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Coleton Fishacre, Devon

The D'Oyly Carte family had made a fortune in showbusiness. In 1870 Richard D'Oyly Carte joined a concert agency in London. By 1875 he was running his own agency, and had signed the two artists who would make his fortune, W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. Gilbert and Sullivan's first commission was an operetta called Trial by Jury. This was a hit, and led to a hugely successful run of operettas. By 1881 money made from operettas allowed the building of the Savoy Theatre and Savoy Hotel. An opera company was also formed, which survived until 1982.

Coleton Fishacre was built as a D'Oyly Carte family summer retreat between 1925 and 1926. The designer Oswald Milne, assistant to Edwin Lutyens, built and decorated the house in an Arts and Crafts style. The Arts and Crafts movement had an idealistic wish to return to an emphasis on individual craftsmanship. William Morris's original vision for Arts and Crafts had been to liberate factory workers from monotonous work required by mass production, and resurrect the nobility of individual craftsmanship. In practice, only the very rich could afford hand made Arts and Crafts products. Coleton Fishacre is an illustration of this fact.

 

A museum at Coleton Fishacre commemorates the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, with a number of items connected with the company and its productions on display.

 

 

 

Coleton Fishacre has a wonderful garden built on slopes leading down to the sea. The South West Coast path passes at the bottom of the garden, and a walk along the path can be combined with a visit to the property.

Opening Times: opening hours for National Trust properties can be complex. Please use contact details below.

Address: Coleton Fishacre, Brownstone Road, Kingswear, Devon TQ6 0EQ

Directions: Coleton Fishacre is three miles from Kingswear, in south Devon. Take the Lower Ferry road and turn off at toll house. After that follow signs. Be prepared for very narrow roads. Click here for an interactive map centred on Coleton Fishacre.

 

Access: The ground floor of the house is accessible. The garden has many steep slopes and steps, but there is a map describing an accessible route.

 

 

 

Contact:

telephone: 01803 752466

fax: 01803 753017

e-mail: coletonfishacre@nationaltrust.org.uk

web site: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-