Hello, welcome back to our photographic adventures, this week we’ve been to visit the National Trust’s Knightshayes Court and Gardens near Tiverton in North Devon.

The Heathcoat-Amory family lived at Knightshayes for 125 years. Their wealth came from owning a large lace-making factory in Tiverton. The factory continues to this day, although it is no longer owned by the family.

Sir John Heathcoat-Armory (1829-1914) commissioned the building of Knightshayes in the mid-Victorian period. This was made possible because of the wealth he inherited from his grandfather’s lace-making business. He was politically active; an MP for Tiverton, he was made a Baronet in 1874. In 1968 he commissioned William Burges to create a great country house befitting his status as a wealthy Victorian gentleman and keen huntsman.

The grounds feature a walled kitchen garden, miles of hiking trails, a deer park, formal gardens and a pine forest walk, as well as the impressive gothic revival residence, with its beautifully preserved interiors and spectacularly decorated ceilings.