A la Ronde
Summer Lane
Exmouth EX8 5BD
This unique sixteen-sided house was described by Lucinda Lambton as having 'a magical strangeness that one might dream of only as a child'. It was built for two spinster cousins, Jane and Mary Parminter, on their return from a grand tour of Europe in the late 18th century. It contains many objects and mementoes of their travels. The extraordinary interior decoration includes a feather frieze, gathered from native game birds and chickens, laboriously stuck down with isinglass. There is also a fragile shell-encrusted gallery, said to contain nearly 25,000 shells, which can be viewed in its entirety using a touch screen 360 degree virtual tour.
Arlington Court & the National Trust Carriage Museum - National Trust
Arlington
Barnstaple EX31 4LP
Arlington Court is an impressive Regency house with a vast collections of artefacts from paintings to pewter and ships to shells. Set in grounds of 2700 acres with formal gardens and woodland.
Bampton Heritage & Visitor Centre
c/o 21, Briton Street, Bampton
Tiverton EX16 9LN
You can visit the Heritage and Visitor Centre to read and hear about Bampton's history and you can also take a guided town trail to see Bampton's history!
Berry Pomeroy Castle - English Heritage
Totnes TQ9 6LJ
Tucked away in a steep wooded valley, Berry Pomeroy Castle is the perfect romantic ruin. Within the 15th-century defences of the Pomeroy family castle, still displaying a wall painting of the Three Kings in its gatehouse chamber, looms the dramatic ruined shell of its successor, the great Elizabethan mansion of the Seymours.
Bradley - National Trust
Bradley
Newton Abbot TQ12 6BN
Unspoilt and fascinating medieval manor house, still a relaxed family home, in a green haven of riverside meadows and woodland.
Branscombe - National Trust
Branscombe
Seaton EX12 3DB
Nestling in a valley that reaches down to the sea on east Devon's dramatic Jurassic Coast, the village of Branscombe is surrounded by picturesque countryside with miles of tranquil walking through woodland, farmland and beach. Branscombe's charming thatched houses, working forge and restored watermill add to the timeless magic of the place. An easy graded trail winds up from the beach to the village passing Manor Mill, the Old Bakery tearooms and the working forge.
Buckfast Abbey
Buckfast Road
Buckfastleigh TQ11 0EE
The Buckfast monks are pleased to invite visitors to their abbey. We seek to provide a stimulating learning environment for all ages and ability levels.
Buckland Abbey, Garden & Estate - National Trust
Buckland
Yelverton PL20 6EY
700-year-old building with fine 16th-century great hall, associated with Elizabethan seafarers Drake and Grenville. Tucked away in its own secluded valley above the River Tavy, Buckland was originally a small but influential Cistercian monastery.
Castle Drogo - National Trust
Drewsteignton
near Exeter EX6 6PB
Castle Drogo was built for self-made millionaire Julius Drewe by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. Unfortunately the castle, with its flat roof, has suffered from serious water penetration from the start, and is now undergoing a 5 year conservation project that will last until 2017 to make it watertight.
Coldharbour Mill Trust
Working Wool Museum, Uffculme
Collompton EX15 3EE
Welcome to Coldharbour Mill, a 200 year old spinning mill set in the tranquil Devon village of Uffculme. Built by Thomas Fox to spin woollen and later worsted yarns in 1799, Coldharbour Mill is a rare example of surviving Georgian architecture, industry and enterprise. Since reopening as a museum in 1982 the mill has continued to produce high quality worsted knitting yarn on its period machinery.
Coleton Fishacre - National Trust
Brownstone Road
Kingswear TQ6 0EQ
Travel back in time to the Jazz Age at the holiday home of the D'Oyly Carte family. You can lose yourself in the magical 12-hectare (30-acre) garden: viewpoints give enticing glimpses out to sea, paths weave through glades past tranquil ponds, and tender plants from the Mediterranean, South Africa and New Zealand thrive in the moist and sheltered valley.
Compton Castle - National Trust
Marldon
Paignton TQ3 1TA
Built between the 14th and 16th centuries, the castle has been home to the Gilbert family for most of the last 600 years. Sir Humphrey Gilbert (1539-1583) was coloniser of Newfoundland and half-brother to Sir Walter Raleigh.
