Mount Edgcumbe: A Cornish Estate Ravaged by World War II, Now a Park with a

Mount Edgcumbe is a Grade II listed building, while its gardens and parkland are Grade I listed. It’s located in the parish of Maker, on the Rame Peninsula in Cornwall, England. The earliest known structure on the site dates back to 997, when Vikings used Barn Pool, a sheltered deep water anchorage, as dockage. The property passed through several hands before Sir Richard Edgcumbe built the original house between 1547 and 1553, which inspired architect Robert Smythson’s Wollaton Hall.

Mount Edgcumbe served as the seat of the Edgcumbe family for generations. In 1742, one of its members was raised to the peerage as Baron Edgcumbe. His 2nd son, George, was advanced to the rank of Earl in 1789. But the estate's glory days were short-lived. German bombs ravaged the house in 1941. The restoration process began in 1958 at the 6th Earl’s instigation, and the house was opened to the public in 1988. The 7th Earl sold the estate to Cornwall County Council and Plymouth City Council in 1971.

Today, Mount Edgcumbe Country Park is one of South East Cornwall's most popular historic tourist attractions. One can walk from the Cremyll Ferry through the Mount Edgcumbe Country Park to the villages of Kingsand and Cawsand. The park includes the National Camellia Collection, and a classic car show is held annually in the Mount Edgcumbe Country Park.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons