Cotehele

A William de Cotehele is recorded in 1270,^[1] suggesting that there may have been a house on the site by this time. The house was acquired by William Edgcumbe through his marriage to Hilaria, heiress of Cotehele, in 1353.^[2] The earliest parts of the present house may be early 15th century - the chapel was licensed in 1411 - but there is no certain evidence predating Sir Richard Edgcumbe's reconstruction after 1485.^[3][4] This work continued until the 1560s, creating a large manor house rambling around three courtyards.^[4]

In 1547-53, Richard Edgcumbe II built the more fashionable Mount Edgcumbe House, and Cotehele was relegated to being a second home before it was even complete.^[4] This preserved the house in its Tudor state, though it also led to its being neglected. Nonetheless, the house was reoccupied by Colonel Piers Edgcumbe in the mid-17th century, after Mount Edgcumbe was damaged in the English Civil War. Colonel Piers was a Royalist, and may have retreated to the more isolated Cotehele to avoid unwanted attention during the Interregnum, though he remained there after the Restoration until his death in 1666 or 1667.^[5] He modified the house's private apartments, ceiling off and partitioning the Great Chamber and adding a new staircase.^[5]

Colonel Piers' son, Richard Edgcumbe, returned to Mount Edgcumbe.^[6] His son, Richard, 1st Baron Edgcumbe, remodelled Mount Edgcumbe around 1742, and sent its old furnishings to Cotehele.^[7] This began a tradition of filling Cotehele with historic furniture and tapestries, and presenting it as a Romantic and antiquarian attraction.^[7] Visitors to the house included King George III and Queen Charlotte (1789),^[2] and Queen Victoria (1846 and 1856).^[8] Victoria thought the tapestried rooms 'very cheerless,' as she noted in her diary.^[8]

After Ernest, 3rd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe died in 1861, his son William, 4th Earl restored the east range of Cotehele as a dower house for Lady Caroline, Ernest's widow.^[9] This range was separate from the hall and state rooms of the "Old House", which were developing as a visitor attraction.^[10] The house's first guidebook was written at this time, and illustrated by Nicholas Condy (see below).^[10]

The Edgcumbes again returned to Cotehele in the Second World War, after Mount Edgcumbe was gutted by German incendiaries in 1941.^[11] It was the first property to be accepted by the Treasury in payment of death duty. The house and estate are now under the care of the National Trust.^[12] The house is a Grade I listed building, having been so designated on 21 July 1951.

Cotehele is one of the least altered Tudor houses in the United Kingdom.

Sir Richard Edgcumbe seems to have been involved in the first phase of development from 1486 to 1489, with his son Sir Piers Edgcumbe taking over for the second phase, from 1489 to 1520.^[13]

The grounds stretch down to a quay on the River Tamar where there is an outpost of the National Maritime Museum. There are a number of formal gardens and a richly planted area in the valley; features include a well-preserved medieval dovecote,^[17] a stewpond, a Victorian summerhouse and the eighteenth century Prospect Tower.^[12] The gardens and parkland are listed as Grade II* on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.^[18] The south west side of the estate is bordered by the Morden stream which joins the Tamar at the quay. The estate mill is fed by this stream. The mill was used to grind grain bought in Plymouth and brought up river on the barge Myrtle, and also to drive a sawmill and a generator for electricity. The Grade II listed mill^[19] has been restored to working order, producing flour for use in the restaurant as well as for sale.^[20]

In 2008 a 'Mother Orchard' of over 250 apple trees, mainly of West-country varieties, was planted. The 8 acre orchard site is divided into eating, culinary and cider varieties.^[21]

The artist Nicholas Condy (1793-1857) made watercolours and paintings of Cotehele and the 2nd and 3rd Earls of Mount Edgcumbe were his patrons. Condy's painting, The Court Dinner at Cotehele, and watercolours of the outside of Cotehele are on display in Mount Edgcumbe House^[24]

Cotehele was used in the filming of Trevor Nunn's 1996 film adaptation of Twelfth Night. it was used for scenes taking place in the quayside tavern and the inside of Orsino's castle.^[25]

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  Main building and garden
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  Flower garlands at Cotehele
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  Flower garlands at Cotehele
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  The Cotehele Clock in the chapel

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