Knightshayes (Devon, England)

We saw some magnificent houses during the England trip. The one instance where I enjoyed the house more than the gardens was Knightshayes (which I have a terrible tendency to refer to as Nightshades).

Touring this house was a thrilling experience for me and I will share interior photos in the next post. The gardens were certainly nothing to sneeze at -

After parking, you enter the Stables, which I first thought was the actual house -

But no, you walk down a curving road about 1/4 of a mile and as you round a bend, there is the main house -

The Gothic-style house was designed by William Burges for the Heathcoat-Amory family, whose wealth stemmed from lace production. They owned most of the land and manufacturing sites in the town of Tiverton. John Heathcoat-Amory chose the Knightshayes location because it overlooked his factory in the Exe valley below.

If you are wondering where the name Knightshayes comes from (as I was), I found this meaning: This name likely has Old English or Anglo-Saxon roots. “Knight” refers to a man who served as a mounted soldier in the medieval period. “Hayes” may derive from the Old English “haga,” meaning an enclosure or hedge, referring to the land surrounding the estate.

Looking down from the front of the house to the valley where the factory was located -

The following photo, from the National Trust website, gives a better view of the house.

Photo courtesy of The National Trust

The formal gardens that surround the house were designed by Edward Kemp.   

Following World War II, Sir John and Joyce, Lady Heathcoat-Amory (who were both avid gardeners), simplified the design and added the woodland garden. There wasn't much to photograph in the woodland garden due to the early season, but there were gardeners there working -

In my follow-up post, I will share photos of the interior of the house.

(Visited May 19, 2025)

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy