Coleton Fishacre

Coleton Fishacre is a property built in the 1920s, including a house in the style of the Arts and Crafts Movement and a 10 -hectare garden. It lies on the sea near Kingswear, Devon, England. The property is owned by the National Trust, who opened the garden to the public since 1982. The house was opened to the public in 1999.

The house

The great house of Coleton Fishacre was 1923-1926 as a country retreat for Rupert D' Oyly Carte ( 1876-1948 ), son of theatrical agent and impresario Richard D' Oyly Carte, and his wife, Lady Dorothy Carte ( 1889-1977 ), built. The architect was Oswald Milne, a former assistant Edwin Lutyens. The house he planned according to the principles of the Arts and Crafts Movement. The focus was therefore on the simplicity of its design and the high quality of craftsmanship. The house is built of locally quarried slate with a slate roof. The interior of the house, however, was executed in the style of Art Deco of the 1920s. Therefore, the interior follows a minimalist design that largely dispensed with decorations in the rooms and hallways. The bright rooms with accents of strong colors are typical of the 1920s.

Although initially only built as a country residence, lived Lady Dorothy from the late 1920s on the property as a principal residence. 1932 accident Michael D' Oyly Carte ( 1911-1932 ), the son of the couple, at the age of 21 years in a traffic accident in Switzerland. The couple could not get over the early death of her son and divorced in 1941. After the divorce of their daughter Bridget D' Oyly Carte (1908-1985) took over the house. Her father, who lived at that time in London came, sometimes for long weekends to visit. After his death, she sold the house in 1949 Rowland Smith, owner of a motor business. This left its property over the next few decades virtually unchanged.

The Garden

The garden of the property is falling between the house and the sea by a stream and ends on Pudcombe Cove. The garden was created by Lady Dorothy and today offers rare and exotic plants that can grow in this part of the coast of Devon due to the mild Gulf Stream. In the 1930s, six gardeners were busy to tend the garden, whereas four employees took care of the household.