Milton Abbot

Situated high above the Tamar Valley, Milton Abbot is home to the Regency masterpiece, Endsleigh House, that was designed for the Duke and Duchess of Bedford by the architect Sir Jeffry Wyattville and the landscape designer Humphry Repton. Built in the cottage orne in about 1810, the house comprises the main building and a children’s wing that are linked by a curved terrace. The formal gardens were designed to form a setting for the house as well as frame views out across the surrounding countryside. Along with the three terraces, which were restored in 1998, there are less formal garden areas that include a Rock Garden with a mysterious underground grotto that leads to the Diary Dell. Little altered since they were first created, the grounds also include an internationally famous arboretum containing more than 1000 specimen trees. The house has recently been redeveloped as an upmarket hotel.