twin hamlets nestle in their respective coves.
Guided tours of the castle are available for a limited period during the season, the Magnolia tearooms provide refreshments and the gift shop in the courtyard stocks a varied selection of local and own branded products.