Dartmouth Castle - English Heritage
Castle Road
Dartmouth TQ6 0JN
One of the most picturesquely-sited fortresses in England. For over 600 years Dartmouth Castle has guarded the narrow entrance to the Dart Estuary and the busy, vibrant port of Dartmouth.
Devon Rural Archive
Shilstone, Nr Modbury
Plymouth PL21 0TW
The Devon Rural Archive was launched in 2006 to promote a greater understanding of the county's rural domestic architecture. Our growing reference library is open to the public two days a week for private research and provides the perfect place to explore Devon's architectural heritage.
Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre
The Fairground Heritage Trust, Milford
Lifton PL16 0AT
The Fairground Heritage Trust, formed in 1986, is a charity which is committed to saving, conserving and sharing historic fairground equipment. Our aim is to establish Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre as a remarkable and fascinating experience; a place to visit offering fun, enjoyment and learning for a broad range of audiences. In addition to our other collections, the Trust also has access to an extensive collection of ephemera and a large photographic archive.
Exeter Cathedral
Exeter EX1 1HS
Pilgrims and visitors have been making their way to Exeter Cathedral since medieval times. It is one of the most visited places in the west country.
Exeter Synagogue
Exeter Hebrew Congregation, Synagogue Place, Mary Arches Street
Exeter EX4 3BA
Jews have lived and worshipped in Exeter for over 250 years. The synagogue, which was built in 1763, is small, beautiful and, happily, still used regularly for services.
Fairlynch Museum & Arts Centre
27 Fore Street
Budleigh Salterton EX9 6NP
The town of Budleigh Salterton possesses one of the important costume collections in the country. For this reason alone a call at the museum is a must for visitors to the town.
Finch Foundry - National Trust
Finch Foundry, Sticklepath
Nr Okehampton EX20 2NW
Set amid beautiful Dartmoor countryside in the village of Sticklepath, this last remaining water-powered forge in England gives a unique insight into village life in the 19th century. In its heyday the foundry made 400 tools a day, including sickles, scythes and shovels for West Country farmers and miners. Don't miss the demonstrations and tours of the machinery every hour.
Greenway - National Trust
Greenway Road
Galmpton, nr Brixham TQ5 0ES
Glorious woodland garden on the banks of the Dart estuary. From 1938-1959, Greenway was the holiday home of Mrs Mallowan - Agatha Christie - and her husband.
Grimspound
Challacombe Farm, Dartmoor
Postbridge, Yelverton PL20 6TD
Late Bronze Age settlement featuring the remains of 24 huts within an area of over 6,000 square metres (four acres), enclosed by a massive stone wall, some 9 feet thick. This was the model for the prehistoric hut in which Sherlock Holmes spent the night in The Hound of the Baskervilles.
Kennaway House
Coburg Road
Sidmouth EX10 8NG
Built in 1805, the year of Trafalgar, Kennaway House is a handsome Regency mansion standing in its own grounds in the heart of Sidmouth. Collections: There is a permanent display illustrating the history of the house and its significance within the architectural context of Sidmouth. There is a permanent display of the work of influential Sidmouth architect, RW Sampson, to which entry is free but by application. The restored Regency rooms are worth visiting in their own right and include exhibition space for the work of both established and new artists in the south west.
Kents Cavern Prehistoric Caves
Kents Cavern, Cavern House, Ilsham Road
Torquay TQ1 2JF
Kents Cavern is one of the most important Stone Age cave sites in Europe, making it Britain's premier prehistoric cave. For thousands of years the cave was home to ancient humans, sheltering from extreme weather, making fires, shaping stone tools and hunting wild Ice Age predators.
Killerton - National Trust
Killerton, Broadclyst
Exeter EX5 3LE
Fine 18th-century house with costume collection, hillside garden and estate. Delightful hillside garden featuring rhododendrons, magnolias, and rare trees. Home to the 'Paulise de Bush' costume collection, with over 9,000 outfits.
Knightshayes Court - National Trust
Bolham
Tiverton EX16 7RQ
When pioneer lace-maker John Heathcoat was chased out of Loughborough by the Luddites in 1816, his relocation to Tiverton led eventually to one of the finest surviving Gothic Revival houses being built in the lush landscape of mid Devon. In 1869 his grandson employed the architect and decorator William Burges - a passionate Gothic enthusiast - to build Knightshayes Court.
Lyn & Exmoor Museum
St Vincent's Cottage, Market Street
Lynton EX35 6HJ
A charming, rural museum with a collection of agricultural and domestic tools from Lynton and Exmoor. Housed in Lynton's oldest surviving domestic dwelling, it even includes its own ghost. Cottage kitchen with large stone fireplace, bread oven and pots and pans and domestic clutter.
Merchant's House
33 St Andrew Street
Plymouth PL1 2AX
See four mini museums under one roof in this former home of famous Elizabethan privateer, William Parker. Old curiosities, a Victorian schoolroom, Blitz room and Edwardian pharmacy provide a fascinating snapshot of Plymouth's recent past.
Morwellham Quay Museum
Morwellham
Tavistock PL19 8JL
An award-winning, evocative museum and visitor centre in the heart of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site and Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Just four miles west of Tavistock the historic port, mine workings and estate border the beautiful River Tamar.
Okehampton Castle - English Heritage
Castle Lodge
Okehampton EX20 1JA
The remains of the largest castle in Devon, in an outstandingly picturesque setting on a wooded spur above the rushing River Okement. Begun soon after the Norman Conquest as a motte and bailey castle with a stone keep, it was converted into a sumptuous residence in the 14th century by Hugh Courtenay, Earl of Devon, much of whose work survives.
Overbeck's - National Trust
Sharpitor
Salcombe TQ8 8LW
A hidden paradise of subtropical gardens and eclectic collections.. With a climate more like the Mediterranean Riviera than the British mainland, Overbeck's is home to an astonishing plant collection.
South Devon Railway Museum
South Devon Railway Trust, The Station
Buckfastleigh TQ11 0DZ
The South Devon Railway Museum can be found in the former goods shed at Buckfastleigh station. Part has been closed while new displays and artefacts have been prepared, whilst the infrastructure has been greatly improved.
South West Image Bank
25 The Parade Barbican
Plymouth PL1 2JN
The South West Image Bank (SWiB) is a community based specialist photography archive managed by our Archivist, and a full time Outreach Officer. SWiB is supported by a team of volunteers who undertake cataloguing and digitisation of the unique photographic archives deposited by members of the public, photographers and local businesses.
St Nicholas Priory
The Mint, off Fore Street
Exeter EX4 3BL
Originally part of a medieval monastery, this splendid Grade 1 listed building later became the Tudor home of a wealthy merchant family. Now presented as their richly furnished Elizabethan town house adorned with beautifully crafted replica furniture and bright paint and textiles of the period. Also displayed are some of Exeter's original Tudor artefacts from the collection at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum.
Torre Abbey Historic House & Gallery
The King's Drive
Torquay TQ2 5JE
Torre Abbey was founded in 1196 as a monastery for the Premonstratensian order of Canons. By the 15th century it was the richest monastery of the order in the whole of the UK. Collections: Torre Abbey contains a regionally important collection of oil paintings and watercolours. It is particularly strong in 19th century portraits and landscapes, especially the work of the Pre-Raphaelites.
Totnes Castle - English Heritage
Totnes TQ9 5NU
A classic Norman motte and bailey castle, founded soon after the Conquest to overawe the Saxon town. A later stone shell-keep crowns its steep mound, giving sweeping views across the town rooftops to the River Dart.
Totnes Elizabethan House Museum
70 Fore Street
Totnes TQ9 5RU
The Totnes Elizabethan House Museum collection is contained in a magnificent Tudor house, built in 1575. There are 13 rooms on three floors covering over 5000 years of history from Totnes and District. Collections: In Saxon times Totnes was a minting Burgh, a fortified town which produced its own coinage. The museum houses a collection of coins minted in Totnes during the Saxon period, which are currently on display in the Archaeology Gallery.